FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[EHCTailgate]

Being witness to many ODAC championship rings, I believe as your Baseball coach does, Win the South region win a ring. Conference championship rings are great but I think college class rings are better. A class ring embodies all you went through in college not a particular aspect.  Actually I am a little bit more extreme that the BC baseball coach, after thinking about it a little bit more, rings should only be rewarded to national champions. Money that would be spent on conference rings should go to fund weight equipment or other projects that could continue the success of the program. Other than that students should buy al class ring. Or schools should do as VMI and give Juniors class rings.

[wrighthall220]

EHCTailgate/HUG,
Even if you use the South Region qualification for rings, BC would still have 2 out of the last 4 rings they were awarded.  (Is 2 even too many?) ODAC rings are fine in my eyes as they symbolize an entire year and sometimes a college career worth of hard work.  I mentioned that the ODAC Champ. rings are better than a class ring from the standpoint of everyone that attends a given university can buy a school ring while an ODAC Football ring(s) are only given to a select few that go above and beyond the typical college experience.  The recent tradition of rings was started in 2001 when after a SR class struggled for just 1 or even 5 wins a season and helped turn around a program into a national powerhouse.  (Note the first year the rings were given BC made the Stagg Bowl so even at that rate, the rings were earned.) 

I see nothing wrong with a community celebrating their success, at least in the case of BC ALL players are given the chance to have a ring... from the starting lineup through the 5th or 6th string.     To each to his own but the BC Football program has established a very strong program and rewards its kids for all their hard work.

Something to note, most big DI schools give their players rings for Bowl games, I know a gentleman that played for WVU that has one that has quite a few diamonds on it from a lower level bowl game... BC's rings are on par with a HS class ring, nothing too outrageous, so the jealousy, disgust really shouldn't be a big deal.

[Outsider14]

the turf at mount union was frozen solid... footing wasn't much better than lycoming.

and you can ask anyone on the past 4 bc teams what that ring means to them. ask anyone on h-sc's current team what that ring would mean to them. you don't work your ass off for 8-9 months in the offseason then endure the pain of a season for a certificate. i have 4 rings (3 schools) and wouldn't trade them for anything.

[wrighthall220]

To not celebrate a championship is more of a travisty than any ring that's ever been purchased for a non-scholarship athlete. It means alot to those that get the glory of playing on Saturday and  alot to those players never see that much playing time yet they are right along side of the starters for 9 months a year, making those starters better.. why shouldn't that hardwork and dedication be celebrated? 

[EHCTailgate]

I don't totally disagree with you Wrighthall, but BC is a lot like Emory the athletic budget is not all that great. Earlier in the thread people were discussing improvements that needed to be made to the locker rooms. Instead a spending money on rings spend the money on improving the locker room and then name it in honor of those that were involved in that particular championship. Emory and BC are not like WVU football which has an immense endowed football budget. The first senior group definitly earned a ring they set the standard of what hard work will earn you, however I do not think the groups that have come after them have worked and struggled as they.  Also if a donor wants to give money just for rings well their is nothing you can do about that other than buys some rings. I would still try to get the donor to spend money on athletic improvements.

[Menowannalickee U.]

So who knows a rich BC alum to fund a field upgrade?  Naming rights could be up for sale!  I can see it now.  "Skoal Stadium at Jopsen Field".  I'm still paying back my loans or I'd be all over it!

[EHCTailgate]

If it would get a new field and stadium I would not care if Boudriuex Butt Paste paid for it for naming rights. Thats the name of the game now a days. A historical figures name is not on the new science building at BC. From what I heard the donors name is.

[Outsider14]

The first senior group definitly earned a ring they set the standard of what hard work will earn you, however I do not think the groups that have come after them have worked and struggled as they.

tell that to them. tell that to all those former players that have their pictures on the wall in the weight room in nininger. tell that to all the former players that worked just as hard but simply didn't have the genetics to get their picture up on the wall. matter of fact, just say it to my face. i'll probably walk w/ a limp for the rest of my life, but by god i got 3 rings to show for it.

when you lie awake at night cause you can't find a comfortable position to sleep in, wondering if its all worth it, and then you walk off the field at macon knowing you and your team just accomplished something 6 other teams couldn't do, and still get to play another week, and another, and another... yeah, it's worth it. like i said, i didn't pay my health and sanity for a freakin certificate at the end of the year.

[EHCTailgate]

I should not have stated that the way I did, What I mean is, that first Championship started the trend and ended two decades worth of frustration. That first championship in actuality is a national championship in itself. Thus deserves a ring. Since that time I think it is more valuable to spend money on trying to keep the trend going then on spending it on jewelry. Its like this, I just got promoted, I could take the extra money I am earning and buy a new car or I can invest that money and seek a greater return in the long run with it.  Would you rather have a ring or would you rather have the knowledge that you helped the people behind you reach even higher. If BC had the type of budget other programs have their is no problem in buying rings. Coach Clarcj probably makes a descent salary but I highly doubt that his assistants are. Shouldn't money be given to bolster the assistants salaries. I think that is more beneficial than rings.

[Hug]

Hey, I'm all for getting rewarded. Looky, looky!

Actually for my ODAC championship I got the year embroidered on my baseball jacket. At my expense.
I can't sleep at night either, threw my shoulder out my junior year, but didn't want to miss any time for surgery, so I played through it. I'm as tough as nails, I tell ya.

I guess I'm with EHCTailgate, buying rings are fine,  but field improvements should be a priority. They are a priority at the rest of the ODAC schools.

P.S. I'd give to the Stagg Bowl Championship ring fund.

[Outsider14]

i see y'alls point. BUT, i'm a ring guy. also, field improvements at jopson field are a long shot from any standpoint. the stadium would need to be moved away from the river in order to justify spending loads and loads of money on a field that would get flooded once every 5 years. it would take one hell of a levee to prevent that river from overtaking the field, and i don't have much faith in levees right now...
let's work on the press box first, and maybe by the time that's done some alumni will make it big and we can talk field-turf.

[Llamaguy]

i see y'alls point. BUT, i'm a ring guy. also, field improvements at jopson field are a long shot from any standpoint. the stadium would need to be moved away from the river in order to justify spending loads and loads of money on a field that would get flooded once every 5 years. it would take one hell of a levee to prevent that river from overtaking the field, and i don't have much faith in levees right now...
let's work on the press box first, and maybe by the time that's done some alumni will make it big and we can talk field-turf.

Agree with you 100% Outsider. The field should be the final improvement not the first, unless Nielsen or somebody had tons of tax money to invest and the field was just thrown in. As for the rings and I may be wrong on this but it also has to play a part in recruiting. Not only does BC have a tradition but the players who show them around have a visable reminder of it on their hand. No other currently enrolled ODAC player other than a BC one can display this prize. As for Coaching salaries, etc, I know Coach Clark has sponsored multiple rings each year because he knows what they mean. He even noted that he uses them as motivation on Sydney week. Also I myself have chosen to sponsor rings in the past and am glad to do it. As for the budgeted upgrades, I feel its more of wait for the ball to get rollin' rather than a lack of funds. With Rockingham County growing like it is, I highly doubt it would be that hard to find BC Alumni to ante-up as soon as the powers that be decide what we need to have done.

[enzoneking6]

I feel that football give more effort than any other sport.. there are more at stake with a football game.. Football is the only sport that is out there in 100 degree heat with full body pads on.... Not a beautiful spring day with daisies popping all over the field.. Every other sport have two or maybe three games a week but football have one game for ten weeks (maybe more if you are lucky) and ther is no room for error because if you lose that game, their is no doubleheader to even the score.. it's see ya next year. There is no ODAC tournament where you have another chance to win a championship... it's win or go home. I'm not saying that all the other sports are easy to prepare for week in or week out but football is a different breed, so football deserve a different award.


P.S. Football bring in all the revenue for the athletic department... so start charging for other sports and your reward will increase.

[skoaltrain]

enzoneking6:  Well said but not well typed. 

[Hug]

Yeah, but everybody knows the best athletes play baseball. Oh, and tennis!