South field sod sees stress
Tyler Madsen
Issue date: 11/2/06 Section: News
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the Nov. 2 issue is an inaccurate representation of the story's
content. Although the player was injured on the field, the injury was
not a direct result of the field's condition. Please read the content
of the story for more information. We apologize for the error.
The above content was updated at 12:53 p.m. Nov. 2, 2006
A rugby player's broken leg has sparked emotions between a pair of athletic teams just trying to find space to practice and play.
The south field next to the University tennis courts became the location of an injury last Saturday when freshman rugby player Patrick Holley broke his leg in multiple places following a brutal collision during the Bulls' rugby match.
Junior rugby player Tom Smith said the field is typically not known for its great conditions, but those conditions have worsened following the football team's recent transition to the south field.
"The field had gotten better over the past couple of years and now again this semester, but there are still a few spots on it that could have used some more grass," Smith said. "Now toward the end of the semester after it's rained, and the football team has practiced on it, it's another mud pit again."
As the Index reported in the Oct. 19 issue, the football team moved to the south field at the advice of athletic trainers who deemed the current practice field, located just north of the Stokes Stadium game field, unsafe for practice.
Head football coach Shannon Currier said he understands the rugby team's concerns but knows his job each week is to prepare his team for next Saturday's game.
"We have respect for other organizations on this campus, but at the same time we have a job to do and that's to win football games," Currier said. "We're capable of reserving the field because we are a sponsored sport at Truman, and we took advantage of that by scheduling practices up there on Tuesdays and Thursdays."
Because club sports are not sponsored by the University's Athletics Department, those teams only are able to reserve the south field for weekend games, not weekday practices, Smith said. This forces club sports into a first-come, first-serve scenario with other organizations and teams - all while trying to protect the field from the effects of Mother Nature.
"There are days that we wouldn't even practice because it's so wet, and we wouldn't want to tear it up, and the football team's out there," Smith said. "They've got 100 guys out there tearing it up, and all the grass is gone. That's really not fair to other teams like us and other club teams who use that field."
Currier said that in recent weeks, the Athletics Department made an agreement with the marching band to allow them to practice on the football game field because their practices won't put the field in worse condition before a Saturday game.
"The other alternative that we've been given by the administration outside of using our own practice field is to go to the south field," Currier said. "I understand that causes grief, but at the same time we have to do what's best for our program, and we just don't have any other options."
Smith said one unanswered question for the rugby team is whether they can use the football practice field if the football team decides to use the south field for its daily practice.
"We would've been happy to use their practice field," Smith said. "They say it's in terrible shape, but what they've done to our field already has made it worse than their practice field. But if we were to try to practice on their field, our funding would be cut, and we'd no longer be a team."
One of the only other options on campus that would suffice in terms of a level field with adequate space is the one used by intramurals, located behind the Student Recreation Center and Centennial Hall.
However, Scott Wagner, director of intramurals and recreational sports, said the field, typically split in two to accommodate multiple games at a time, isn't the best option because of its limited hours.
"There are drop-in times available, but those are typically all in the morning because most of our intramural activities begin at about 3 p.m.," Wagner said. "It's likely for that reason that we weren't contacted by anybody to use the field because they'd have to start so early in the afternoon."
Regardless of the situation, both the football team and the rugby team agree on one common thread: There isn't enough room, and changes need to be made.
"There are too many teams that need field space, and there just isn't enough of it," Currier said. "Even though they're frustrated, we're also frustrated with our own field situation, but for now, priorities have had to be set, and unfortunately this is what it's come down to."
The rugby squad even has taken steps to secure a place to play in the future, but Smith knows it will be quite a while before that will happen.
"Our coach, Bill Sexton, has an idea to cut away at the hill across the street from the south field, and make that area down there flat enough and big enough for a rugby field," Smith said. "Obviously, it's going to be a very long time before we could ever raise that kind of money, but it would be a good step to getting a great field for both our rugby teams."
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