lets drop baseball and add hockey

[scbison91]

How big is lacrosse up in Midwest? I think I heard it is starting to become big in Minnesota, is that correct? I noticed that NDSU has a club team( ranked #18 MCLA division 2) that is doing well so if this sports take off in the next few years up North, could this become a varsity sport in next 10-15 years? One nice thing about lacrosse it is played on football field and the dome could be utilized just like Syracuse uses Carrier dome for lacrosse...


For many years, lacrosse was only big in North Carolina but in just the last couple years it has really taken off in most southern states and is becoming very popular very fast...

[2910Bison]

Great!!! First soccer and now lacrosse.

[scbison91]

Lacrosse is getting big and is going overrtake most sports in popularity except for football and basketball in the next few years.. Our Rec department had about 150 kids last year signed up last year for lacrosse, ages 8-14 this year over 500 signed up. They plan to extend leagues for rec department to 18 year old as over 130 kids went out for the high school team

Just asking to see if it has hit the uppermidwest like the rest of the country and if potentially it could become a varsity sport.

[HerdBot]

Where would these NDSU hockey teams (mens and womens) practice?

They are adding 3 sheets of ice to the Scheels center.

[Facts]

Disclaimer: I love hockey and always will... I think it's one of the best sports in the world, and I truly enjoyed playing, coaching, reffing, ect.

The problem with hockey is it's a niche sport, and while it's niche is near ND (and you can very easily argue that ND is not a hockey state despite UND and it's bandwagon following) it doesn't mean hockey is a strategically correct move for NDSU. Arguments can also be made that while hockey is the golden calf at UND, it's also part of the millstone (*nickname*) around the mainstream sports' neck.

The NCAA is high on MBB and NDSU has decided to hitch it's pony to that ride, and rightly so. Title IX, eggs in the mainstream sports basket, and common sense have dictated NDSU move to not add hockey, and those will continue to weigh heavily on that decision in the future. The bottom line is, while any Hockey program in this area could be successful in a short time (location, location, location) what would NDSU really gain from that success? Nobody outside of hockey fans in hockey regions follow hockey, so adding the sport does nothing for NDSU in a long term scheme.

My 2 cents...

[roadwarrior]

Were only 2 million away and we would have been there hadn't we put in a new practice field, video boards, and built new Bison offices. The money is there we can start focusing on it once the shac is done.

The best part is we don't need a hockey facility. Plus the Scheels center is adding practice facilities.

We are 2 million away from the Indoor Track, not the SHAC.

When are those other rinks being added to the Scheels Arena?

The Coliseum ice is smaller than what college teams play on. They wouldn't want to practice there.

Bison basketball is not going to the Scheels Arena ever.

Yes, those 8000 fans back in the 80s for basketball were counted by the same guy that had 19,000 at Dacotah Field.

[NorthernBison]

They are adding 3 sheets of ice to the Scheels center.

I thought they were adding four. They indicated construction would begin when they raised $6 million in private donations. Has that been accomplished yet?

If they aren't there yet, you can mark me down as a "I'll believe it when I see it person." The initial "cluster" this whole thing was leaves me with zero confidence.

The driving force for the extra sheets of ice was a tremendous shortage faced by existing programs. I'm not sure there is necessarily prime ice time available even if this extra ice is built.

[HerdBot]

We are 2 million away from the Indoor Track, not the SHAC.

When are those other rinks being added to the Scheels Arena?

The Coliseum ice is smaller than what college teams play on. They wouldn't want to practice there.

Bison basketball is not going to the Scheels Arena ever.

Yes, those 8000 fans back in the 80s for basketball were counted by the same guy that had 19,000 at Dacotah Field.

How much left until we get the shac?

[roadwarrior]

How much left until we get the shac?

Good question. But it is more than the "less than $2 million" that Erv said was needed to start the indoor track facility.

[344Johnson]

Just a quick comment. No way did we ever average anything close to 8,000 for BB in DII. Must have been the same people counting as those who figured out the Dacotah Field attendance. I think they counted feet and forgot to divide by 2.

LOL (ten char)