During every home football game the SXU Dance Team and Cheerleading help cheer the football team to victory.
Although they are all smiles, there is concern over the squads’ safety because they perform on the unfinished track around the football field.
“It is difficult to perform on the rocks that lie around the field because there is a fear of falling on the rocks,” said one cheerleader. According to her, the coaches share that concern, because they limit the stunts they allow the squad to do on the rocks. Fortunately, no one has gotten hurt on the track to date.
Dance team members had similar concerns. Jessica Scates, Senior and Co-Captain, stated, “It’s not only difficult, but dangerous for us to be dancing on the rocks.”
When asked about these concerns, the athletic director, Robert Hallberg, said he was always concerned about the safety of the cheerleaders.
He referred to the dangers inherently associated with cheerleading, and said that there’s always concern for the cheerleaders’ safety, whether they are performing on mats in the Shannon Center or on the unfinished track.
This safety concern, however, is not limited to only the dance and cheerleading squads. Any athlete that uses the football field is aware of its rocky boundaries.
Football and soccer players alike have to be aware of the rocks while playing. A soccer player reported that he is cautious when diving for a ball near the sideline because he doesn’t want to hurt himself in the rocks, and that ultimately affects his play.
SXU’s field turf stadium was completed and named Bruce R Deaton Memorial field in 2007. The area around the field was intended to be a track but funds were not available to pave it. It is now 2013 and SXU’s stadium is still without a track.
SXU’s men’s and women’s track teams have not let that slow them down; for the past few years they have been consistently represented at the NAIA national meet.
When asked about how not having a track affects the track team, a sophomore runner said that they have to practice at Brother Rice High School or at the indoor track in the Shannon Center and get by, but a track would make their practices easier, and improve recruitment.
Fans of SXU football and soccer also claim that a finished track would improve the overall look of the stadium. That improved appearance would match the successful athletic programs at SXU.
Steve Murphy, Executive Director of Development, estimates that a competition quality track will cost around $450,000. Murphy also states that the completion of the track is a top priority for the school.
When asked if the track would be completed within a year, or two, Murphy replied, “It is definitely our goal to do so, but we cannot commit to a timetable until we identify the funds to get the job done.”
David Rodriguez
News Editor
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