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Forum Member
 
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 7/9/2010 10:22:38 AM
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Necks, I think that when the field is actually cut the turf is great.. My comment was on the field not being cut or lined for home games. It was a complete and utter joke. That is a very serious issue and shows a total lack of oversight. In regards to not having state money EIU has much nicer facilities than we do with practicaly the same situation. State funds or not we do not adress common sense issues the first time through. It ends up costing way more money in the long run.
LY, I suppose you are right about game changing elite athletes. I don't think WIU is competiting with Miami U for players though. Honestly WIU is never going to get those athletes even with full seats and great facilities. That is the reason I think the argument is bogus. However, there are a ton of kids that would jump at the chance to play at this level. I think the second part of your post was much more the reason for WIU's lack of success. WIU could offer a much better atmosphere but from day one students are told athletics is not very good and a waste of time.
I crushed a list of what was needed facility wise to make soccer compete every year for conference championships (ohh they already do, lets reward them) and it honestly isn't even that much money compared to other projects.
WIU Athletes work hard to represent the University and Macomb. Regardless of any comment I make on a topic I want to affirm my support. Go Leathernecks....
Remember Athletics are a window for the public to view the entire University.
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Forum Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 7/26/2010 8:25:46 PM
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Thanks Hail Leathernecks. I completely agree with you. We have the potential, given the overall weakness of our conference, to continue to excel and possibly get further into the tournament with both soccer teams. Softball is another sport with a history of success and a young, motivated, personable coach who can continue to carry on the winning tradition she participated in and added too. Tennis has had consistent success similar to soccer.
What makes people think we can fix our programs enabling us to compete and succeed at the D1 level, but that we'd be unable to be successful at the DII level? That makes no logical sense unless you are so mesmerized or stupified by the weakness of our conference you think it is best to be the strongest of the weakest in the D1 landscape. The bottom line is what do we want the experience to be for our athletes? I have asked this question repeatedly in the last couple of months. Division I in name and NAIA in reality?
Introspection is difficult. Change is even harder. Division I in name isn't prestigious in and of itself when you spend your holidays and evenings during the winter hawking hot dogs, pop corn and pork chop sandwiches at every home basketball game until 9 pm at night. Did these kids sign up to become carnies, bound by schedules of other programs and a desperate need to finance horrifically underfunded programs in a sport that spends much of its season on the road due to our weather? This isn't Division I, it's a circus. The Ringmaster has lost touch with reality and needs to be gone...NOW. Until WIU makes a decision to make a move back towards its mission and charge in the State educational system, we will continue to have these conversations. Saying We're Number 1 doesn't make us #1. Lack of leadership erodes healthy communities and WIU and the Macomb community have suffered long enough at the inept hands of the people in charge at all levels in the athletic department. You want success? You want winners? You want to stay Division I? Move forward to save your school and DEMAND CHANGE NOW. We desperately need leadership at the top (Johnson, TVA, Roche, et al and at the mid management level in some of our sports (see thread under the Westerwinds heading).
We all are part of the voice of the program but general apathy has made us powerless and insignificant. People who give money MUST revolt, stop giving, stop advertising, stop donating in kind. What do you really get for all that anyway besides a tax deduction? I would love to hear business people talk about that some time. Give to other places if you need a write off until your voices are heard. Give to academic programs or intramurals or the arts, anything to make your voice heard. Until that happens we are emasculating ourselves and have only to point our fingers in the mirror.
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Forum Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 6/15/2010 3:52:40 PM
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There are two things that scare me, someone thinking we should go Division II and Carnies.! HA
Women's basketball is the best !
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Forum Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 7/22/2010 12:46:20 AM
Posts: 76,
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| Coming in late to this, but has there ever been talk about building an arena for Western basketball?
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