Boston College Announced Plans on Thursday for a new 240,000 square-foot recreational center, athletics playing fields, and an athletics field house, that are expected to cost in the range of $200-million. Included among the facility plans are a new pool, but the team’s current captains note one glaring absence from that facility: the lack of a 3-meter diving board, which is a fundamental part of Division I college diving.
Below, the Team’s Captains have submitted an open letter to the Swimming & Diving Community, asking them to
Dear Swimming and Diving Community,
As graduating members of the Boston College Swimming and Diving team, we are incredibly proud as we reflect on the team’s substantial progress over our four years here. Our recent success, fueled by our remarkable energy and drive to compete, suggests that our program is on the rise.
While our program has had some setbacks, including the elimination of women’s scholarships in 2012, we have been able to adapt and overcome. For example, five of the school records held by scholarship swimmers have been reclaimed over the past two years. Equally impressive on the men’s side (a program that has never received scholarship funding), all but the 500-yard freestyle record have been broken during the past three years. Diving too has displayed impressive improvement. Notably, two divers this season earned invitations to NCAA Zone I Championships for the first time since scholarships were eliminated.
As we leave the program, we reflect on the team culture and emerging leadership. We are confident that the team is headed in a direction that will make BC proud. We are concerned, however, that the plans for the new pool introduce a setback that is more challenging to overcome.
Currently, the plans for the pool are as follows:
No 3M board (ceiling is 1.66 feet shy of height requirement)
*Pool is on ground floor of multi-story complex
No separate diving well
1M board on deeper end of 8-lane, 25-yard pool
4-Lane (25-yards) community teaching pool, kept at 86 degrees Fahrenheit
We are disappointed that the developers and decision makers within the university went this far without the input of coaches and other key stakeholders. They fail to foresee the impact of their decisions. As it stands, the team will face certain competitive disadvantages for the next 50+ years:
- Interest among talented divers will decrease significantly
- The diving team will be forced to train for 3M events at external facilities
- The diving team will be unable to contribute crucial points in 3M events at home meets
As we write this article, we are motivated by our confidence in the team’s significant potential, as well as by the devastation we feel after learning about the decisions that impede it. We are hopeful that with support from students, alumni, and members of the swimming and diving community, we can earn an opportunity to collaborate with facility developers to make the few changes necessary for success.
Please consider signing this petition, which details disapproval toward plans for the pool and additional aspects of the $200 million facility. We hope with enough support we can ensure an open discussion with the relevant parties. We also seek ideas that could help us get these decisions changed; if you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments below. We appreciate any and all support we get. Thank you.
Sincerely,
2015-2016 Team Captains
BC will lose out on many great swimmers and divers – that’s a fact.
maybe be grateful for the ability to compete at all instead of whining ? In all honesty, BC should cut a number of sports, and swim/dive should be at the top of the list. The athletic department is far too bloated and having to fund these uncompetitive, non-revenue sports is a big part of the overall issue at BC with the underinvestment in facilities for its revenue producing programs.
I agree with you, but the athletic department should be transparent about these changes. In this case, the school is moving from a facility with two 1m boards and a 3m board to a new facility with just a single 1m. BC does have a considerable amount of NCAA programs, one of the most in the country, and I can understand that some of these may need to be cut, however disappointing that may be. What is unfair to the program, student-athletes, and prospective talent, is to leave a program out to dry because of lack of a facility. If they’re going to cut the program, then cut it, don’t let it die.
If you want to keep the dialogue about dollars then measure the future ability of the non football/basketball student athlete in donating back to the school after graduation. The kids that participate in the “non-revenue” sports are the also the ones taking their education seriously and will have far greater impact on society than the 1 kid who gets drafted. These are the alumni that will give back to the school unless they felt they were treated unfairly so don’t screw them over. Good luck trying to get donations from the other 98 football players.
This – I just got a call from BC asking for a donation – I referenced the press release as the specific reason why I would not be donating.
People here don’t understand. But I will elaborate as a insider to the BC program. BC DOESNT CARE! They have zero interest in providing any quality or support to the aquatic programs and the only reason they keep them is title 9.
So for everyone out there saying I’m not going to send my divers there or what are they doing, they are doing exactly what they should be doing ….nothing. Stop acting like BC is dumb
As a high school diving coach, I can tell you that Boston will no longer be on my list of schools to recommend.
Rick, do you mean Boston College?
Thats good to hear Rick because it’s Boston College not Boston. At least have the competence to get the name of the school correct.
My suggestion is to follow the money. Its always about the money. In the case of college athletics we have tons of money coming in for TV contracts and the athletic departments are now bloating their budgets with administrators at high salaries and at the same time not adding any scholarships or additional sports to the college program. So go find some accounting students to analyze the waste thats probably going on and then go to the school newspaper with your findings or better yet go straight to the AD and “blackmail” him to get the proper facility you need.
This is a great point. The money coming in is directly because of Football and Basketball. They have provided the smaller sports with numerous opportunities to compete for decades, and BC has continued to ignore even them in the facilities arm race. You don’t see the football program coming out and asking for a petition because of a lack of an indoor football facility (Which every program in the country has had for 10+ years) do you ? They have to travel to Foxboro (currently) for use of such building. You don’t see the basketball program whining about being underfunded do you ?
The bottom line, BC’s athletic department is spread too far. Major cuts are necessary, and for… Read more »
This statement is simply incorrect, the football team does no such thing. They put a large heated bubble over the current field that mimics an indoor facility. Why this is an issue and needs to be changed in favor of spending $20 million is beyond me. Please check your facts before posting incorrect information. Basketball has a state of the art facility with separate practice and competition courts, I’m not sure what else they require.
A ‘world class’ University strives to create opportunity for all student athletes, not just those who wear cleats or skates or basketball sneakers. And don’t tell me BC football or basketball generates big revenue!
How in the world would a college athletic department O.K. plans for building a new college pool without a 3 meter board? Sounds like they are trying to either get rid of the teams or there is a grossly incompetent athletic director in place.
Anyone looking to for tips on how to kill a program, look no further!