| Greg Christopher's Responses |
|
:: May 14, 2008 :: :: March 28, 2008 :: :: March 10, 2008 :: :: February 25, 2008 :: :: February 18, 2008 :: :: February 1, 2008 :: :: January 23, 2008 :: :: January 16, 2008 :: :: December 17, 2007 :: :: November 26, 2007 :: :: November 20, 2007 :: :: November 13, 2007 :: :: November 6, 2007 :: :: October 30, 2007 :: :: October 23, 2007 :: :: October 16, 2007 :: :: October 2, 2007 :: :: September 25, 2007 :: :: September 18, 2007 :: :: September 11, 2007 :: :: September 4, 2007 :: :: August 29, 2007 :: :: August 22, 2007 :: :: August 15, 2007 :: :: August 8, 2007 :: :: August 1, 2007 :: :: July 25, 2007 :: :: July 11, 2007 :: :: June 27, 2007 :: :: June 20, 2007 :: :: June 13, 2007 :: :: June 6, 2007 :: :: May 30, 2007 :: :: May 23, 2007 :: :: May 16, 2007 :: |
May 16, 2007
As a starting point, we appreciate the interest and questions received in the last week. No question is off limits, although I will try to select questions that have the broadest interest and thus may not be able to answer every submission. From a process standpoint, we will work to update new questions and answers every Wednesday. While it may vary over time, I will try to answer one to three questions weekly. As always, thanks for your support of BGSU's student-athletes!
Why did you decide on an artificial surface for the football field instead of staying with natural grass?
John
North Royalton, Ohio
Our process with the Perry Stadium field started almost immediately after the Miami game. Something was clearly broken and needed to be fixed. After digging down on the field in a few places, our thoughts were confirmed - the problem wasn't with the grass, but rather with the stadium's drainage system. The current drainage system was installed 40 years ago when the stadium was built and was meant to last 20 years, which it probably did. Unfortunately, over time, tiles eroded and deteriorated.
The reality was that the drainage system needed to be replaced. The second part of the discussion related to the surface - grass vs. synthetic.
In order to have that conversation, Jim Elsasser led a team that looked at all options. Those around the table included staff from football, sports medicine, facilities and others. We talked to other schools and professional teams that had been through the process, their medical and coaching staffs, and crunched numbers as well.
At the end of the day, synthetic made the most sense for BGSU because of the following:
Once the decision to go synthetic was made, we focused on the best product. FieldTurf stood out among the various competitors as the best option. FieldTurf has dozens of installations in the United States and more across the world. It's the market leader and stands out as the best competitive product.
The final piece is paying for the field. We will essentially take out a loan from the university to pay for the overall project that will cost about $1 million - thus the "Defend Our Turf" fundraising effort to help raise the necessary funds for the new field. Van and Tracey Wright have stepped forward with tremendous leadership and are helping start the campaign, and we hope others will follow.
What are your impressions of the Bowling Green athletic department after your first year on the job? What have been your biggest challenges and successes?
Erik
Toledo, Ohio
After 10 months on the job, my impressions continue to be positive. BGSU has a hard-working staff that cares about the university and its student-athletes. We have challenges, like any MAC school, when it comes to overall funding. Looking ahead, we must find a way to increase resources in order to be successful. BGSU has the lowest set of sport operating budgets in the MAC - and as a whole, it shows up in the broader Reese and Jacoby standings. Everybody has a hand in addressing this issue. The university is committed to looking at new funding models within the constraints of many priorities across campus. But we need to help ourselves as well - thus an increased emphasis on external revenue streams, like marketing and development. The Falcon Club is the life blood of BGSU Athletics and our benchmarking indicates the Falcon Club needs to be around 3,000 members instead of its current 1,500. To those already members, thank you! To other BGSU fans, we need your support, regardless of the level. If you care about supporting a first-rate athletic department and believe in what athletic success can do for an institution - along with investing in a terrific group of young women and men - we hope you'll consider the Falcon Club.
Have there been any immediate benefits for the program with the women's basketball team competing in the Sweet 16?
Dawn
Pemberville, Ohio
Curt Miller and the women's team had an amazing run in March. Their success was unprecedented at BGSU or in the MAC. Here are a couple of business-related thoughts re: their success:
The bottom line is that dollars get pushed aside when you consider how valuable the Sweet 16 experience was for our student-athletes and BGSU.
