Three varsity sports to be eliminated

for the record

Fri Mar 6 2009 12:36

Well, i wouldnt go hootin tootin about our sports just yet, you think they can take on any team in the country? the three sports u mentioned can only do so because they recieve the most scholarships out of any team on campus......teams like baseball, track, soccer and field hockey recieve just as good success, but arent recognized becasue they dont bring in money. mens soccer cracked top 25 last year, Mens XC/track has won more championships than womens hockey has won games this year, and they do it on shoe string budget, no perks. mens bball finally are doin somethin right in the post season, for all 10 fans who watch their games. It sounds like your claiming that QU is WEEDING OUT sports they dont feel represent who they are, which is complete garbage, do not forget that all these athletes whether they get full sholarship or come as walk ons they still put just as much effort and rigor as the other. this is a low blow to teams, friends and hope.

Michael

Fri Mar 6 2009 11:40

Thank you "Fact Check." I am glad to hear that news about QU's cheerleaders. I am from the area and I know that their annual cheerleading camp is extremely popular and extremely respected.

Fact Check

Fri Mar 6 2009 11:31

For all the people making comments about Title IX - cheerleading does meet title IX requirements as of about 4 years ago. NCAA is in the planning process of officially accepting it as a sport because of the competitive aspect of it and the amount of interest it garners among females. All schools have been told that if they choose to elevate cheerleading to varsity status it will count toward title IX requirements.

MIchael

Fri Mar 6 2009 10:24

I feel bad for the student athletes affected. However, I am happy to see QU's strong emphasis on ice hockey, lacrosse, and basketball. The men's and women's ice hockey teams are a tremendous success. They can beat any team in the country on any given night. The men's team has the nations's leading point scorer and draws thousands of die hard fans to its games. The men's and women's lacrosse teams are also highly skilled and will have highly successful seasons. The women's basketball team is also excellent and would have posted a better record this past season if Felicia Barron had not been injured early on. The men's basketball team is also highly skilled and has been fighting injuries all year. They are now getting healthy and looking to do some damage in the playoffs. Ultimately, QU's athletic programs have a very bright future and I am ready to cheer them on as a big fan.

sad

Fri Mar 6 2009 05:43

John Lahey has done an outstanding job to date. The school is Great but dont beleive for a minute that this is about money, this is about image. They have to make a statement and with total disregard to many athletes and coach's this is how they've done it. If the basketball team sells out for every game all season, it would'nt pay the coach's salary not to mention the police, security, ushers and the building. The big sports cost far more than the small ones but Lahey likes that image! It's not about money though they would like you to believe it is:(

i <3 QU no more

Fri Mar 6 2009 00:02

Presdient's Lahey "humbly" commented that he will not be accepting a pay raise this year due to QU's debt.
Like that will help. He should rent out his mansion for next year's freshmen instead....

in response to the comments about cheerleading. no one is saying you're not a sport...we're just saying that your squad doesn't meet title IX requirements to become a varsity sport, making QU's decision to cut volleyball to make the teams "gender equal" illegal. do your own research before bashing other teams, please

Your name

Thu Mar 5 2009 23:02

TITLE IX TITLE IX TITLE IX TITLE IXTITLE IX TITLE IXTITLE IXTITLE IXTITLE IXTITLE IXTITLE IXTITLE IXTITLE IXTITLE IX

sry just making a point, they cut vollyball and golf to defray costs but by cutting a womens sport they needed to double up on men, so track was out the door next (which costs nothing to run)

typical qu

Question

Thu Mar 5 2009 20:25

Why can't we just cut President Lahey's salary and keep the sports teams? Lahey makes millions of dollars to do what exactly? It's just like the situation with a lot of the large companies struggling right now and laying people off when their CEO's are making like 40 million dollars a year. I think the three sports teams that were cut cost less than 10% of Lahey's annual income. Something seems a bit off with that picture to me???

Your name

Thu Mar 5 2009 19:08

the track teams have won their xc conference for 4 out of the past 5 years...more than any other team (tennis up there too) cutting a whole season from them takes away the routine they followed their whole life, the recruits will not wanan come to a school if they see we only have 2 outta 3.......

Bad Decisions

Thu Mar 5 2009 17:30

I agree with everyone else, this is a terrible decision. QU wastes money on so many other stupid things, which is part of the reason why QU is about 40 million dollars in debt right now. I'm not sure of the actuall number but I know QU has dug themselves into a hug amount of debt. It's not enough that they rob us for tuition to come here, now let's tack on destroying people's lives to this bill. Real Nice. I think we should tell President Lahey and whoever else made this retarded decisions what they can go do.......

overly sensitive

Thu Mar 5 2009 17:25

I don't think that " we will not go down without a fight" was trashing cheerleading at all. It appears that there might be a question about Title IX and cheerleading fulfilling this requirement. Don't be so sensitive about that comment. I think everyone appreciates the cheerleading squad and all the athleticism they bring.

QU Fan

Thu Mar 5 2009 16:29

Volleyball - going down without a fight is one thing, I can certainly respect that and understand your frustation. It is a very unfortunate situation. However, stating your case while basically trashing the hard work and athleticism of the cheerleading team makes me lose any respect that was there. This is like anyone being laid off at a job right now and causing hell about the promotion of a coworker on the way out the door. Bringing someone else down will do you no good and will certainly not make you a good candidate for future employment opportunities. If you knew anything, you would realize that cheerleading was on track to become a varsity sport at QU within the next five years anyways; the current economic situation just sped up the process. They have placed in the TOP 10 nationally for four years straight, a feat no other team at QU can claim. Once again, I'm sorry about what has happened, but show a little respect.

we will not go down without a fight.

Thu Mar 5 2009 16:09

Hello everyone. This is an outrage. First of all, all of the track teams are required to participate in three seasons. So, cutting just "men's outdoor track" really isn't much of a problem, they simple lose 1 season out of 3.
As for volleyball as well as golf, both of these sports were just getting their programs kicking. Volleyball was completely misled by the athletics administration, guarunteeing the players as well as the coach at least 4 years. The girls were blindsided by this decision and only because aware of the situation later Wednesday. Making cheer leading a varsity sport does not go along with the title IX regulations about equal gender sports so it's NOT LEGAL.

trust me, this will NOT be the last you hear about this situation.
please watch Channel 8 New Haven tonight at 5pm to see an exclusive interview with the volleyball team about the current situation.

info

Thu Mar 5 2009 15:42

Womens volleyball finished seventh in the conferece last year--not at the bottom. QU was supposed to be rebuilding the volleyball program by hiring new coach, Robin Sparks. Coach Sparks has relocated her family to Hamden and had begun the rebuilding process by bringing in six new freshmen athletes. If given the chance to truly rebuild, you would have seen this group of girls at the top of the conference when they were juniors and seniors.

sportsfan

Thu Mar 5 2009 15:28

It is really terrible for all these student athletes. I know the work required to be a Division I athlete in any sport. They have spent years playing year round and training. They have also passed up offers from other schools in order to attend Quinnipiac. Most of these opportnities will probably no longer be available. It seems like such a poor decision on the part of the University to cut short the plans of all of these student athletes. It also seems like very insensitive timing to drop this type of news on students while in the middle of their mid term exams.

Your name

Thu Mar 5 2009 13:40

i think it's safe to assume dropping outdoor track will significantly lower the quality of both men’s indoor track and the 4 time NEC champion men’s cross country team. Very few serious runners will want to attend a school that doesn't offer outdoor track. it's a three season package, without one the whole thing will likely fall apart.

i love how they just built a 53 million dollar arena and plopped a giant bobcat on dorm road. good financial management QU

JPO

Thu Mar 5 2009 13:21

This is tragic! These teams have athletes that are special in their respective sports and have devoted as much time as any other athlete in any other sport. These kids love what they do and are proud of their accomplishments. They will be sorely missed.

:(

Thu Mar 5 2009 12:44

i feel horrilby for the three sports who were cut. its very unfortunate. im see the cheerleaders work when i am at the gym and they really do have talent. that probably explains why they are nationally ranked. congrats to the cheerleading team.

self respecting runner

Thu Mar 5 2009 12:26

let it be known that the track team has the highest GPA out of every team here, they won conferences in Cross-country with less than fifteen members on their team for the past 5 years , they already had a capped number of 20 members for the track team, it costs less than $600 per male track athlete per YEAR to participate (compare this with the thousands it costs for other sports on campus). it costs nothing to run a track program, they dont get your typical "D1" gift package, this looks really pathetic and i can only feel the angst that the guys are feeling after putting in two strong seasons, and what about all the freshman? must they transfer now too? no self respecting prospective runner would ever attend a school if it doesnt have all three programs......This has more to do with TITLE IX if u ask me......

and about track not bieng a sport? i have total respect for every athlete on campus, does 15 mile runs at 6am, track workouts (no not jogging) and tdbanknorth hill reapeats sound anything easy to you?? three seasons of competition lasts longer than any other sport in ncaa, there is no offseason to "hit up side street" every night.
jill go fall in a ditch plz

wow

Thu Mar 5 2009 09:59

this is horrible....at least we have a nice bobcat statue on dorm road. good money management, QU