For five athelic teams, the saddest day in Red Hawk history came without a warning on last Thursday. Athletes from men's and women's cross country, wrestling, women's tennis and men's lacrosse mourned the loss of their respective varsity sports as they were demoted to "club sports" status.
It seems like yesterday, when the cross country team ran in the crisp air of Garret Mountain; when the wrestlers, with their tradition of triumph, gave Joe Sabol his first victory as the new head coach against New York University in their season opener in November; when the women's tennis team flew to Texas to compete; when the men's lacrosse team won their second straight ECAC Metro South Title last season.
Now the chance to relive those accomplishments and memories have been erased, due to the reclassification of those teams. Club sports do not compete for national championships and must raise their own money for resources.
According to Athletic Director Holly Gera, MSU can no longer run 21 teams at the intercollegiate level with a $455,868 budget. She said the decision was based on the employment status of the coaches, availability of local competition, conference affiliation, equipment expenses, facility demands, and travel costs.
This has brought contagious reactions from those affected by the cut. Students who are not involved in the extinct teams are complaining in class discussions and voicing their opinions by writing to congressmen, U.S. Senators, local news stations and newspapers.
FULL ARTICLE:
http://www.themontclarion.org/news/2005 ... 1022.shtml
