Commentary: Rice sports need and deserve support
Orientation Week and the start of a new school year takes me back to when I was trying to figure out where I wanted to go to college. I was so unsure what I wanted from a school that I didn't make my final decision until the absolute last minute, April 30 of my senior year. At that point, I had pro-con lists galore for my two final schools, a la the decision techniques of Rory Gilmore. While the residential college system was definitely one of the bigger pros for Rice, so was the Owls' NCAA Championship-caliber baseball team.
Fast forward two and a half years from college decision day and I couldn't be happier the Rice list won out. I can't quantify how much sway Rice baseball had in my decision, but it was surely the right amount.
However, during my O-Week I was surprised to discover that I was in the vast minority for already having a passion for Rice sports. In fact, I was surprised at the lack of general awareness about varsity sports in general.
Thus, to avoid the persistence of such ignorance any further into this school year, I offer you new students (and returning students) a survival guide of essential information about Rice sports.
For starters, let's talk about what Rice sports are all about. As all freshmen discover during O-Week, college pride is huge at Rice. Whether in the form of a spontaneous cheer war or at an intramural powderpuff football game, college pride is ubiquitous with the college system. But there's no need for our Rice spirit to end there. In addition to the college system, Rice students have an excellent opportunity to support the several varsity athletic teams on campus.
Rice fields 14 varsity NCAA Division-I sports, including seven men's teams and seven women's squads, an amazing number considering the small size of our university. As I'm sure you've already guessed, that means that there are 14 other outlets for cheering and Rice spirit. And with 14 different squads, there's a game for everyone.
When talking about Rice sports, the conversation usually begins with our 2003 National Championship-winning baseball program, which has won the past 14 conference championships, an absolutely unreal feat. However, the baseball team isn't the only source of pride for varsity athletics. Many of you know that Rice won the Texas Bowl last year. What many people don't know is that the football team has had a long-standing history of success.
For example, between 1938- 1961, Rice competed in seven bowl games, taking four, including wins over the University of Alabama and the University of Tennessee.
Still, success in Rice sports isn't limited to the gridiron or the diamond. Rice's women's track and field team has won the past three indoor and the past three outdoor C-USA Championships, and the cross country squad is perennially near the top of conference as well. Last season, the women's volleyball team qualified for the NCAA Championships for the second time in school history. The men's tennis team also has a history of success, boasting 11 Southwestern Conference crowns between 1958 and 1972.
And so, to borrow from last year's marketing tagline, who knew Rice had such a strong and diverse tradition of successful sports squads? Now that you've got the low-down on our teams, you might be wondering when you should make time to catch some matches.
Football games are typically widely publicized, but this year our home schedule gets a late start, with the first game not coming until Sept. 26 against Vanderbilt University. Mark your calendars now and get ready to start torturing those 'Dores. In general, though, Friday nights typically have a women's soccer game or a volleyball match going on. Saturdays will bring football games and every now and then a cross country meet on campus. When the seasons change from fall to winter, we'll be listing upcoming matches right here in the sports section and competitions are always posted online at RiceOwls.com.
Just as essential as the time of these competitions is the location. For most sports, this is yet another attractive feature of going to a sports match. Last school year saw the opening of Tudor Fieldhouse, a state-of-the-art renovation and expansion of old Autry Court. There, students can comfortably catch a volleyball match and cheer on the basketball teams while downing smoothies and hot dogs.
Another relatively new addition to campus is Reckling Park, where the baseball team holds court and sends powerhouse squads, like Texas, home crying. I like to consider myself a bit of a connoisseur of baseball stadiums, having visited 10 major league parks as well as numerous minor league stadiums, and Reckling ranks in my top three favorite spots to take in a ball game, easily.
However, the most imposing and oldest major athletic facility on campus is Rice Stadium, the huge, 70,000-capacity football arena we've all come to know well. Even if every past Rice alumnus were to attend a football game along with every current student, the stadium would still have hundreds of empty seats. However, our stadium has been the site of several historic events, including President John F. Kennedy's speech launching the Apollo program and Super Bowl VIII in 1974.
Perhaps the best aspect of Rice sports though is that admission to every single non-playoff competition held on campus is 100 percent free to Rice students. There really is no more convenient and economical way to meet friends as an undergrad.
Free admission means students have no excuse not to support the heart and soul of Rice athletics: our fellow students, who also happen to be awesome at a varsity sport. Think back to the athlete in your O-Week group who was still coming to activities even though they had practice during the day, or that basketball player in your chem lab who still had practice that evening. All Rice students are busy, but especially the athletes. Without them, we'd have no teams to cheer for, so make sure to go out and catch matches if only to show them some respect for their ridiculous time management skills (you know you're jealous).
Seriously though, there's no excuse for not attending at least one match this year, and hopefully many more. You know you want to. And, hey, you'll get to see me there, so what else could you want?
Natalie Clericuzio is a Wiess College junior and Thresher sports editor.
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