Editorial
Student support for athletics lacking
September 28, 2012
On a campus with 6,383 students and 16 varsity sports almost everyone is bound to know someone competing in a varsity sport.
It’s no secret that, to the UW-River Falls student body, athletics take a back seat to pretty much everything else. Yet, there is really no reason why this is the case. It’s not like we, as students, have to pay to get in.
In fact, there are probably a signifi cant amount of upperclassmen who have yet to attend any sporting event at UWRF. Really? In a few years you couldn’t even spare three hours on a given day to support your friends and peers who are representing the school you attend?
Division III athletes are not only participating in their respective sport, but must maintain high academic standards as well. Think of it as having a full time job, not getting paid for it and having to maintain a good grade point average all at the same time. A lot of people simply wouldn’t survive.
Imagine going to work everyday, for almost the entire school year, and not getting paid. You are only going to your job because you enjoy doing it. Think about that. It’s safe to say that not many people would be willing to do that. Let alone college students. Yet, over 400 students at UWRF do that exact thing each and every year.
The UWRF athletes, our peers and our friends, put in work and training both in and out of the season for their sport. Quite frankly, they work harder for their sport than most people do for their jobs. And keep in mind, our athletes are basically playing because they love their sport.
Frankly, there really isn’t any reason why people should skip out on the Homecoming sporting events. Both the UWRF football team and soccer team both play home games at 2 p.m. Saturday at Ramer Field against UW-Oshkosh and UW-Platteville, respectfully. Honestly, there is no reason anyone should skip out on these games.
If you happen to be in the Twin Cities this weekend, the cross country team is also in action, running at the Roy Griak Invitational, hosted by the University of Minnesota. If football and soccer aren’t your thing, then drive over to the cities and check out the cross country team compete against some of the best schools in the region and the country.
We at the Student Voice encourage everyone to go out and support one of our athletic teams this Homecoming weekend. They don’t get money in the form of scholarships to compete, so we as the student body owe them about three hours of our time to watch our teams, peers and friends compete at the collegiate level. Frankly there is no reason not to head out and support our teams.
See you at the games and Go Falcons!