A Snow and ski forum. SkiBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » SkiBanter forum » Skiing Newsgroups » Nordic Skiing
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Saint Paul's Macalster College to Lose Cross Country Ski Team



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old February 5th 04, 01:08 AM
Jay Tegeder
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Saint Paul's Macalster College to Lose Cross Country Ski Team

Unfortunately, Macalaster College, a small and wealthy liberal and I
mean "liberal" arts college in Saint Paul is dropping their Cross
Country Ski Team. This puts the MIAC Conference in a bind as they are
now one team short of qualifying as a conference. The Athletic
Director at Macalaster is Irv Cross. Yeah, the former CBS, NFL
broadcaster back in the 70s along with Brent Musberger and Phylis
George. Irv was a great football player but probably doesn't
understand cross country skiing and the rich nordic skiing tradition
of Minnesota. This comes at a time when the snow in the area is
fantastic. Macalaster is one of the wealthiest small colleges in the
country thanks to an endowment from the Reader's Digest Foundation. I
guess they'll waste the money on something else. The program was only
a five years old or so and was headed in the right direction.

Jay Tegeder
"On the podium if the right people don't show up!" JT
Ads
  #2  
Old February 5th 04, 09:47 PM
Pieter Litchfield
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Saint Paul's Macalster College to Lose Cross Country Ski Team

I am associated with a college that dropped a hockey program when hockey is
on the upswing. Why? It's expensive and it didn't draw recruits,
especially in that college's league.

I don't know about the Reader's Digest Foundation, but I do know the
Reader's Digest magazine can't compete against the internet, and that
financial returns have been dismal for all endowments, college and
otherwise, for three years. So I'm guessing that maybe there is pressure
to limit the endowment support of the college.
So here's my best guess at what the "facts" might be:

(1) The X-C ski program is small and isn't drawing a lot of new freshman to
the college.

(2) The contribution from the endowment of the college is being reduced.
After a few lousy years in the stock market, the better endowed colleges are
suffering the worst because they are more dependent on the market for their
budget needs than just making tuition projections. I would guess the same
comment applies equally well to any other endowment making grants to the
college.

(3) Even though the X-C program is relatively cheap, other more expensive
programs (hockey?) draw more "full pay" students due to the conference they
compete in. It makes sense to immediately divert the limited funds
available into those activities that will generate revenues by attracting
"warm bodies" to the campus.

(4) College officers will always give students what they want if the
administration can just figure out how to break even at it.

(5) The quality of snow has nothing to do with it. "Liberal" has nothing to
do with it.

I have been looking at the numbers that New York State Office of Parks and
Historic Preservation uses to forecast the demand for facilities. The
latest survey they did was performed in 2002. While the growth rate for X-C
skiing was good statewide, it comes after a "recession" between 1998 - 2002
where there was a shrinkage in the number of X-C skiers. In addition, the
absolute number of skiers is very very small in comparison to other sports.
This is information for New York, not MN, and I would guess its very weather
dependent. You might want to look at the numbers for your area. I mention
this just to point out that if the college is looking to attract applicants
from a target pool, it may be cheaper and easier to pick a more popular
sport. Volleyball, basketball, hockey, and swimming are all more popular.
Hockey is an interesting comparison, because "ice time" is very expensive.
If you don't build and maintain a rink, you still have to rent time at one.
It would seem that X-C is very cheap by comparison. But I will assure you
that the college's administration made a rational decision based on the
payback that continued participation in that sport would generate.

I hope this is helpful in getting an "insiders" perspective on it.

"Jay Tegeder" wrote in message
om...
Unfortunately, Macalaster College, a small and wealthy liberal and I
mean "liberal" arts college in Saint Paul is dropping their Cross
Country Ski Team. This puts the MIAC Conference in a bind as they are
now one team short of qualifying as a conference. The Athletic
Director at Macalaster is Irv Cross. Yeah, the former CBS, NFL
broadcaster back in the 70s along with Brent Musberger and Phylis
George. Irv was a great football player but probably doesn't
understand cross country skiing and the rich nordic skiing tradition
of Minnesota. This comes at a time when the snow in the area is
fantastic. Macalaster is one of the wealthiest small colleges in the
country thanks to an endowment from the Reader's Digest Foundation. I
guess they'll waste the money on something else. The program was only
a five years old or so and was headed in the right direction.

Jay Tegeder
"On the podium if the right people don't show up!" JT



  #3  
Old February 5th 04, 10:58 PM
David B. Redmond
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Saint Paul's Macalster College to Lose Cross Country Ski Team

On Thu, 05 Feb 2004 21:47:21 GMT, "Pieter Litchfield"
wrote:

snip

see http://www.macalester.edu/athletics/...205nordic.html

Main points from the article:

"Men’s and women’s Nordic skiing will become a club team rather than a
varsity sport at Macalester College at the end of this season. The
change results from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference’s (MIAC) elimination of Nordic skiing as a sponsored sport
and Macalester Athletic Department budget cuts. The Scots will
continue to operate as a varsity team through the end of the current
season which winds up at the end of February.

“The decision to move Nordic skiing from the varsity level to a club
sport was driven by budget restraints and the conference’s decision
two years ago to no longer have a championship at the end of this
season without an expanded base of participation,” said Macalester
Director of Athletics Irv Cross. “It is our intent to have a viable
club sport program in order to offer our students a full and
meaningful athletic experience.”"

Note also this college withdrew its football program from the MIAC and
are competing elsewhere due to lack of ability to be competitive in
that league.

  #4  
Old February 7th 04, 01:39 AM
Jay Tegeder
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Saint Paul's Macalster College to Lose Cross Country Ski Team

As a divison 3 college, no athletic scholarships are given at
Macalaster. Their sports teams have long been known for their futility
and at one time the football program had the longest losing streak in
the country. They even considered dropping football. Mac attracts the
Kofi Anan (sp) types. In fact, Kofi did attend...

Jay Tegeder
"Keep training, lycra never lies!" JT

"Pieter Litchfield" wrote in message . ..
I am associated with a college that dropped a hockey program when hockey is
on the upswing. Why? It's expensive and it didn't draw recruits,
especially in that college's league.

I don't know about the Reader's Digest Foundation, but I do know the
Reader's Digest magazine can't compete against the internet, and that
financial returns have been dismal for all endowments, college and
otherwise, for three years. So I'm guessing that maybe there is pressure
to limit the endowment support of the college.
So here's my best guess at what the "facts" might be:

(1) The X-C ski program is small and isn't drawing a lot of new freshman to
the college.

(2) The contribution from the endowment of the college is being reduced.
After a few lousy years in the stock market, the better endowed colleges are
suffering the worst because they are more dependent on the market for their
budget needs than just making tuition projections. I would guess the same
comment applies equally well to any other endowment making grants to the
college.

(3) Even though the X-C program is relatively cheap, other more expensive
programs (hockey?) draw more "full pay" students due to the conference they
compete in. It makes sense to immediately divert the limited funds
available into those activities that will generate revenues by attracting
"warm bodies" to the campus.

(4) College officers will always give students what they want if the
administration can just figure out how to break even at it.

(5) The quality of snow has nothing to do with it. "Liberal" has nothing to
do with it.

I have been looking at the numbers that New York State Office of Parks and
Historic Preservation uses to forecast the demand for facilities. The
latest survey they did was performed in 2002. While the growth rate for X-C
skiing was good statewide, it comes after a "recession" between 1998 - 2002
where there was a shrinkage in the number of X-C skiers. In addition, the
absolute number of skiers is very very small in comparison to other sports.
This is information for New York, not MN, and I would guess its very weather
dependent. You might want to look at the numbers for your area. I mention
this just to point out that if the college is looking to attract applicants
from a target pool, it may be cheaper and easier to pick a more popular
sport. Volleyball, basketball, hockey, and swimming are all more popular.
Hockey is an interesting comparison, because "ice time" is very expensive.
If you don't build and maintain a rink, you still have to rent time at one.
It would seem that X-C is very cheap by comparison. But I will assure you
that the college's administration made a rational decision based on the
payback that continued participation in that sport would generate.

I hope this is helpful in getting an "insiders" perspective on it.

"Jay Tegeder" wrote in message
om...
Unfortunately, Macalaster College, a small and wealthy liberal and I
mean "liberal" arts college in Saint Paul is dropping their Cross
Country Ski Team. This puts the MIAC Conference in a bind as they are
now one team short of qualifying as a conference. The Athletic
Director at Macalaster is Irv Cross. Yeah, the former CBS, NFL
broadcaster back in the 70s along with Brent Musberger and Phylis
George. Irv was a great football player but probably doesn't
understand cross country skiing and the rich nordic skiing tradition
of Minnesota. This comes at a time when the snow in the area is
fantastic. Macalaster is one of the wealthiest small colleges in the
country thanks to an endowment from the Reader's Digest Foundation. I
guess they'll waste the money on something else. The program was only
a five years old or so and was headed in the right direction.

Jay Tegeder
"On the podium if the right people don't show up!" JT

 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Cross Country skiing in Norway Wout Davidse Nordic Skiing 1 January 4th 04 08:05 PM


All times are GMT. The time now is 02:40 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 SkiBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.