FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[theaprof]

That did it--Tammy still has the power!

[kickerdad]

That did it--Tammy still has the power!

Professor,

Go for Ernest A. "HEAL BROTHER"

[Matt Barnhart (kid)]

[...] what happened to a guy named Kelly Sims from Lakeland High School that was playing two years ago for Bridgewater. He and my son played together and I haven't seen him on the roster or around town for that mater.

I believe Kelly got injured and never came back to play.  He was a nice looking prospect at linebacker.  Big body, moved well.

[K-Mack]

K Mack ,, I was at the  Wesley game today also,,sorry I missed you. I am now coaching with the Chincoteague Ponies,,a little different than my former job,,where will you be next saturday ??

Next saturday is my wedding anniversary, not sure if I can get a football game out of this one. I did UMHB-CNU last year while the wife ransacked Williamsburg Outlets.

We have talked about Chincoteague, haven't we?

Will be at Wesley again probably for the Huntingdon game. Since I don't have any plans to go to Alabama anytime soon, I gotta catch the Hawks when they come close to home.

Hate seeing a team twice before the playoffs if I can help it though.

[K-Mack]

To paraphrase what CNU coach Kelchner said on the post game show about playing a tough schedule...

These kids are not on scholarship, they are paying their way to college and playing football. He (the coach) owes it to them to expose them to the best football D3 has to offer. Anything less an he feels he is letting the kids down.

Just another perspective. I'm sure if Mt Union called CNU, they would jump at the chance. But then again, I don't think Mt Union calls anybody, I think you have to call them....what are the odds that Kelchner has called? I would think 100% that he's called more than once.

Two things.

Kelchner has said that exact thing to me before on separate occasions, about playing the best just for the fun of the challenge. I'm fairly sure he believes it.

Also, I think the schools with openings do the calling. The successful schools tend to feel they have trouble getting schools to play them, and that goes back years and across regional boundaries, i.e. it's not just a Mount Union thing.

They were fairly excited last year when they landed St. John Fisher to fill their opening in 08-09. I think they think getting a good, solid challenge before the OAC schedule will serve them better than these past two years have.

[K-Mack]

[...] Has any other school in the ODAC made the decision to install field turf in the near future anyone know? One school Im surprised has not done it yet is Bridgewater. Any news on that?

There's no way we will go to field turf.  We have a Division I-A surface with the bermuda grass.  Our grounds people had it in excellent shape for this weekend's game.

Having a synthetic surface sounds all fancy and great, but you can have something just as good, and for a lot less.  Virginia Tech and Purdue University seem to think so.

The new synthetic surfaces are not like the old "Astro-turf" where you bounced and got rug burn. They are nice if you have multiple teams palying on the same field or if space is limited and you have to practice on your playing field.  They are hot as the dickens though and tough on players on the early season daytime games.
However, there is nothing prettier or nicer to play on than a well kept, well drained and maintained real turfgrass playing surface.

I used to be a real-grass snob too.

Played all my games on it, saw how you could keep it a fast track (Davidson) or have thick grass that was soft to get tackled on.

But as I travel the country, and I see more and more teams going to the FieldTurf and related styles, I've become convinced that it will become the dominant surface in Division III very soon. I have not taken the time to count and don't plan to, but I think most of the Division III elite have already made the switch and many more are planning to do it for cost-effectiveness reasons listed by fmfdoc.

First off, not sure what exactly consitutes a Division I-A surface. Well cared-for? That's for the grass geeks to debate, but it sounds a little silly to brag about.

Second, I don't really believe grass costs a lot less. In initial outlay, sure, turf is expensive to switch to. But given that you can basically fire the grounds crew, or at least have them devote themselves to other less time-consuming projects, and that you can build one stadium with one set of lights and stands for football, men's soccer, women's soccer, men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse and field hockey, I can definitely see how turf pays for itself over time.

For schools which are built in a surrounded area with few options to expand when it comes to new fields, turf is a major advantage.

But even teams with football-only stadiums are switching to it. You never have to mow it, repaint it, re-seed it ... and you can practice on it, or let other teams at the school practice on it, without fear of ripping it up. Coaches like that it provides an even playing field, no pun intended, in that it plays the same at the end of the year as it does at the beginning. It also can neutralize the effects of weather some. That's right, no more games contested in 20-yard wide swaths of mud at midfield. No more "we brought the wrong shoes."

Everyone I talk to about their new turf, and I ask a lot, loves it. I haven't heard many negatives, in fact, none that I can think of right now.

It might not be a fit at Bridgewater, since you guys seem to have the space for each team to have its own field. And I don't see it anytime soon at Randolph-Macon, since part of the football field is also the baseball outfield, and I've never seen a half-Field Turf outfield ... but just wanted to offset the general implication that real grass is cheaper, (that doesn't seem to be the opinion of cost-conscious D3s I talk to) and wanted to make sure that just because Kid and Virginia Tech and Purdue dismiss it doesn't mean you should.

I'm still a little partial to grass, but after watching everyone from Mount Union to St. John's to Occidental to the home of the Stagg Bowl make the switch and listening to them sing its praises, I definitely see the light.

Will probably double this post up as a national topic, in case you want to respond for folks beyond the ODAC to see, FYI.

[K-Mack]

Snakehandler once said on these boards, "it won't matter if you're prepared for the playoffs if you don't make them."  That happened to CNU in 2005.

Ya, but by that rationale does it matter if you make the playoffs if you aren't prepared for them? 

Couple of deep thoughts right there.

[K-Mack]

[...] I wish BC would get back to playing a tougher out of conference schedule.  Anyone know the reason they got away from that?  I thought coach Clark liked getting the team prepared for those late season tough opponents...

McDaniel, Shenandoah, and Ferrum, used to be good.

McDaniel was a playoff team in 2001, Shenandoah was a playoff team in 2004, and Ferrum in 2005.  Clark can't control if and when a program begins to fall.

And I think there is something to be said for playing Hanover and LaGrange.  In the playoffs, you may have to travel 500-plus miles.  Hanover was just over that, and our trip to LaGrange this year will be nearly 600 miles.

But I see what you're saying.  There's no question that playing tougher non-conference opponents can help prepare you for the playoffs.  But I think Snakehandler once said on these boards, "it won't matter if you're prepared for the playoffs if you don't make them."  That happened to CNU in 2005.

I also remember hearing Coach Bowden (of Clemson) say on ESPN Radio the other week that, even though he enjoys playing a great school to begin the season (like he will with FSU), he'd much rather play a team he knows (or thinks) he can beat.

I think that can be said for Division III, and the non-conference opponents.  You certainly don't want to play a bunch of cupcakes, but you also don't want to get in over your head, and schedule two to three playoff teams to begin the season.

The first couple games of the season shouldn't gage whether or not you're a playoff team.  But if you lose one or two, and get upset in a conference game down the road, then those early season losses dictated your playoff fate.

There's solid logic to doing it both ways.

Ultimately you want your team to be tested but to still come out on top. Something like maybe Wesley's non-conference schedule ... problem with that is one or two of those teams can hop up and beat you, and all of a sudden you've put your playoff lives in jeopardy.

But not having a strong enough schedule can do that too. Either by not getting in, or not having been tested during the year and failing when those situations arise against a good opponent.

I agree with the point of the coaches who make the schedules not being able to predict who will be good when, especially those teams who solidify the schedules a couple years in advance. What looked like a needed clash with Shenandoah a few years ago, for example, is now perceived as a cakewalk.

Coaches also don't know if there are going to be five competitive in-conference games or just one. If you have as many good games as ODAC teams look to have in-league this year, it might not be as necessary to have huge out-of-conference clashes. For the pollsters, yes. But if the ultimate goal is to win the conference and get into the playoffs, there are differing philosophies on how much is too much.

You guys appear to have covered these bases already, so I'll shut up.

[Ralph Turner]

Next saturday is my wedding anniversary, not sure if I can get a football game out of this one. I did UMHB-CNU last year while the wife ransacked Williamsburg Outlets.

There is a big outlets store in Round Rock TX, just 40 miles down I-35 from Belton.  The Historic Stagecoach Inn in Salado, 8 miles outside Belton, is a romantic place for your Anniversary Dinner.

Don't let that stop you from coming to see UMHB-CNU.   

[ehcwasp00]

I do believe EHC is due to install the field turf surface in the next two years, along with a new field house, and visitor stands much like the home side - not sure when the other items are planned, but i think field turf is first.......

[Matt Barnhart (kid)]

I do believe EHC is due to install [...] visitor stands much like the home side [...]

But then who will sit on the home side?  Oh, right.  The 7,000 Wasp fans that attend every game.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[frenjr]

according to the last Alumni Magazine, EHC plans to build a brick wall around the stadium with a ticket booth at one side and a field house on the other, with an expansion of the visitor seats and a field turf field, all named after Coach Fred Selfe. I love the idea (except for the field turf), but I am curious how they plan to pay for it with a dwindling enrollment base (word is, they are teetering below 900 students...1/8 of the campus are football players.)

It is nice to see the tribute to Coach Selfe. It was bogus that they did not change the name of the facility when he died, rather than just dropping a big rock near the field and putting his name on it.

As for EHC on the field, I am excitied for the potential of this season. I think the influx of Richlands kids from a big time winning program certainly helps. Ringstaff and Jennings look like they could really be good RB's for the program. Maybe they can convince Austin Fuller to de-commit from Va Tech and stay home 

[Jacketlawyer]

How 'bout them Jackets? Whaddya say?

I realize winning at Denison's not a huge achievement on the grand scale, but getting off on the right foot is. Finishing a team, getting a road win, beating who you're supposed to beat -- all good things. And considering a lot of ODAC-watchers thought, I guess, that the road trip was going to be too much ... I'm just really happy for the guys and hope they keep moving in the right direction.

How 'BOUT them Jackets!!  Seeing that score made me feel good, and I'll enjoy it this week.

I'd like to hear about Johnny Hop, though. Hopefully someone who saw the H-S/Hop game will share. 8)

[muchacho]

If EHC's enrollment is dwindling, then it sounds like the improvements are being made to make the school more attractive and bring in more students. As long as guests continue to change on the pool deck and walk the bridge to the field, I don't care what they do.  Do the WASPS have a good endowment, or are they going to have to rely on good credit?

Thinking about EHC with an enrollment of less than 900 made me think about the high school game between Dematha and St. Xavier's of Ohio that ESPN played on Sunday. St. Xavier's has 1,500 kids in their school...all male. They dressed over 130 kids for their game. 130 kids for a high school team seems ridiculous to me. Its no wonder they are nationally ranked with that many kids competing for playing time.

[frenjr]

my understanding is that the stadium improvements were part of the deal in getting Montgomery. The art center is more towards improving enrollments, but they would make much more headway if they had decent living facilities. Cockroaches won't stay in Hillman and Stuart!