FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[jumpshot]

With intense pressure from alumni, president, athletic director, and coaches in recent years to win national championships and regain standing with competitive peers, amherst chooses to relax standards and increase number of athletes at clear costs to the culture on campus and the fields accompanied by the current backlash from faculty as reported in school publications. Similar cycles of overreaching in various domains (large risks in enlarging endowment, excessive debt, preserving fraternities, etc.) have appeared over the years with the Lord Jeffs. Hopefully, the pendulum will eventually swing back with turnover in goverance and re-balancing a focus of a host of social and financial issues. Many are of the view that amherst would benefit from a consistency of its own puposes and unique natural strengths.

[amh63]

Gridiron....What street would that be?   It seems that when a school has had sucess on the field and/or wins some perceived "recruiting battle", there appears such posted comments.  As of the end of 2012, Amherst has enjoyed record applications  and the lowest acceptance percentage...less than 12 percentage...in the conference.
Jumpshot...you should know better than to make such misleading and generally incorrect points. I would worry more about your favorite school than the direction/governance of Amherst.   

[lewdogg11]

Everyone, i'm sure, is aware of the fact that any student who doesn't overachieve academically in High School has no chance of succeeding at high quality colleges/universities and has zero chance of being highly successful later on in life.  With that sarcasm behind, I know a lot of companies that would take a college athlete with a 3.0 GPA over your typical anti-social bookworm with a 4.0 in a heartbeat. 

I get 'standards' but I think athletes who are well-rounded should sometimes get some leeway if they don't necessarily blow the doors off of their Standardized Tests.  Many times, they bring a lot more to the table than just good test scores. 

I'm assuming if this is true at Amherst, someone probably got admitted with a 1300 SAT as opposed to the typical 1450 right?  I'm highly doubting they are letting bottom feeders in.  Anyone having a problem with this all needs to get off of their high horse.

[frank uible]

It is presumed that Amherst will continue to exercise its impeccable judgment in balancing the academic and the extracurricular.

[gridiron]

Amh63--the "street" refers to high school and NESCAC coaches, current NESCAC athletes and some advisors.  All NESCAC schools are great institutitions with extremely high academic standards.  As we know, all utilze "bands" to provide opportunities for some student athletes that would not have gained acceptance otherwise.  The admissions departments at all work with the coaches to this end.  I'm personally in favor of providing such opportuniities to well rounded student athletes.

For whatever reason, Amherst SOMETIMES demonstrates more latitude or greater creativity than some of the other NESCAC schools when evaluating the academic credentials of prospective student athletes.  Bottom line is some get into Amherst who are told but other NESCAC schools they cannot get in.  Not necessarily passing judgement but to suggest that it doesn't ever happen and is always the result of superior recruiting is simply not accurate. 

[amh63]

Gridiron...thanks for the clarification!   I have/had assisted in evaluating potential students for several decades many years ago in the Washinton D.C. Area.  Matching persons with schools is in many cases a "crap shoot" at times.  It helps no  one when a mismatch develops....resulting in transfers/dropouts, etc.  An Amherst student needs to enjoy his/her time in college both in and out of classes  and graduate.  It benefits both the student and the school in the long run. 
I too am aware that over the years, students are admitted in one CAC school and not at another...and in the end leave it to the judgement of the professionals....many great ones over decades that I have assisted.  The rewards?....when I see students that I have followed on the playing fields,  smile when they receive their diploma..at their classmates and families.
Enough said on this  matter.

[gridiron]

Amh63--Agreed all around.  Looking forward to a competitive upcoming football season--and maybe someday a nine-game schedule with all CAC teams playing each other once!

[jumpshot]

amh63:

If the facts are not on your side, in true Washington style simply pound the table.


http://amherststudent.amherst.edu/?q=article/2013/04/10/college-sees-drop-applicant-numbers-class-2017

[gridiron]

Your candor is refreshing and to be admired.  I would not be concerned over any long term harm to the school's reputation.

[Nescacparent]

Some one asked a while ago about the 2013 football schedule. This was posted on D3Football.com:
http://www.d3football.com/conf/NESCAC/2013/schedule

2013 NESCAC schedule
Standings | Composite Schedule | Conference Schedule
Date   Away      Home      Time/Status   Links
Sep. 21   
        Trinity (Conn.)        Bates        TBA   
   Amherst        Hamilton        TBA   
   Middlebury    Bowdoin        TBA   
   Tufts              Wesleyan        TBA   
   Williams        Colby        1:00 PM   
Sep. 28   
        Colby        Middlebury        TBA   
   Bowdoin        Amherst        TBA   
   Wesleyan        Hamilton        TBA   
   Tufts        Bates        TBA   
   Williams        Trinity (Conn.)        1:30 PM   
Oct. 5
   Colby        Wesleyan        TBA   
   Middlebury        Amherst        TBA   
   Bowdoin        Tufts        TBA   
   Hamilton        Trinity (Conn.)        1:00 PM   
   Bates        Williams        1:00 PM   
Oct. 12
   Trinity (Conn.)        Tufts        TBA   
   Amherst        Colby        TBA   
   Hamilton        Bowdoin        TBA   
   Bates        Wesleyan        TBA   
   Williams        Middlebury        1:30 PM   
Oct. 19
   Colby        Hamilton        TBA   
   Wesleyan        Amherst        TBA   
   Middlebury        Bates        TBA   
   Bowdoin        Trinity (Conn.)        12:30 PM   
   Tufts        Williams        1:30 PM   
Oct. 26
   Trinity (Conn.)        Middlebury        TBA   
   Bates        Colby        TBA   
   Amherst        Tufts        TBA   
   Wesleyan        Bowdoin        TBA   
   Hamilton        Williams        1:00 PM   
Nov. 2
   Trinity (Conn.)        Amherst        TBA   
   Tufts        Colby        TBA   
   Hamilton        Middlebury        TBA   
   Bowdoin        Bates        TBA   
   Williams        Wesleyan        1:00 PM   
Nov. 9
   Colby        Bowdoin        TBA   
   Bates        Hamilton        TBA   
   Middlebury        Tufts        TBA   
   Wesleyan        Trinity (Conn.)        12:00 PM   
   Amherst        Williams        12:00 PM

[amh63]

Jumpshot......thanks for the article.....must have been the graduation issue.    Really should expand your areas of interest....other than reading the Amherst publications.
Nescacparent.....Thanks to you for confirming the 2013 schedule.  Was planning to catch the Amherst game in Clinton NY....will let my daughter know about a Fall visit.   
Gridiron....seems that 2013 will be another 8 game schedule.  Only positive news is that over the next few years, there will be new fieldhouses at Amherst, Williams and Middlebury.  Amherst's first home game will be on a new field with new grandstands and fieldhouse, etc. Hope to see the major renovations at the Homecoming game with the Cardinals from Middletown, CT.

[amh63]

Back from a visit to the Amherst campus.  Went over to see the progress on the new football facilities.  New track was being rolled down and stands being put into the home side.  Fieldhouse getting its outter shell done and lights installed.  Appears to be on schedule for the start of the football season.  Seems that several former classmates that were starters on the football team were also checking out the progress.

[nescac1]

Williams and Amherst are sort of switching set-ups.  I always preferred that Amherst had no track between the stands and the field ... made the spectator vantage point far better.  Now, Amherst will have a track inside the stands, and Williams (which will finish building its stadium one year after Amherst completes its field) will have an entirely separate / adjacent track and field facility, so there will be no track inside the stands; instead, the track will surround the newly-aligned lacrosse field:

http://giving-priorities.williams.edu/files/2013/03/Weston-Field_3.20.13.pdf

I really can't wait for Williams to finish its long-overdue project, no more unplayable or barely playable field for the players in damp weather (in fall of 2011, Williams could not even really practice pre-season, now, at least, there are two adjacent all-weather fields for football to utilize when Cole practice fields are flooded), no more mud-filled tailgate area, and best of all, no more bathrooms and lockers that are more befitting of a Pop Warner team than a D-3 football team.  Plus, a much more fan-friendly seating arrangement and improved site lines.  I also like having the field a lot closer to Spring Street and more integrated into the flow of human traffic.  ON the downside, the tailgate area is now split up on either side of the field, but that's a small price to pay for the other improvements. 

[nescac1]

More info on the new Williams football complex:

http://www.thetranscript.com/headlines/ci_23432163/weston-field-rsquo-s-22m-renovation-project-being

Should be quite a battle for NESCAC supremacy next fall (and a great battle of styles, as well) between Trinity's D and running game and Midd's historically good passing attack.  Amherst could be a contender as well, depending on how its two very talented young QB's progress.  Williams is as weak on paper as I can recall -- they the bulk of their starters from a defense that wasn't especially good last year, lose their best weapon on offense in Hartwell, and still have a huge question mark at the all-important QB slot.  Maybe the Ephs will benefit from having low expectations and being under the radar, but they really need to find a QB who can get the ball downfield and improve up front on defense, otherwise it's going to be the Scyocurka show (were he on Trinity, he might run for 2000 yards) and little else for the Ephs.  The Ephs also need to show a lot more creativity on offense. 

[amh63]

Nescac1.... Me thinks that you are setting us up for the  coming season.
In my opinion, Amherst must find some receivers, and replace some critical offensive linemen and rebuild its defense.  Amherst loses its all everything center..three time first team CAC ..MIddlebury returns it's star QB Foote and the league is just getting tougher all around.  Question to posters.  Does the game really speed up on a turf field?  How critical is it to practice on such a field to play well on it.  I know, that is 2 questions.  With Amherst getting an artificial field, maybe it will help a little in the Trinity battles?   Expect Bates and Wesleyan to challenge.