2008 Woodie Awards
Athletic Director responds to Journal article
Issue date: 9/13/07 Section: Letters to the Editor
- Page 1 of 1
After reading last week's article about the swim team, I felt compelled to respond. I did meet with the swim team during the spring of 2006 after it lost a third coach in four years. The program was almost eliminated at that point. However, I did agree to give the program another chance to meet NCAA expectations for sport sponsorship. In no way were four additional years guaranteed or communicated.
In 2010 the NCAA will put new legislation into effect, upping the sport sponsorship requirement from five to six teams per gender. The introduction of new sports that will meet NCAA expectations takes time; therefore, Webster needs to have solutions firmly in place years before the 2010 deadline. Regrettably, extending the sponsorship of swimming was no longer feasible, especially after it lost another coach, showed few recruiting prospects and was again below the minimum roster numbers for NCAA sport sponsorship.
It should be noted that if Webster fails to meet NCAA sponsorship levels, all sports would be ineligible for NCAA championships and conference tournaments. I believe we owe it to the 200 student athletes who participate on successful teams to ensure their ability to continue to compete at the highest level.
Everyone in the athletic department sympathizes with the pain of losing a team. That is why I agreed to support the swimmers as a club, both financially and with access to equipment. However, I think it is important to clarify that I would consider the reintroduction of swimming as an intercollegiate sport only if there are 14 active members of each gender (28 total) in the swim club for at least 2 years. Carrying 14 total swimmers puts us right back in the same situation that led to the program's demise in the first place.
Tom Hart
Director of Athletics
In 2010 the NCAA will put new legislation into effect, upping the sport sponsorship requirement from five to six teams per gender. The introduction of new sports that will meet NCAA expectations takes time; therefore, Webster needs to have solutions firmly in place years before the 2010 deadline. Regrettably, extending the sponsorship of swimming was no longer feasible, especially after it lost another coach, showed few recruiting prospects and was again below the minimum roster numbers for NCAA sport sponsorship.
It should be noted that if Webster fails to meet NCAA sponsorship levels, all sports would be ineligible for NCAA championships and conference tournaments. I believe we owe it to the 200 student athletes who participate on successful teams to ensure their ability to continue to compete at the highest level.
Everyone in the athletic department sympathizes with the pain of losing a team. That is why I agreed to support the swimmers as a club, both financially and with access to equipment. However, I think it is important to clarify that I would consider the reintroduction of swimming as an intercollegiate sport only if there are 14 active members of each gender (28 total) in the swim club for at least 2 years. Carrying 14 total swimmers puts us right back in the same situation that led to the program's demise in the first place.
Tom Hart
Director of Athletics
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