SMU Athletic Facilities

Water Pony · Post by **Water Pony** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 1:16 pm

My two cents on immediate needs and opportunities to make substantial progress on our Athletic facilities and help ensure we are competitive:

- Build BB practice facility and site for Volleyball
- Renovate Moody
- Build new Natatorium
- Upgrade Westcott
- Create more Intramural Fields

Wild Card recommendation:

Perkins Natatorium was originally the school gymnasium, before Moody was built. Let history repeat itself and put a long course, Olympic pool and diving well inside Moody. Not much less has to be done to the offices in the building. Less expensive than designing and building a New Aquatic Center.

Then, we could commit to a new Athletic Center for Men's and Women's BB, Volleyball, practice facilities and large scale performance, etc.

Let's be creative and build nationally competitive facilities for our remaining non-revenue sports and commit to a first class BB facility.

mustangnation · Post by **mustangnation** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 1:23 pm

i like the plan a lot. Would you like to donate 50 million?

abezontar · Post by **abezontar** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 1:26 pm

you are going to need a lot more than 50 million

Post by **PonyPride** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 3:57 pm

I would like to donate $50 million.
Of course, that would mean I'd have to have $50 million (actually more) in the first place.
But I'd really like to.

Bergermeister · Post by **Bergermeister** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 4:00 pm

We need a 7,000 seat natatorium.

Water Pony · Post by **Water Pony** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 4:09 pm

Bergermeister wrote:We need a 7,000 seat natatorium.

B.M. Wonderful idea, but I would settle for 1,500 with a quality, long course pool, which includes a diving tower permitting us to host conference and DFW events.

With 2,500, which raises the cost, we could host National Meets. In any case, we need to be in the mix of Division 1 schools like Soccer does today. Pools are expensive but status quo can only mean we will regress.

Appreciate the enthusiasm.

Stallion · Post by **Stallion** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 4:55 pm

A new Natorium can only be built by private donations of alumni interested in swimming and damn sure should not be a major funding emphasis of this program.

giacfsp · Post by **giacfsp** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 5:01 pm

Not on the scale of the football stadium, that's true. But in the same breath with soccer, etc.? Sure it should.

Stallion · Post by **Stallion** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 5:06 pm

OK we will put a hole in ground outside and put some steel granstands up for the swimming team. The only way it will get built is by direct contributions by a small group of interested alumni.

Water Pony · Post by **Water Pony** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 11:18 am

Stallion wrote:OK we will put a hole in ground outside and put some steel granstands up for the swimming team. The only way it will get built is by direct contributions by a small group of interested alumni.

Stallion, I am not naive. You can expect the lion share of the cost will be born by alumni and friends of SMU Swimming & Diving. God forbid, non-revenue sports are a drain to the gods of FB and BB.