Field of Dreams, Or Dreams of a Field?

By Ej Merlo

Kansas City, MO- When it comes to recruiting student athletes, what a school has to offer seems to be make or break a decision for most. Scholarship amount, coaching staff, living quarters, and sports facilities are the things that most recruits are interested in.

KCKCC Coach Jason Browar

Coach Browar from KCKCC was asked if he thought having a new baseball facility and clubhouse had helped him and the school in the recruiting process. He said “absolutely, more kids want to be here with the facilities we have compared to other schools.”

KCKCC Baseball Clubhouse

KCKCC Baseball Field

      

A four year university not having its own baseball field and practice facilities on campus would leave most with raised eyebrows. It’s not to say that the baseball team doesn’t have a field at Avila University…they just don’t have a field of their own. During football season, baseball cannot practice on “the baseball field” due to the shared complex that multiple sports utilize. Baseball, softball, and both men and women’s soccer, all share a “community field”. What this amounts to is that the baseball players are forced to commute day in and day out to Belton High School a public school twenty minutes from the Avila campus for practice. This occurs the whole fall semester and can take its toll on the players and their wallets.   The cost of gas is not figured in a scholarship and must come from the player himself. 

What if the student athlete is a full time student and doesn’t have a job or have enough money to pay for the gas it takes to commute, twice a day, every day. This goes without mentioning the baseball players who don’t live on campus and already are spending a fortune driving to and from school every day. Now they are responsible for paying out of their own pockets for an added 30-40 min drive to and from practice. When they could just get out of class and already be on campus and go to practice if they were to have their own practice field on campus!

When an anonymous baseball player from Avila University was asked what is the worst part of not having a practice field on campus? He answered with, “trying to hurry to my car, get dressed, and worrying if I had to take more time out to stop and get gas before I made the drive to Belton High School” he also said, “at my previous college it was very nice to have a locker room to change in, and I could be on the field within 5 minutes of notice regardless of where I was on campus.”

What about those students who have classes that don’t get out until after 3:15 and practice starts at 3!? They cannot simply run to the field on campus and because they must leave campus and make the trek to the facility in Belton, Missouri, they miss out on valuable practice time. Missing out on this much practice time throughout the week adds up. This makes the program and the player take a hit when it comes to the success that could be obtained by having practice on campus and spending the time wasted commuting practicing baseball.

How does one expect to build a championship winning program when that program doesn’t even have a place to call its own? Community Colleges have their own baseball facilities that are not shared with other sports, why is it that a four year university shouldn’t? 

Avila University's Multi-Sport Complex

We all realize that renovating and planning for a stadium or field is not an easy task, nor an inexpensive one, but at the university level, if they are going to offer a sport to students then they should be able to provide that student with the ability to practice, and play to the best of their abilities without the burden or cost some athletes at Avila have to endure.

Rice Pays the Price

“Rice Pays the Price”

By E.J. Merlo

photo attributed to google

photo attributed to google

My first initial thought on the Ray Rice domestic violence case against his then fiancé was that, he will get away with it somehow- someway because that is the way it is perceived when professional athletes get in trouble. I grew up with a father who taught me to respect women and to never put your hands on a woman regardless of the situation.  I obviously was disturbed by the Story of Ray Rice.  After watching a press conference on ESPN with Rice himself speaking about the situation, I thought he spoke sincerely and honestly about the incident. I believed he was sorry and he understood the significance of the mistake he made.  What really hit home for me is how he spoke about his daughter finding out about the incident when she gets older and how he is going to have to live with that.  The suspension itself of two games instantly led me to believe there was going to be controversy about his punishment considering Josh Gordon, a receiver for the Cleveland Browns, had been suspended for a whole season for failing a drug test because of marijuana.  How could Rice only receive the initial suspension of two games for assault and battery of his wife?

photo attributed to google

Now months later a video is released by the television show TMZ showing Rice punching his now wife in the face, so hard she fall down, hits her head and becomes unconscious.  If that is not bad enough, we then see him dragging her out of the elevator rather than picking her up. The video goes viral.  People are outraged that his initial punishment was so light.  The NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, has now decided that Ray Rice is now suspended indefinitely and kicked off his team.  What changed in the evidence? Why now just because there was video documentation does the punishment fit the crime?  On USAToday.com, Denver Bronco player stated on through twitter “that man should be thrown out of the NFL and thrown into jail”.    Reading on Bleacher Report.com the quote from Jason Whitlock’s tweet that said “I don’t see Rice playing professional football again” made me realize that my hope is that along with his suspension he would be charged and convicted of his crime, maybe then some of these professional athletes would realize they are not above the law. A professional athlete admits to and is shown hitting his wife on national television, yet the controversy is how long his suspension will be and not the fact that he may get away with domestic violence. If a non “celebrity” was to be broadcasted on television hitting a woman, would they be looking at a suspension from their work place or criminal charges and jail time? Where does the real problem lie?

What does your school have to offer?

By E.J. Merlo

As a new student, not knowing anyone can be a scary thought. The feeling of being alone one campus and not having a sense of where you belong could make time you spend there unenjoyable.

Avila Campus

At Avila University’s Student organizational fair students get the opportunity to explore many of the organizations and clubs the school has to offer, as well as a place to bond and build new friendships. Carol Frevert, the director of health services, agrees. She stated she felt that “it is important for new students who may feel lost to find something they are interested in and join an organization so they feel important and that they are a part of something.” She also thinks “it may help people who are a little shy to open up and make new friends.”

Avila Campus

The Fair is a great way to find out important information regarding all the clubs/organizations as well as, a place to enjoy free food and drinks. Students can also relax and take in the entertainment provided through games, musicians, and artist. Many students enjoy socializing while the event promoters and club leaders try to encourage new members to join. Jason Baldwin, the director of student life, says the most important benefit in putting on the event is so “students get the opportunity to explore many different organizations we offer and get to meet the people that run those organizations to see what they might be most interested in.”

Everyone should attend this event both old and new student alike as it is a great way to kick off the school year.

"A lot to lose"

By E.J. Merlo

Kansas City- Think about the stress and anxiety one must feel transferring from a Community College to a four year University. Most people look at Community College as a stepping stone in ones path to fulfilling their educational dream of earning a Bachelors or Masters degree. The realization that their college expedition is only half way over can be a daunting thought. The laid back environment the Community College provides is no longer there. Students may have a hard time adjusting to the more fast paced life of a university. They also must come to terms that they likely will not get the luxury of leniency from instructors, the possible opportunity to submit late work, or the one on one time with an instructor you often find at Community College.

Another stressor can be knowing their education is not costing them or their parents twice or even three times as much as it did at the Community College. Zane Mapes, a Kansas City Kansas Community College graduate and now student at Washburn University, stated "I can’t believe how much money I am paying for school this year vs. last year”.                                                                                                                                     

Yes, going for a higher degree requires more of a financial obligation, as well as a more mature attitude towards your education.

Consider all these stressors and then add to them being a student athlete on scholarship. Not only do they have the pressure and responsibility of the things already mentioned, they have to deal with time constraints due to practice, the anxiety of knowing a failing grade could end their scholarship or their career in their sport. This on top of having to perform to their highest ability on the field can be a lot to manage.

Stress and anxiety for a transfer student can be overwhelming but they must try to remember on a daily basis a quote from Aristotle, “the roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet”.