1995_05 Insight May 1995

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Sports
MAY 3,1995
CSUF breaks ground on softball stadium
By Troy Wagner
StaffWriler
After years of waiting, the Fresno
State softball team finally saw its
dream become a reality.
University and local officials ceremoniously broke ground on a $3.2
million softball stadium al Ihc south-
cast comer of Cedar and Barstow avenues last week.
Thc university was forced to build
lhc stadium after being cited for Title
IX violations in an investigation last
year. But according to Fresno Mayor
Jim Patterson, thc new stadium will
benefit not only the softball team but
thc university as a whole.
"This stadium will make a positive
economic impact for businesses in thc
surrounding communities and in thc
Valley." Patterson said.
Patterson joined university President
John Welly. Athletic Director Gary
Cunningham, softball head coach
Margie Wright and CSUF softball
team member Maureen Brady in turning over lhc dirt at thc groundbreaking
ceremony Tuesday, Feb. 25.
Architect Edwin S. Darden. Jr., general contractor Dan McAwecney. Walt
Reinhardi of the Bulldog Foundation
Endowment Committee and Jerry
Dale of the softball stadium steering
Photo Illustration by Todd Warshaw/Sports Information
DMC Construction, Inc. has begun work on the new Fresno State softball stadium, shown here In a rendering by Edwin S. Darden
Associates, Inc.
committee also participated in the
ceremony.
"It is exciting to think that this time next
season we will all be watching our national-class softball program performing
on this site in what promises.lo be the finest collegiate softball stadium in the country," Cunningham said.
Burns sets
new best
in 5,000m
By Stephen Walsh
StaffWriter
Il gets belter and belter for Fresno
State distance runner Ann Burris.
At the Stanford Invitational on
March 25. she ran the 10.000-meter
for thc first time in her career. Her
time: 35:02.92. third best in Fresno
Slate history, good enough to provisionally qualify her for thc NCAA
championships.
"Shc doesn't view herself as a
10.000-melcr runner." said track
coach Red Estes. "She was dead last
on the first lap. then she came on
strong to win."
Can hc convince Burris to run the
10,000 meter in upcoming meets?
"I don't know if I'll be able to talk
her into it or not," he said.
In a dual meet April 8, Burris ran
a then-personal best in the 5000-
meters at 17:18.4. Her time ranks
seventh best in Fresno State history
In thai meel, Burris finished with
a time of 10:01.93 in the 3000-
meter, ninth on the FSU all-time list.
Burris improved her mark in lhc
5000m at the Cal/Ncvada Track and
Field Championships at Ratcliffc
Stadium April 29. She ran an NCAA
provisional qualifying time of
16:51.5, the fourth bcsl in school
history.
At 5-feet, 4-inches tall. Burris
boasts a typical runner's physique:
long, muscular legs, ideal for long
distance strides.
Named WAC Athlete of thc Week
three times this year, Burris said she
relies on a "camp and kick" running
strategy. Depending on thc distance,
"About one mile into it, or two laps.
I take the lead." shc said.
Estes said Burris is intimidated by
large meets with more intense competition. She prefers the low-key
races.
"She is plagued by her own mind
when she tries too hard, almost frozen to where she can't run at all,"
he said.
Burris, a communicative disorders
major, is improving the mental side
of her performance, thanks to
Rebecca Crump, assistant athletic
trainer. With a background in sports
psychology. Crump helps athletes
overcome performance anxiety.
Crump said runners' performance
anxiety could be due to an upcoming big meet, such as with Burris.
Shc trains Burris by implementing
progressive relaxation. When using
the technique, the subject tenses,
then relaxes muscles, beginning
from the toes and working up.
"I do this so the athlete can identify where their muscles become
tense," Cramp said.
Cramp also teaches Burris "self
talk," an affirmation which allows
Burris to mentally establish where
she is in the race and when shc will
break for the lead.
"When I run, I think about staying relaxed, food, and I think about,
'How much longer?'" Burris said.
Running has been a part of Burris'
life since her days at Northgate High
School in Oakley. She said it takes
awhile for some high school runners
Photo courtesy Sports Information
Ann Burris ran a personal best
In the 5,000m at the Cal/
Nevada Championships April
29 at Ratcllffe Stadium.
to discover Iheir true ability.
"They run because ihcy didn't do
well in any other sport. Then they
discover they have talent. I would
advise ihcm lo give il their full effort."
Burris was one such runner.
"I wasn't good al baseball, soccer
— all the sports that require coordination." shc said.
She began running but didn't catch
the fever for the sport for a few
years. Burris confessed that she
would hide out to avoid practice.
Al Diablo Valley Junior College,
Burris compeled in both cross country and irack for two years and was
team MVP in both. She said it was
there that her altitude changed toward long distance.
"Kevin Searles, my JC coach, he's
the one who got me to like running.
I'd argue about everything with him.
He'd say. Just do it.'"
"1 decided I was tired of losing and
just wanted to win." Burris said. "I
hated it in high school.
"Now it's a sport, it's fun, and I
like competing."
Estes is another influence in her
running. "Hc helped me leam more
aboul the sport, to get in there and
compete and not jusl go out there
for yourself."
"His altitude," Burris said, "is,
'We want to see Fresno State come
across the line first.'"
While making a name for herself
in the annals of women's track.
Burris said the school makes a big
difference. "I think it's awesome to
ran for a school like this where
sports are such a big deal. I hope I
can do my part to make a name for
track here."
Burris is partial to the coast, but
said Fresno is ideal for runners. "It's
probably better because there are no
distractions," she said.
One of those distractions is water skiing, one of her summer hob-
See BURRIS, page 10
Perhaps the happiest, or mosi relieved, person because of the stadium
construction is softball head coach
Margie Wright.
"It's long overdue." Wright said.
"Hopefully this facility, which when
completed will be the best in thc
United States, will attract top recruits
and fans to come and watch the exciting sport of softball."
The stadium, also known as "The
Crown Jewel," is expected to be one
of the top collegiate facilities in the
country when it's scheduled to be
completed in time for the Bulldogs'
home opener against long-time rival
UCLA next Feb. 24.
Included in thc stadium plans art-
sunken dugouts, lights, practice areas,
enclosed batting cages and a contemporary scoreboard and message center.
When completed, the softball facility will be reminiscent of Beiden
Field, home of thc Fresno State base
ball team.
But because of a lower-than-ex-
pected number of purchased seat options, ihe new stadium may as well
be known as "The Cubic Zirconium."
As it stands now. only 1,688 of the
originally-planned 2.628 permanent
chair-back seats will be constructed.
The stadium will be without a press box
unless $400,000 is donated or generated from seat option sales by June 15.
"The press box is what will make
it a state-of-the-art facility," Wright
said. "It's what will allow us to have
televised games and allow us to
bring the College World Series and
ASA [American Softball Association) national tournaments to
Fresno. Without it, it is just an ordinary facility."
Also deleted from the original design are permanent bathroom facilities, a ticket office and a main concession stand.
The current softball field is located
west of the Residence Dining Hall and
has a capacity of approximately 2,400
(bleacher seating).
A NCAA single-date regular season
record was set at the field in 1993 as
3,517 fans watched Fresno State play
UCLA.
Cost, location keep students away
from many university athletic events
By David Mirhadi
StaffWriler
When Jerry Tarkanian returns lo
Selland Arena as coach of Fresno
State's new-look basketball team, he' II
probably see a lot of new faces in the
crowd that aren't Fresno State students.
Students will more than likely be at
home, either listening to the game on
radio or watching it on television, because cithtfr they can'l afford the cost
of a ticket or don't want lo drive 30
minutes downtown.
On the other hand. Bulldog Stadium,
across the street from CSUF, consistently attracts thousands of students
to football games during the season,
thereby generating more money for
the athletic department and its many
programs.
Basketball isn't the only Bulldog
athletic event having trouble attracting students, however.
Attendance at many Fresno Stale
athletic events has been on a downward spiral for the past several years.
The question remains — why don't
Fresno State students enjoy the same
kind of collegiate sports atmosphere
students at other universities, like
UCLA, Duke and Nebraska, have for
generations?
The question has baffled Fresno
Stale administrators, students, boosters and fans for years.
Problem #1
Lack of interest
In the 1984-85 season. Fresno
State's men's basketball program was
coming off one of its best seasons. The
Bulldogs had finished the previous
year 25-8 and had made it to the
NCAA tournament, and Selland
Arena, the Bulldogs' home court, was
expanded to more than 10.000 seats
after standing-room only crowds filled
the arena to thc rafters.
Just two years earlier, the 'Dogs had
walked away with the National Invitational Tournament title after beating
DePaul.
The following season, basketball attendance at Selland Arena began a
nine-year decline that even an NIT
quarterfinal bid last year couldn't reverse.
Students who used to camp out by
thc ticket office are now turning away
from basketball games at an alarming
rate. According to statistics compiled
by thc athletic business office at
CSUF, students bought 1,271 season
ticket packages in 1984-85. In 1993-
94, they bought just 224 tickets.
Lcs Snyder, athletic business manager, said high prices of basketball
tickets coupled with diminished resources has had a lot to do with a lack
of student participation.
"When you go to buy basketball season tickets, that's a pretty healthy season ticket — it's like $81 a student-
Unless you have that slid into the paperwork while you are paying for tuition, it probably comes out of your
budget for gas or whatever," Snyder
said.
He said students have other pressing concerns that do not involve attending a basketball game on the
weekend or going to a softball double-
header on campus.
"Myself, I didn't know if a ball was
stuffed or pumped when I went to
Fresno State. I didn't even know we
had an athletic department till the day
I graduated." Snyder said.
"I know a lot of our students are in
lhc same mode: they have career
goals in mind. They have to work to
support themselves and athletics isn't
a necessary item for them," he said.
Snyder has tried different ways of
selling basketball tickets, but there
haven't been many takers in the last
few years.
"We have experimented with selling tickets on a game-by-game basis. Thc athletic department has set
aside student season tickets on a
game-by-game basis at Selland
Arena, and thc Associated Students
put out $9,000 and tried to sell tickets on a game-by-game basis and had
to cat them," he said.
"We tried like hell to get those tickets sold, but the interest just wasn't
there. The interest isn't there if we
aren't winning," he said.
The Bulldog basketball team has
had two winning seasons since going 23-9 in 1984-85, and attendance,
by students and the general public,
has been slipping ever since.
Problem #2
Where s the money?
Every year, the Associated Students
gives money to the athletic department to fund the purchase of tickets
for students. In the lasi several years,
the amount of money contributed
from the Associated Students has
shrunk, and the athletic department
has had to scramble to make up the
lost revenue by selling season ticket
packages for students.
Scott Johnson, Fresno State's associate athletic director for communications, said that has been one of the
biggest problems for the athletic program.
"In the last Iwo years, the ASI has
given the athletic department
$80,000. This year, they are giving
us $30,000 out of our $12 million
budget. I don't want to step on anybody's toes, but that's why we have
to have season tickets and why we
have high prices, because wc have to
make up for that lost revenue," he
said.
"When you compare our contributions to the monies that other schools
are giving their respective athletic
departments, they are getting a much
larger contribution." Johnson said.
Last year, the athletic departments
at Colorado State, New Mexico, San
Diego Slate and Utah, all Western
Athletic Conference schools, received
in excess of $500,000 from sludeni
contributions and student ticket sales.
Admission to athletic events are free
at those universities by way of an activity fee or are included in the cost
of tuition.
"We're last in the WAC when it
comes to contributions from students," Johnson said.
Money generated by student ticket
sales amounted to $201,527 in 1993-
94 and $188,815 ycar-to-date.
The university has an
instractionally-related activities fee.
which Snyder said the university has
a "moral obligation" to contribute $5
of that fund for athletics. That obligation has all but vanished, he said.
"In the first few years of the fund,
the committee honored that obligation. In the last three years, they have
voted for nothing for the athletic department. Somehow, they are going
to have to augment that fund, but the
monies will no longer come from the
IRA funds as far as I understand," he
said.
Problem #3
Perception of program
For years, Fresno State's athletic
program has enjoyed a successful relationship with the campus community. The Bulldog Foundation, thc
fundraising arm of the athletic department, has been the nation's top fundraiser for the last 10 years. Snyder
estimated that 60-70 percent of Ihe
foundation's membership arc people
who never attended Fresno State.
The success of the foundation and
the support of the athletic community
by people who aren't associated with
Fresno State has led many university
staff members to question the athletic
department's commitment lo students
and the people on campus.
Jim Prince. CSUF's acting director
of housing, said he's concerned about
keeping students interested in campus activities — including athletic
events. However, that's not the ath-
"The perception is that we're not
part of the campus, Fresno is. When
you really get down to it. it is a business," he said.
'Somewhere along the line, a marketing approach has to be handled
where this becomes the students' program, not the boosters' program. No
one ever tries to say, 'This is the students' program.'"
"I think what the athletic department
needs to do is actually come in and
hire a marketing company and find
out what the students want from an
athletic program." Prince said.
Snyder said that since students have
so many other concerns that don't include athletics, they have forgotten
thc importance of Fresno State sports.
"I really don't think that il is the
university, ihe community, or the athletic department's fault. I think it is
ihe students' fault."
Pat Ogle, executive director of the
Bulldog foundation, agreed.
Current students aren't the only ones
who feel they've been given the shaft
by the athletic department and thc athletic community.
Linda Van Kirk, executive director
of the Alumni Association, said the
athletic department needs to be receptive lo the wishes of former students
as well.
"Athletics is a very important part
of university life. Without them, the
alumni association and academics
would not nearly be as good as we
are today," she said.
"We need athletics. Wc would like
to think they need us too, but this athletic program gets a lot of its' support from non-alumni members," she
said.
Van Kirk said the alumni association and its 1.500 members rely on
the campus for part of its support,
unlike the Bulldog Foundation, which
shc called "totally independent from
the university. We're co-depcndeni."
Shc said the university needs to give
something back to the alumni to make
the program worthwhile — like tick-
els at reduced prices.
""The university gives us discounts
lo lecture scries and academic events.
It would be nice if they could do the
same for athletics."
Van Kirk has talked lo Snyder in the
past about getting tickets at a reduced
price, and little progress has been
made.
Snyder said thc Bulldog Foundation
has become the major player in
fundraising for the athletics depart-
"The Bulldog Foundation has
usurped the Alumni Association as far
as I can tell. I would say that a majority of the Bulldog Foundation are
non-alumni members, and I'm not
sure if that's good or bad.
"When the alumni comes in and
says, 'We want something to give our
members,' we don't have much," he
See PARTICIPATION, page 10
Basketball vs. football season ticket sales
In the April 49 Fresno Bee, Pat
Ogle said that Bulldog Foundation fundraising has reached 64
percent of the $4.5 million goal
in the first week of a five- week
drive. There were 1,284 new
basketball tickets requested.
Basketball    K
• 1990-91 446 tickets
• 1991-92 399 tickets
• 1992-93 266 tickets
• 1993-94 224 tickets
• 1994-95 261 tickets
Football
%
% 1990 3,044 tickets
%1991 2,443 tickets
%1992 1,236 tickets
%1993 1,899 tickets
%19941,570 tickets
•