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St. Cloud State University
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Sports
Open rec available to students
By Kevin Macdonald
Published:
Monday, October 4, 2004
For students grumbling about having to help pay for a football stadium they think they'll never get to use, there is some good news.
Ron Seibring, head of Campus Recreation at SCSU, wants students to know that the new Husky Stadium is available to everyone for open recreation.
"There are a lot of different uses in (the stadium)," Seibring said. "This is a huge space. It is 85 yards by 125 yards, so there are a lot of different things people could do if they came down."
Some of the recreational sports that students can enjoy on the new OmniTurf are soccer, football, baseball and ultimate frisbee. The new stadium allows students to become involved in activities that they may not have been able to do in the limited space of the Halenbeck Hall Fieldhouse.
SCSU junior Mark Urban, who frequently uses the fieldhouse for open rec, believes opening up Husky Stadium to students is a good idea.
"I would definitely use it. In the winter there is a lot of basketball (in the fieldhouse)." Urban said. "This would let students play more sports like football or ultimate frisbee,"
Seibring said that the lights at the stadium are currently being left on until 10 p.m. for students when there aren't school athletics taking place. He also added that the field is usually open during the day. A definitive open rec timetable is still in the process of being completed.
"That's a part that I have to fix yet, having a consistent time that I know it's going to be open," Seibring said.
A schedule should be determined soon, but in the mean time, students can call Campus Recreation or look online to find out available times for open rec use.
Recreational opportunities are free for students with a valid student ID. Equipment can be checked out at the Campus Rec front desk in the fieldhouse. There will be supervisors at the gate of the stadium to check IDs and monitor activities on the field.
Restrictions on what students can play are determined by who all is on the field at the time.
"We don't want lacrosse balls being thrown around right in the middle of where someone is playing frisbee golf," Seibring said. "We want to make sure it's safe. I've seen people playing whiffle ball, flag football and kickball at other institutions though."
Sunflower seeds, popcorn and other food is prohibited on the field. Seibring said there were no restrictions on what types of shoes can be worn on the OmniTurf surface.
"It might be a little slow at first," Campus Rec employee Brad Hedin said. "But I'm sure a lot of people will want to go out and play football, at least while the football season is here."
Hedin said he believes that the fieldhouse will still attract more students for open rec than the stadium will.
"Mostly everyone comes down here to play basketball. The stadium will get more use from intramurals and people practicing."
The fieldhouse currently attracts students for its basketball, volleyball and tennis nets, as well as its track and racquetball courts. It will remain open for recreation.
Husky Stadium will stay accessible this winter under an inflatable dome. The dome will cover only the field, allowing the stadium to be used by SCSU teams, high schools, and open recreation.
"It's pretty cool that there's going to be a dome," third year SCSU student Stephanie Olson said. "It will probably get a lot more football use."
Many SCSU students are not aware of the aspects Husky Stadium has to offer.
"No one has come up (to the Campus Rec desk) and asked if they can go on the field yet," Hedin said.
At first, Urban and Olson had no idea that the stadium would be open for recreation or that a dome was going to be put over the field. That is why Seibring wants to get the word out to students of what the new facility has to offer.
"Students don't have to book a spot. Just show up and play," Seibring said.
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