���� Now in the spring of my senior year, I would like to pass along some of what I learned, and I wish to share my enthusiasm.�� You might know me from my Colgate sports website, www.geocities.com/redraider013 , I�m also the guy at the hockey games who runs around with the Colgate flag, always showing my school spirit, and trying to support the teams however I can.� During the semester, I will be reporting on many different topics.� Most of them very positive, but some will be taking a more critical look at the athletic world around us.�
���� The name for this column comes from an old Maroon column by the same name in 1932.� Written by Tom Walsh, and found while I was researching Colgate�s famous 1932 football team, �Sports Strolls� was a weekly review of Colgate athletics.� It added a personal touch to the reporting, and covered events and stories that the normal columns don�t get a chance to explore.� This is a chance to put the events of today, in a larger perspective.�
���� So let�s look where we stand right now.� My sophomore year was the height of Colgate athletically.� We won 5 Patriot League championships, and the men�s hockey team made it to the NCAA tournament.� Since then, we have yet to win a league title in any sport, and the mens ice hockey team has been mired in a 30 year low.� The Patriot League faces some difficult questions in terms of scholarships, and the MAAC hockey league is quickly looking to displace the ECAC in the top 4.�� With all of these problems we face, what are we fighting back with, what can we do?
������ In a recent Syracuse Post article, the Patriot Leagues trouble with scholarships has been documented.� Let�s review the schools in our league first.� Holy Cross and Lehigh were responsible for the founding of the league, and they intentionally created the league to be a haven for schools that put academics first, and no athletic scholarships.� However, Holy Cross has always had a somewhat schizophrenic personality, and from 1986 to 1991, they were the only team in the league to give athletic scholarships in football.� They were 26-1 during that period, and they were the only ones in the league who thought that was a good thing.� The Crusaders also have a rich basketball history, winning the national title in 1947.� Many people in the Holy Cross community saw the basketball program suffering in the patriot league, so they fought to have basketball scholarships allowed.� They got their wish, and starting in 1998, players were now going to Lehigh and Holy Cross on athletic scholarships for basketball.�� Last year, Holy Cross dominated the league on both the men�s and women�s side.�� The Crusaders are pushing to get even better, but it is putting stress on the league itself.
���� Lehigh shared responsibility for the founding of the league.� They went along with the athletic scholarships, and used them to carefully recruit good students and good athletes.� In 1990, and 1991 respectively, Army and Navy joined the league as full members.� They added prestige to the conference, and also contributed geographically.� Students at Army and Navy actually get paid to go to the academies, but several years of their life after college must be devoted to the military.� This nullifies the recruiting advantage they might have.� Bucknell and Lafayette are the two other original members who are still here now.� Both schools are very similar to Colgate.� Together, we are the three remaining non-scholarship schools, although Lafayette has merit scholarships, which have been used to target athletes.� These three schools have traditionally been opposed to scholarships, but all of them are considering them.� The Post article suggests that once one of these schools accepts them, all three will.�
If the boat was rocking before, a storm hit when American University joined the league last year.� The Patriot League was desperate for an 8th team to join, and finally accepted American on the condition they would be allowed to use athletic scholarships for all sports.� In the fall alone, American had 5 teams finish in the leagues top three, with two titles to their credit.� Compounding the issue is the fact that many people at American do not want to be in the league.� They see it as a step down for them, and athletes and coaches protested the decision.�
����� All of this might force Colgate to make a decision in the future.� The athletic philosophy we have is not only in the minority of Division 1 schools, but within our own league.� But we have options.� We could always accept athletic scholarships, and follow the Lehigh model, using them to recruit only above average students.� We could go to Division three, where our athletic philosophies would match in terms of the athletic- academic relationship goes.� But this goes against Colgate�s long held tradition of competing at the highest level possible.� In the past Colgate has always been a �smart jock� school.� For over 100 years, students who excelled both academically and athletically, had a place to go, dropping to a lower level would take away our uniqueness.� We could spend a lot of money.� Make sure we have the best and most modern facilities, that we can hire and keep the best coaches available.� We could hire more assistant coaches, and recruit heavily all across the continent.� Of course, we don�t have that money, and if we did, that wouldn�t be the most efficient use of it.� We could move to another league.� But at this point, the only one that would make sense in the Ivy League, who has no use for another team.� Finally, we could just do what we have been doing.� As other schools recruit more and more aggressively, we will always have our niche, but it will get smaller.� Our number of wins might shrink even smaller, but the wins we did get would be appreciated.
������ It�s hard to predict whether our recent losses have been the result of our philosophy failing to react to a changing world.� Downturns are natural in any program, and it takes hindsight to truly establish the cause/ effect relationship.� There is evidence for both, which we can get to later in the year.�
���� Now that you have a better feel for the leagues makeup and history, it is time to get to this week�s trivia question.� This quote originally came from an interview done by the Utica Observer Dispatch.� What New York Yankee Hall of Famer, when asked about his most memorable college sports memory, recalled a football game against Colgate and replied the following� �When the whistle blew, I started a battle with Welsh, the All American guard.� When they carried me away five minutes later, I had two black eyes and thought I had a broken nose and a mess of busted ribs.�� E-mail your answers to [email protected] and I just might provide a prize for the winner.� Until next week�