OCR Text |
Show Page 36 The Tfumderbird Monday, September 26, 1983 Outdoors its Sp SUSC women still fight for sporting chance women's suffer from lack of attendance bake of the a sales to Although they've come from big piece pie , sports by Brooks Washburn When the word athlete is mentioned, one perhaps would think of Mean Joe Greene busting through an opposing offensive line, with thousands of fans cheering him on. There are, however, athletes that play before crowds of less than 50, with little or no press coverage and in some cases no place for spectators to sit. Many people may think this athletic program was doomed for extinction, but here at SUSC and hundreds of other colleges such programs exist and are doing well. Making the best of what you have is the key to womens athletics, says Kathryn Berg, SUSC assistant athletic director. Although the womens programs are strong they still have their share of problems, Berg notes. The people who come to our games seem to enjoy them, but our attendance is generally low. Many spectators at womens athletic events are other female athletes, according to Linda Eames, an SUSC softball player. The lack of scholarships is a problem for the womens program. Most of the athletes, and the lack of girls are walk-oscholarships makes it difficult to recruit athletes, Berg said. Equipment poses another problem. dug-out- n Kathryn Berg is making the best of what she has to work with in SUSC's athletic department. high-calibe- r Minor sports feel money crunch by Craig Loe Money not only makes the world go 'round, but also the athletic department at SUSC. Sports at colleges today have a difficult leaders. time surviving the budget-cuttin- g Trying to keep the athletic department coordinated and properly budgeted is Dr. Steve Lunts job. He has been the athletic director at SUSC for nearly five years. Prior to that, he was a coach for track, J.V. basketball, and cross country at SUSC. The money that the athletic department receives comes from four sources, which are: college administration, student fees, contributions, and gate receipts. Lunt also added, We dont play the big teams like Northern Arizona just for the fun, but for the money which we receive. When the athletic departments budget needs to be tightened, then the sport which will affect the least number of athletes in relation to the number of According to Eames, the softball diamond doesnt have a proper backstop or bleachers for spectators. It doesnt seem fair that the mens baseball team and has a nice backstop and the womens field doesnt even have a place for the spectators to sit, she said. Press coverage for womens sports has been a problem, but it is starting to improve, Berg said. Not long ago, Lady Bird athletes won the national high jump and 1,500 meter events in track and field, and that was the best kept secret on campus, Berg said. Do female athletes at SUSC feel they are the object of unjust discrimination? A lot of guys overlook girls that are athletes,-anthey never get to know how nice some of the girls really are, Eames said. ' Berg said she felt that no blatant discrimination existed on the college level. She did, however, feel the attitude of some players and coachjes causes friction. "Most coaches feel that their sport is the most important one, which is the way it should be, she said. Sometimes conflicts arise as to the use of facilities and time. This attitude is then passed on to their players and friction arises. Berg said, Even with the problems faced by the department, most of the coaches and players have an optimistic outlook for the future of womens athletics at SUSC. spectators, the amount of money spent, and the competitiveness of the sport will be dropped. Lunt said. When an opening in the department for another sport arises, then five things will be considered before adding any sport: availability of competition, players, coaches, facilities, and the amount of money needed for that sport. Being in the RMAC (Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) has some drawbacks, but also many good points. One of these drawbacks is the limit on e scholarships. According to the rules on recruitment in the RMAC, the colleges can only offer scholarships for tuition and fees. Unlike the rest of the four year colleges e in Utah, which are able to offer scholarships, SUSC has to rely on its reputation as an outstanding college. One advantage to the RMAC regulation is that the recruiting program of a college cannot surpass that of a poorly-funde-d college. full-rid- full-rid- d In order to be a part of the RMAC each college must have four mens sports; basketball and football must be included, while the remaining two are left to the college to decide. SUSC includes track, golf and baseball in its program. As in the requirements for men, colleges must also sponsor four'sports for women. SUSC carries basketball and volleyball, which are required, and also offers track, gymnastics and softball. When the colleges comply with these regulations, competition is more available and closer to home. One thing that will help the sports program, Lunt said, is the new Special Events Center. The reason we have to travel to the big colleges in order to play them is purely the fact of economics. Colleges such as Northern Arizona can guarantee us over $2,000 a game, he continued, while we can only guarantee $600. With the new Special Events Center we can make the money figure more attractive. Few sports here Athletic programs at colleges across America differ in size and scope. SUSCs is based upon intercollegiate competition for men in football, basketball, golf, cross country, baseball and track and field. Womens sports are volleyball, basketball, track and field and gymnastics. Among the many sports for which SUSC no longer fields intercollegiate teams include: Tennis Swimming Wrestling Lacrosse Field Hockey Swimming Water polo Crew and several others. |