West Virginia Cuts Men's Track Team....

[weaselwahs]

In a brash way of showing what sports matter in West Virginia, the men's track team has now taken the boot. This leaves many of its vaulters in a position of disbelief.
The men's cross-country, in-door, and out-doors teams are now gone. They had been considering this prospect for 7 months but neglected to inform any of the athletes, who are now left hanging with 2 weeks of school left.
I being a jumper at WVU have no clue what I am going to do. I hate how they have handled it. They gave no warning just gave one crap meeting laying down how it was going to be. They tried to justify how it was done but in the end the university did it very poorly.

Being left hanging on this sucks, well now I look to salvaging what I can and hope that a transfer can happen. West Virginia cares more about being a football program then a university. I am just glad I have some years left. Mike Yurcho, and Jay Mandato only have a year left, what are they to do. Just guess Dave and I will try and go to another school. The only reason I can to WVU was because of the coach, Andy. He is a great guy who now only has some women vaulters.

Now I look to things ahead, I hate this.

[rainbowgirl28]

Well obviously they will give you a release... but you should still do a lot of reasearch about your eligibilty before you transfer. Will they still honor scholarships if you wish to finish school there? It sounds like you have a few years of school left. If you stayed there, I am sure you could still train with your coach and compete unattached or for a club. However, that is not as rewarding as having the opportunity to compete at your Conference, Regional, and National meets.

[vaultin chris]

Dude i feel ur pain. The University of Cincinnati cut the men's indoor track team in 1998. So we just have Outdoor. It makes me so mad that there are guys in our conference get to go to the indoor meet and "strut there stuff" without one of the best teams being there.

I dont know what its like to have a team completley removed. But i understand ur position. It has become a growing trend it seems of universities droping there mens track programs for title 9 or budget reasons. There needs to be an altenative. Maybe the Univ. of Cincinnati football team shouldnt stay in the hotel the night before a home game, nor should they take atrip to Hawaii and destroy the schools image by fighting. Im not sure if this is the same type of thing at West Virginia, but it seems like a lot teams could be saved if frivilous sprending is cut out and used to BETTER the schools athletic programs AS A WHOLE.

[vaultin chris]

While a number of measures were explored, the discontinuation of sports was the only avenue that made a serious impact on the operating budget. Once fully implemented, the annual direct savings will be $591,230 (rifle $163,000; men's tennis $151,000; men's cross country/track $277,230) with an additional savings to come from support services now provided to each sport.

http://www.msnsportsnet.com/page.cfm?story=4728&cat=exclusives

this really makes me mad. three teams shared 277,000 dollars. that is about 76,000 for the cross-cntry., indoor and outdoor teams. Three teams gont to save 75,000 each they could have kept one. I FEEL FOR YA MAN.[/quote]

[Vaultref]

St. Johns (NY) has done the same thing, they dropped Mens track and field.
It is sad to see this happening across the country.

[vaultguru6]

There needs to be an altenative. Maybe the Univ. of Cincinnati football team shouldnt stay in the hotel the night before a home game, nor should they take atrip to Hawaii and destroy the schools image by fighting.

You know, if football players weren't such complete idiots, i wouldn't be nearly as pissed about the amount of money that goes toward them. but its thing like that, fights, drugs, arrests, fake handicap parking placards that make me wonder why universities want these idiots representing them. to hear of someone droping a track program or any sport for that matter to give more money to a football program makes me want hit something.

[smokinvaulter1]

Not to throw this on the wrong subject but I know for a fact that it is going to Cost our school an additional $20,000 to keeps the track athletes here for regionals and then nationals after school is out. I do know that NCAA reimburse what is spent while at these meets it still don't cover an already really thin budget.

[rainbowgirl28]

Football isn't the reason men's track teams are being cut. It is Title IX, and the schools' poor ways of dealing with it.

[vaultin chris]

i disagree. Title IX may be implemented incorrectly, but frivilous spending causes more problems. rainbowgirl28 im sure this isnt a problem at GA. cause ur team brings in like a million times more than they spend, so they can spend it on anything and still have enough to fund three or four track teams. But at smaller-large schools (if that makes sense) our athletic budget cant support frivoulous spending and that what causes budget deficits and leads to teams getting cut. GA's stadium can seat 3 times the amoutns of people that UC can. That means ur football team rakes in 3 times the amount of money @ a home game than my schools. Its not ur schools fault that they have money, but it should make it easy for u to see how much the football (and basketball programs in some cases) affect the athletic department budget.

[ILLINIPV]

2 years ago i was a sophmore at a small school. My program ended up dropping the program all together. No heads up, nothing. Left 24 students athletes to dry, and only 1 of those individuals is competing today. Make sure you move on, or else you'll be stuck where you're at for a long time. Do whatever you can. And if it is about PV, seek the best coach/education. Probably going to have to make sacrifices (scholarships, etc.) but it's worth it. I did it with BCarrel and its paying off.

[weaselwahs]

Well the school newspaper and local both ran stories about the incident. It seems that the football stadium "luxury suite" additions were three million dollars more than expected and so the athletic dept. thought this was the best route to find money.

We are going to organize today to try and converse with the athletic director.

I on the other hand have to stay around the next year and do what I can so the grades will be set for transfer, and take care of the exsisting lease. Dave and I will try to do what we can next year, then go from there.

Thanks for all the words of encouragement.

[vaultin chris]

that OVERSPENDING FOR THE FOOTBALL team cost u a track program. That just wrong, in all aspects.