Leatherneck Nation

As far as rifle, I doubt a rifle program would bring in 100 new students- even if you classify rifle as a sport.

I like the new west side design. Where will the special Leatherneck Nation section be located?

Scott, do you have a specific link for donations?

Bob

BobLovely wrote:Scott, do you have a specific link for donations?

Bob

Not yet, but as soon as I see one, I'll be sure to post it.

Just what exactly does "pledge" mean when it comes to construction projects like this? Would a future willed bequest count towards the goal or do they want cold hard cash in hand before shovels can meet dirt?

leatherface wrote:As far as rifle, I doubt a rifle program would bring in 100 new students- even if you classify rifle as a sport.

You are right, about 8 to 10 good men and women is about all you are going to get. And some of them might be at the school more for the ROTC program than athletics. Toting and shooting any gun, whether in the Olympics, out with a buddy doing some pheasant hunting, or just pinging tin cans with a BB gun qualifies as a sport in my book. It is a counter sport for meeting NCAA mandates as well. From my vantage point, it and bowling are the only NCAA sports in which the little guys can compete with the big guys on a consistent basis. I am pretty sure that to this day, our only claim to a national championship (NCAA or otherwise) is in the sport of bowling.

I guess it just depends on your perspective in life. Do you want to win or just show up and compete?

I hear what you are saying. The will to win or just to compete comes from the top. Until Western commits to what it takes to win and have a competitive D1 total athletic program, they will continue to struggle. However, the funds and resources aren't there. So, do you offer a athletic program that folks are happy to see win "big" in a sport every few years,or, drop down to a level where your athletes can compete and win at using the resources you have. There's nothing wrong with winning or competing for championships in D2- for example. My two cents.

sealhall74 wrote:I am pretty sure that to this day, our only claim to a national championship (NCAA or otherwise) is in the sport of bowling.

There is a banner hanging in the rafters of the Rec Center for the Men's Water Polo team. They must have won a national championship.

That is correct, when Western was NAIA. We had a very strong team, and, some folks don't realize Western had a strong gymnastics and wrestling program in the past.

Give your athletes a chance to compete for championships. That means living with your resources and competing against folks who have similar abilities and programs. A few years ago a poster said something rather demeaning to national championships in D2. My response was- go ask for a meeting with the coaches and players at Northwest Missouri,Grand Valley etc. and tell them their national championship isn't a big deal, and see what happens.

leatherface wrote:Give your athletes a chance to compete for championships.

Or said another way, do you want to be a big fish in a little pond or a little fish in a big pond. In this case, the number of schools really wouldn't be much different - 347 DI Schools across 49 states vs 312 DII colleges across 45 states, but the level of competition is generally less, though considerably more even give most DII schools are smaller, with <10,000 students.

When I went there, UC Davis was DII because they didn't give athletic scholarships, which was a DI requirement, but oh my were we proud of our athletic success!

wiu712 wrote:

sealhall74 wrote:I am pretty sure that to this day, our only claim to a national championship (NCAA or otherwise) is in the sport of bowling.

There is a banner hanging in the rafters of the Rec Center for the Men's Water Polo team. They must have won a national championship.

It wasn't a national championship. As near as I can tell, our Men's Water Polo Club won the 1998 Great Lakes Division title: http://collegiatewaterpolo.org/news/201 ... esDivision

Back in the late '90s and early '00s we had a phenomenal men's bowling club (I think club, not technically a team) with one of the best collegiate bowlers at the time, Jeremy Sonnenfeld (who was the first person to ever bowl an "official" perfect 900...3 perfect 300 games in a row). We won the championship in '99 and '01: http://www.wiu.edu/news/newsrelease.php?release_id=255