Recruitment & Participation

[Classof72/74]

Way off the main topics of bball and football, but I'd be interested in your comments and insights on UA's apparent difficulty in recruiting and/or getting students to participate in other inter-collegaite sports. For example it looks like Women's Tennis went to their spring opener with only 4 palyers and had to forfeit two singles and one doubles match. I recall that the women's soccer team, which has had some really rough seasons vis a vis win/loss, didn't even have enough players for two full squads for scrimmages. I've seen signs up around the RACC announcing tryouts etc.

 

Is is that word doesn't get out about these opportunities, or that our students aren't interested and/or qualified to take advantage of them ?

[Patch]

Many students don't have the time to participate in a sport at college.

 

Many are working part time and need or want the money more than the enjoyment of participating in a sport.

 

Sports like Women's soccer where the top 11-14 players are going to play and the rest are practice players who are locked into alot of time being put aside for practice, games and away trips. That time could be better used in their minds.

 

In basketball (with the exception of St. Hillaire and Johnson on Men's basketball) being a walk on has been attractive to some but it loses its glitter quickly when the time commitment and lack of playing time surpasses the fun of being part of the team.

 

A scholarship player is getting paid to participate - a non scholarship player isn't and yet the commitment is the same. It's a tough call for a full paying student to commit there time. It's a little easier at the DIII level because everyone is in the same boat.