Goodbye Alumni Fields...

[ugarte]

[quote Jerseygirl] such as a mosaic of a Big Red mermaid at the bottom of the swimming pool in the Jerseygirl Natatorium[/quote]
I predict that this will be a Huggie Bear with fins

[Jerseygirl]

Bish plz...the mermaid will be crafted in my image. With a red tail and big red "C"s on her shell bra. And surrounded by a shimmering aura of gold-flecked tiles.

[Jim Hyla]

[quote RichH]And don't accuse me of not supporting the wrestling team or failing to celebrate their successes.  Nothing I said was negative about the wrestling program itself.  I'll say it again: I'm excited about where that program is, and am thrilled that they represent my university so well.[/quote]

I didn't mean to imply that you were critical of the team, but rather that the general tone, on elf, when wrestling is discussed (other than when discussing a match) tends to be negative. I thought that might be a spill-over from the AD issue. And I didn't mean to point fingers at anyone in particular.

[mnagowski]

I don't think it is directly a Title IX issue. If the Field Hockey team needs AstroTurf to compete, and we want to field a Field Hockey team, then we will need AstroTuft to compete.

On the other hand, building the stadium on Alumni Fields, when the fields will obviously be used for academic purposes in the coming years, seems to be a tad short-sighted. See also the recent Hoy Field investments.

[upperdeck]

but even the long range planning admits that its likely 10-20 yrs before much of it happens. In addition they have large areas like B lot that could be converted to parking garage and buildings as well as the large scale building plans for the orchards and East hill.  A few 100K spent now when the area may not be used for 10 yrs isnt really an issue. and whats the plan for the baseball fields? since they are not costing the university anything and the gates building isnt going there it doesnt seem to be going anywhere too soon.

[billhoward]

See the July-August Cornell Alumni News for its cover story, Tomorrowland, about Cornell's 50-year master plan. It's breathtaking with the exception of there being no outdoor sports facilities on the core campus as we know it except for Schoellkopf. If you can live with Lower Alumni Field being taken for academic buildings (okay, that was the 1970s, I believe) and now Upper Alumni Field becoming Alumni Quad, it's breathtaking.

The plan talks about there being a Collegetown campus segment, but I think that's the area where Cornell ought to spend more effort. Over 50 years, Cornell could buy up all houses along the gorge and create academic buildings or residences or both.

Princeton is a far smaller place and still you have to admire how Princeton has woven athletic facilties tightly with the academic buildings.

Does Cornell have the audicity over the next 50 years to replace Schoellkopf with a field-only, no-track facility seating say 25,000 ... and put it under a dome?

[Josh '99]

[quote billhoward]Princeton is a far smaller place and still you have to admire how Princeton has woven athletic facilties tightly with the academic buildings.[/quote]Is it really, though?  Princeton's campus is (officially) 600 acres while Cornell's is 745, but they've got just 7,000 students while Cornell has almost 20,000 in Ithaca.  It's a lot easier to build your facilities closer together if those facilities only have to be sufficient for a third as many people.

[mnagowski]

Does Cornell have the money over the next 50 years to replace Schoellkopf with a field-only, no-track facility seating say 25,000 ... and put it under a dome?

Fixed your post.

That said, I vote no on the dome idea. The view from Schoellkopf of the valley, lake, and surrounding hillsides is pure bliss. Plus the Ithaca weather gives us a nice home field advantage.

and whats the plan for the baseball fields?

I believe the proposed plan is to lengthen Garden Road all the way to Hoy Road along the length of the parking garage. This will alleviate traffic congestion at the corner of Hoy and Campus Road, and allow the Engineering Quad to expand onto the baseball field when needed.

The men's baseball field will probably be put up by Oxley.

[Josh '99]

[quote mnagowski]Plus the Ithaca weather gives us a nice home field advantage.[/quote]Seriously.  Hearing the Syracuse lacrosse team bitch and whine about playing in the cold, wet, windy weather on slippery turf every other year is worth sitting outside for cold November football games.

[upperdeck]

the baseball complex is planned to be a mini stadium out at the east hill complex with all the other ath fields, no view from there but at least the balls dont fly into the buildings and cars.

[ithacat]

[quote upperdeck]the baseball complex is planned to be a mini stadium out at the east hill complex with all the other ath fields, no view from there but at least the balls dont fly into the buildings and cars.[/quote]

I'd love that to be true. I'd also love to see a project where the city and Cornell build a place nice enough to attract a minor league team (NYP level). Anyone want to buy the Batavia Muckdogs and move them to Ithaca?

[billhoward]

Fifteen year ago, Cornell Alumni Magazine (RIP 2021) did a cover story, Tomorrowland, on Cornell's master plan for the next fifty years. We're almost a third of the way to the end game.

Since Cornell plans to increase the student population as well as research facilities, which calls for more dorms and classrooms, the on-campus athletic facilities are endangered. Lower Alumni Field, across from Barton Hall/ILR Quad, went away circa 1975 for an academic building I still have to look up the name. Right, Comstock Hall. I never forgot that for most of Cornell's history it was Lower Alumni Field. Then the Upper Alumni Fields land grab: Weill Hall and the Biotechnology Building, leaving only 3 fields for team practice plus the Kane sports complex. And kicking intramural sports off main campus.

I was intrigued by ChimpFood's post on Cornell Baseball 2024 about the field's location and amenities:

I went to my first Cornell baseball game of the year today ...

As for the new field, I don't love it. The one thing that I do like is the vibe of literally being out in the middle of a field playing baseball. To start the negatives off, the place was no more than 15 percent full [Cornell says 500 seating--Ed] but the parking lot had no spots so I had to park at the soccer practice fields and walk about a quarter of a mile through a field of tall grass to get the the field. It wasn't too bad today but on a wetter day or in the late spring when it is overgrown that just won't be feasible. Oh, and you can't find the field on Apple Maps or google maps so you better just remember where it is. Saving the most obvious for last, it is just too far out of the way. It was nice seeing some older people and families out there but there were almost no students, presumably due to the location. I miss the central location of Hoy field and I have so many good memories of biking to the top of the parking garage and watching games from there. The new facilities and buildings out at Booth seem nice but I would have much preferred they stayed at Hoy.

I did find Booth Field on Google Maps, but it didn't show on all of the map overlays. As in the photo below. When I asked for directions, Google relented and popped up an icon for the field. I bet East Hill Plaza will be the overflow parking lot, 7/10 of a mile away.

Photo below: The former Hoy Field is in the upper left corner. Booth Field is due east of East-Hill Plaza (marked Walgreen) in lower right of photo, off Ellis Hollow Road (Route 110). The road running North-South on the right side is Game Farm Road.

[mike1960]

Seems crazy to have the baseball field that far away.

[billhoward]

Consider the possibility that all Cornell sports will be exiled – sorry, relocated – to a more distant location.  

There is certainly plenty of room at the McGovern Fields complex for more varsity sports. You can fit a soccer / lacrosse field plus sidelines in 2 acres, plus stands. There would certainly be more room for a 50-meter pool there than on campus. The tennis center and polo barns are already in the general vicinity, on Pine Tree Road.

Not to encourage Cornell but many of the Ivies have sports at some remove from campus. Dartmouth and Princeton would be the biggest exceptions.

The Yale Bowl complex and most Yale field sports, including the very nice Reese Stadium (3,000 seats) for lacrosse and soccer, are 2 miles west of the Yale academic campus. The intramural fields are also there, and there's a shuttle bus, Yale says.

Harvard Stadium, Bright Hockey Center and Jordan Field (lacrosse, soccer) are a half-mile walk from Harvard Yard.

I'm not sure how much the athletics side of things and the idea of a unified, contiguous campus (academics, research, athletics, intramurals/club sports, fitness, nature) was heard.

If Cornell planned to move more sports off-campus, the Meinig field house might not have been sited on Upper Alumni Field.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

You'd have to figure that if more sites are relocated to there, they'd probably add parking, too.