How do you build a winner?

[ZachTheZip]

Here is a very good article discussing what it takes to be successful in smaller sports where the balance of power is very one-sided.

The two most common trends among the dominant programs in small sports are funding and facilities. Notice how we won the Men's Soccer championship just as those two things were brought up to the level of the top programs. The same can be done with our other sports. Women's Soccer is set to benefit in a big way thanks to the facilities upgrades and a boost in funding brought in from the Men's side. They are the closest to breaking through. Baseball is the farthest away, but took a big step with the new coach and could take another giant one when the stadium gets built as a part of the "athletic pavilion" being built between the Baseball, Soccer, Softball, and Track fields.

You have to spend the same as the dominant programs to win in any sport. However, some sports don't really cost that much to be at the top. If you can creat a self-sustaining program in two or three "small sports", it takes the pressure off of football and basketball, and allows them to be better funded.

Read the article, it can be done with all our sports with very little strain on our athletic budget.

[Dave in Green]

Good story, Zach. The point about "maximizing resources" fits right in with the recent announcement of UA winning the Excellence in Management Cup. That award was also based on "maximizing fiscal resources." That's a great accomplishment for a university, especially during tough financial times. This will serve UA well in the future.

[ZachTheZip]

Winning the EMC means we're on the right track. It means we're doing the little things the right way, making small improvements to facilities or institutional support that pay off in big ways.