Summer News

So I had this big plan of previewing all the different Trinity teams each week, leading up to September 1 when teams open up for the fall season.  With some of the things that have happened in the last couple of days, though, that plan is put on hold.  Maybe next week...



First, some sad news about a departing member of the Trinity Athletics family.  Ryan Takao, who has been at Trinity as a student or coach for the past 19 years, has resigned as the Tiger women’s tennis coach.  He recently finished his third year as the head coach, following 12 seasons as the assistant to Butch Newman – long time coach and a member of Trinity’s Athletics Hall of Fame.  Ryan has meant a lot to Trinity tennis and Tiger athletics, and everyone here wishes him many successes and happiness in the future.  I knew him as one of the nicest guys you could ever meet, and I hope he stays in touch.

Some big news came out of Atlanta on Tuesday: Seven members of the SCAC have decided to leave the conference and combine to form their own league.  Remaining in the SCAC will be Austin College, Colorado College, University of Dallas, Southwestern University, and Trinity University.   Reasons given for the seven schools to depart include travel costs/financial concerns, and missed class time/student-athlete experience.  According to the study mentioned in the release above, though, it seems that student-athletes in the SCAC were “highly satisfied” with the environment in the conference – including the impact of travel and competition on academics.  So if the student-athletes are happy, does it all boil down to money?  Is that what we've come to?  I hope not, but then again, if it’s not money, then I hate to think what else it could be.  Only those schools know for sure all the reasons that went into the decision…maybe it was just time for a change.  People have long thought that the SCAC was an odd mixture being so spread out, but it has worked for a long time.  The Hendrix President (Dr. J. Timothy Cloyd) discussed the split in the Log Cabin Democrat, published Wednesday.  An interesting take, to say the least, but I'm sure the five schools remaining in the SCAC would disagree with his assessment of their academic standards.

The question is, what will the remaining five schools do now?  They are about to enter a period of uncertainty regarding the future of the SCAC, but rest assured that the league is in good hands.  The five schools are committed to making a better conference, and they are also committed to making the current Commissioner of the SCAC into the future Commissioner.  Dwayne Hanberry has agreed to remain with the SCAC, and will lead the conference’s efforts to increasing membership in the coming months.  The Gazette also published a story about the future of the SCAC, from the perspective of Colorado College.

The future of some sports is particularly cloudy, and being in Texas, football is one that comes to mind quickly.  The SCAC is left with just two schools playing football (Austin, Trinity), so immediate help is needed in that area.  You’re also left with a significant void in sports that only compete in conference at the end of the year (cross country, golf, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field).  I know that the leadership at each of the five schools, and the SCAC Office is exploring its options, and they will do what's best for everyone.

A lot of people probably think that the SCAC is doomed, and therefore, so are the schools that choose to remain on the "sinking ship."  I happen to to think that the SCAC will not only survive, but thrive.