Death row
Syracuse joins the recent trend of Big East schools cutting sports to reduce expenses
By Andy McCullough
Posted: 11/5/07, 11:23 PM EST Section: Sports
This might sound familiar to the swimmers and divers at SU.
Syracuse also consulted the same areas, but specifically identified financial concerns as a primary reason for cutting the teams. The expected costs for a new natatorium - which members of the swim teams have since disputed - were too much in the end.
"If we are going to have a swimming program here, then it's very important that we have the resources to do it the right way," Syracuse Director of Athletics Daryl Gross said in June. "Part of those resources would be getting a new natatorium, a new pool facility, diving and all those types of things. The cost for those is enormous, and they're costs that we can't put into it right now."
But for some of the athletes, it's not about needing a new pool. It's about finishing what they started.
Ryan Corcoran had chances to swim at North Carolina State, Bucknell and Johns Hopkins. But he chose Syracuse, excited about both the team and the school.
Now? Frustrated with the team's small chance for survival - the university says the decision is final - he is considering transferring. Corcoran mentioned both Drexel and Cal Poly as possible destinations.
"It's just a shame that swimming, one of the reasons I wanted to go to school here, is going to be taken," the sophomore said.
Tervooren isn't considering transferring. He did that once already - leaving Rhode Island to play tennis at Rutgers. Starting over once was enough.
Now, he splits an apartment with Arjun Vaidya, the team's former first singles player. This time last year, they were both Division I athletes - even if they were playing out the string on a lame duck team's farewell tour.
These days, they're just a pair of regular college students who happen to be excellent at tennis.
"We're not traveling around and playing other schools, but you still have the sport," Tervooren said. "It's something you'll always have, I think, the sport. And it's the same with all the other ones that were cut. It's something that all the other athletes will have for the rest of their lives.
"But there's just something to be said for being able to compete at a high level in college - (something) that we had taken away from us."
Syracuse also consulted the same areas, but specifically identified financial concerns as a primary reason for cutting the teams. The expected costs for a new natatorium - which members of the swim teams have since disputed - were too much in the end.
"If we are going to have a swimming program here, then it's very important that we have the resources to do it the right way," Syracuse Director of Athletics Daryl Gross said in June. "Part of those resources would be getting a new natatorium, a new pool facility, diving and all those types of things. The cost for those is enormous, and they're costs that we can't put into it right now."
But for some of the athletes, it's not about needing a new pool. It's about finishing what they started.
Ryan Corcoran had chances to swim at North Carolina State, Bucknell and Johns Hopkins. But he chose Syracuse, excited about both the team and the school.
Now? Frustrated with the team's small chance for survival - the university says the decision is final - he is considering transferring. Corcoran mentioned both Drexel and Cal Poly as possible destinations.
"It's just a shame that swimming, one of the reasons I wanted to go to school here, is going to be taken," the sophomore said.
Tervooren isn't considering transferring. He did that once already - leaving Rhode Island to play tennis at Rutgers. Starting over once was enough.
Now, he splits an apartment with Arjun Vaidya, the team's former first singles player. This time last year, they were both Division I athletes - even if they were playing out the string on a lame duck team's farewell tour.
These days, they're just a pair of regular college students who happen to be excellent at tennis.
"We're not traveling around and playing other schools, but you still have the sport," Tervooren said. "It's something you'll always have, I think, the sport. And it's the same with all the other ones that were cut. It's something that all the other athletes will have for the rest of their lives.
"But there's just something to be said for being able to compete at a high level in college - (something) that we had taken away from us."
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dee
posted 11/07/07 @ 12:36 PM EST
Reducing expenses, budget cuts, Title IX etc. are only excuses to divert attention away from the fact the any money saved is being redirected to football and/or men's basketball. (Continued…)
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