Field closed for Nationals

Posted by admin on Nov 5, 2008 in News | 0 comments

When Trinity Western University won the bid to host women’s soccer Nationals for Canadian Intervarsity Sport this year, changes had to be made. The anticipation of national media presence and elite players and coaches coming to campus brings promise of increased attention to the university, said dean of human kinetics Blair Whitmarsh.

But hosting Nationals also brings the need for sacrifices, mostly notably in field usage. Among others, Dale Baumgartner, director of Recreation Services, has felt the squeeze.

“Three weeks after [dorm football began], we were informed that we couldn’t use the south field. We had to restart on the third field,” he said.

The third field, located on the edge of the back 40, has many environmental concerns that make it less usable for recreational sports, said Baumgartner.

In addition, Titans soccer, a division of Rec Services, has had to move home games and practices off-campus.

Baumgartner said he simply wants to be able to provide the opportunity for wellness for everyone on campus, not just Spartan athletes.

The field, used by many university entities, was closed in order to keep it in top form, said Whitmarsh. He added that in addition to Rec Services, Human Kinetics and Athletics have also been restricted from the field.

“All three do their best to maintain the field,” he said, “but Nationals have another element, so the fields have to be at the best quality.”

Whitmarsh sees the opportunity to host Nationals as good for all entities on campus, not just athletes.

“Hosting a championship increases the value of everyone’s degree, because it brings awareness about Trinity Western,” said Whitmarsh, adding that “Athletics is one of the primary ways Trinity Western becomes known across the country.”

Whitmarsh added that Athletics provided off campus facilities for all Rec sports, HKIN classes and Spartan practices that found themselves without a field.

The south field has been the centre of another discussion related to recreational opportunities at TWU, as talk has emerged about levying a recreational fee to students each semester. Whitmarsh emphasized that though he has seen support for the fee on campus, “it is still in the proposal stage.”

The fee, charged in addition to the $60 per semester student fees already paid by full-time undergraduates, would be used to fund facility projects such as putting artificial turf on the south field to make it usable all year, renovating the tennis courts and more.

“There are significant recreation needs on this campus,” said Whitmarsh, adding that most universities in the country levy similar fees.

Baumgartner agrees that there are recreation facility needs at TWU, citing over-saturation of the real-grass south field as just one of them. But, he said, students need the opportunity to speak into the proposal.

“At the end of the day, [students] need a say. You guys run this university with your tuition dollars,” he said.

Everyone will have access to the improvements, he said, “But at what cost?”

He added, “I’m not against progress. I just want a referendum.”