[Baldspot]

I hate it when someone's telling a joke and I miss the punchline. Sorry, must be my age. When someone states the reason why lacrosse hasn't made it in the US is because of the cost of cleats and sticks there must have been something I missed.

Its important to keep the big picture in mind. LU is taking natural resources they already own and using it to attract people and dollars to the mountain. Activities such as skiing, cross country hiking and equestrian activities are all coming and will be utilized by alumni and church members alike. Whether the students utilitze the actiites is probably a small consideration. Picture a large group of donors sending their kids off to ride horses while Jery Jr host their dinner and you get the picture.

On another note, I've shoveled a lot of feed into horses's trays and walked a few out to the pastures. Guess I never realized I was performing such a highly paid job.

[flamesbball84]

you were not performing the high cost type of job that is required when running a good stable - thats the kind of work you pay some low wage college student or volunteer to do. Taking care of a horse for extended periods of time requires a lot more than just putting food in a tray and walking it, if that was all that was required, I would invest $20k in one and turn into a racing horse...

[bigsmooth]

i agree with SJ...womens golf should be next. then i would go with lacrosse or field hockey

[Rocketfan]

I also think the "student interest poll" is pretty silly as well. If we have no women golfers on campus who is going to vote for the addition of womens golf. Since most of these additions have a very limited fan base, why are we asking kids what they would like to see when we know they aren't actually going to go watch it? As a PR move this is fine, add maybe one of there suggestions but no adding womens golf seems just odd.

[Baldspot]

you were not performing the high cost type of job that is required when running a good stable - thats the kind of work you pay some low wage college student or volunteer to do. Taking care of a horse for extended periods of time requires a lot more than just putting food in a tray and walking it, if that was all that was required, I would invest $20k in one and turn into a racing horse...

Your just being silly I guess, commenting on how well another runs their business without knowing which stable you were talking about. I'm excited about LU's future plans and understand there will be detractors along the way, always has been.

At the risk of boring the rest I'll leave you with the following thought, a good stable manager makes only a percentage of what a bad D1 football coach makes and the stable hands are compensated on par with a graduate assistant. I think the university can absorb those expenses and even use the program as a marketing tool for the community at large far better than some of the other potential sports listed on this thread.

[flamesbball84]

Firstly, The full-time qualified stable hands at a GOOD stable make MORE than a graduate assistant. Dont act like you know more about this, at the college I worked at we did thorough research on the EQ program, and we were using a high quality stable, not your run of the mill stable. Knowing LU and based on their recent facility construction and renovation, I am pretty sure they will not want to operate a run of the mill stable if they purchase or build their own. At the college I worked at, some of the girls on the EQ team would work at the stable temporarily over the summer, and they were making between $10-15 an hour, depending on their experience, so needless to say permanent full-time workers were making much more than that. Now I dont know how much graduate assistant are compensated at LU, but I think I can say pretty confidently they arent getting paid between $20-30 an hour...

Secondly, true a stable hand will get paid less than a bad D1 coach, but the cost of the stable hand is nothing compared to the overall operating cost of an EQ program.

In my opinion, and I dont know what the decision making process was like when they decided to add EQ and remember I am opposed to the addition of EQ to begin with, but I consider it to be a poor decision to choose equestrian over field hockey (FH) and/or womens golf (WG). All three sports will end up losing money, just like nearly every other D1 sport no matter what the school is, but at least with field hockey and womens golf you wont be losing out on a CRAP load of money like you will with EQ. Also, FH and WG players tend to come from wealthy families, like EQ, and you can have significantly larger roster sizes with FH and WG. Know what that means? That means there will be a larger pool of wealthy parents to donate and a larger pool of wealthy alumni to donate.

With FH you can at least draw a decent crowd and charge for admission (and I am 100% confident that the students will much rather watch an FH team than an EQ team). From my research at my previous workplace, we could not find another college who actually charged admission for their own EQ events because, according to the colleges asked, they did not think enough fans - other than parents and students - came to the events to warrant charging for admission.

Also, you will be much more likely to bring in a larger number of summer campers if LU were to host FH camps. If LU were to hire the right coach, make a strong commitment to the program, and properly market the camps, then their summer FH camps could be a gold mine. These summer FH camps are huge in terms of numbers of campers, especially if they are of high quality because there arent a plethora of high quality camps or just FH camps in general.


If they REALLY wanted a marketing tool, they would add womens golf and build their own golf course.

[Baldspot]

I think your long posts are putting people to sleep again.

Let's hope they do add field hockey but let's not be naive to forgot that all ages can partake in horseback riding activities including old hag alumni, donors, parents of prospective students, TRBC activities, etc. The stables my family is associated with makes a lot their money off two local colleges whoses students pay to go on weekend rides in the mountains. LU has already announced they are building trails and can we think of some "Libery Couples" that might like a date in the mountains on horses? I believe the concept fits in perfectly with other ministry objectives and the money is minimal in the big scheme.

[flamesbball84]

oh well, I'm done making my case for why EQ is NOT a better addition that FH or WG!

Here is a question to ponder: instead of adding an actual EQ team, why not just add the horse facilities and turn it into a full-time horeback riding operation and other horse activities (which would be more profitable than having an EQ team, by the way) and then just add FH or WG as a sport as opposed to EQ? This way, you get the potential benefits of equestrian AND you get the vastly superior sport of FH!

I personally like that better, but i would REALLY prefer they add a golf team and build their own golf course and use the money made off of the golf course to add an FH team!

[Sly Fox]

I have the distinct feeling that equestrian being added has something to do with a major designated gift (anyone remember a surprise rink?).

Frankly field hockey doesn't exist in most of America so it has little appeal beyond East Coast. But I get that it means something to in the region.

[flamesbball84]

well lacrosse is still mostly an east coast sport, despite the recent surge in growth...

[Rocketfan]

I think your long posts are putting people to sleep again.

Let's hope they do add field hockey but let's not be naive to forgot that all ages can partake in horseback riding activities including old hag alumni, donors, parents of prospective students, TRBC activities, etc. The stables my family is associated with makes a lot their money off two local colleges whoses students pay to go on weekend rides in the mountains. LU has already announced they are building trails and can we think of some "Libery Couples" that might like a date in the mountains on horses? I believe the concept fits in perfectly with other ministry objectives and the money is minimal in the big scheme.

Im sorry but im not paying money to go for a ride up on the moutain and i don't think college kids will be flocking to do this either. I think you overall view of this market is way off.

[Baldspot]

oh well, I'm done making my case for why EQ is NOT a better addition that FH or WG!

Here is a question to ponder: instead of adding an actual EQ team, why not just add the horse facilities and turn it into a full-time horeback riding operation and other horse activities (which would be more profitable than having an EQ team, by the way) and then just add FH or WG as a sport as opposed to EQ? This way, you get the potential benefits of equestrian AND you get the vastly superior sport of FH!

I personally like that better, but i would REALLY prefer they add a golf team and build their own golf course and use the money made off of the golf course to add an FH team!

I agree with you totally on the EQ issue. One of my earlier posts indicated I believe the students would be a minor consideration in this.

[MacGeek]

EQ is [Edit: Come on, guys. - Sly].

[matshark]

i happen to know the guy who owns the horse farm on candlers mtn. and YES, i do believe it's for sale. long complicated story, but to make it brief, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if he old the farm to LU.

secondly, camp hydaway lake is going to be extended. basically they've bought up all the land east of the lake (towards the valley at the end of the dam). The plan is apparently to expand the size of he lake by a CONSIDERABLE amount. Which, if you've ever been up there and seen the lay of the land, any expansion of that lake will involve a considerable amount of new surface area. the new dam will have to be HUGE to contain all the water as well as span the necessary length from one ridge to the next.

from what i've been told they are also looking at making it a part of their resort (the gravity park etc...) and that with the proposed new size of the lake, you can run anything in there (jet ski's, ski boats, etc...). so don't be surprised if it happens.

and in case anyone wonders where i get my information or how correct it is, i knew back in dec. 2002 that LU would be getting the ericsson building.

[Baldspot]

I think your long posts are putting people to sleep again.

Let's hope they do add field hockey but let's not be naive to forgot that all ages can partake in horseback riding activities including old hag alumni, donors, parents of prospective students, TRBC activities, etc. The stables my family is associated with makes a lot their money off two local colleges whoses students pay to go on weekend rides in the mountains. LU has already announced they are building trails and can we think of some "Libery Couples" that might like a date in the mountains on horses? I believe the concept fits in perfectly with other ministry objectives and the money is minimal in the big scheme.

Im sorry but im not paying money to go for a ride up on the moutain and i don't think college kids will be flocking to do this either. I think you overall view of this market is way off.

This "market" being the Blue Ridge Corridor, Amhest, Bedford and Campbell counties. Towns like Big Island, Brookneal and Lynch Station. John Boy Walton territory. Its not exactly Times Square or has it changed that much since my time?

[alabama24]

This isn't really the right place for commenting on Liberty Ridge / Village but there were a couple of posts in here about it...

I live in Liberty Ridge - it is up and running. sort of - it IS married housing - Liberty DOES own it - it is being managed by a realtor. I heard in July that there was a possibility for faculty housing up there.

[LUconn]

do you guys and the retirees in the back get along? I'd imagine they would be very bitter about the ordeal.

[Sly Fox]

Consider me interested in this faculty development for Liberty Ridge. No, I'm not joining the staff but there is a strong chance one of my relatives may be very soon and this might be a viable option.

[jcmanson]

Too many "viable"'s being thrown around this morning!

[El Scorcho]

I'd imagine they would be very bitter about the ordeal.

I think they were actually pretty pleased when LU bought the place. That actually got them connected to Lynchburg water/sewer.

[Sly Fox]

Another follow-up in the fishwrap:

LU, City Keep an Open Line of Communication

Lynchburg News & Advance
January 10, 2008

With the anticipation of growing by 1,000 students a year for at least the next five years, it only makes sense that Liberty University officials would work to keep the city aware of its building plans and needs. That’s part of good planning that benefits both Liberty and Lynchburg.

It hasn’t always been that way for Liberty, which as recently as five years ago balked when the city suggested that the school come up with a master plan for growth for the next five years and beyond. That was when the school’s last conditional use permit agreement that covered new buildings, athletic fields and dormitories was issued by the city.

Click Here for Full Story

[matshark]

Id like to point out that Justin Faulconer (the author) was an LU grad in 2005.