Athletic Facilities for Sports and Games

Delivering high performance in games and sporting events rely on different aspects. Athletic skills, talents, abilities and attitude are primary reasons that enable an athlete perform superbly, and even allow him to exceed expectations (Earle, 2000). However, mere talent, hard work and determination are not enough to sustain level of competitiveness of athletes. In order for them to stand toe to toe with their counterparts and perform fairly, training and conditioning are important.

Training and conditioning programs are vital as they keep athletes on their tiptop shape and let them become fundamentally sounded and adept (Earle, 2000).

However, training programs could only be effective if necessary equipments and proper facilities are made available. Today, sports and games had already evolved. Sports had become much more scientific and advancement in technology have produced gadgets and equipments that are needed to strengthen athletes, increase speed and leaping ability and protect them from sustaining and aggravating injuries.

Athlete’s diets are also carefully and strictly employed, as they too are concerns that separate winning from defeats.

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Thus, for athletes, state of the art facilities that would cater there every need are big boost and obviously would be of great help for their improvement and delivering high performance (Sanderson, 1996). In the case of Maryland, they have rich sports tradition. It has been a host and a wonderful venue for NCAA championships a record 10 times (1972, ’79, ’89, ’93, ’94, ’95, ’96, ’97, ’99, and 2000) which is the most by any school (Durgin, 2003).

Their Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd stadium, which has been a home to football national championship, and lacrosse teams and ACC tracks and fields champions, held every existing lacrosse attendance records.

The University put prime importance to their athletes and for long time was recognized to have the best student activities and recreational center and athletics facility in the nation (Durgin, 2003).

It is only fitting then to know that the President’s University and Athletic Director is seeking for further improvement and expansion of Maryland’s Athletic Facilities not only to restore Maryland’s distinction as the owner of the best athletics and recreation facilities, but also the lost glory of their sports heritage. Right now Maryland is enjoying the comfort of the 17,950 seating capacity of the Comcast Center, which was finished in 2002 and has become a home for basketball fans and players alike.

The stadium also houses Maryland’s athletic administration offices, and attached to it is the University’s Academic Support Center that provides a conducive atmosphere for learning for the school’s athletes. In addition, a 1500 seating capacity gymnasium serves as Maryland Terrapins home for volleyball games. The gym is also used for wrestling matches and gymnastic events. Inside these stadiums are multi-purpose halls often used for press conference and shops and stores that serve food, beverages and souvenir items that allow fans to display their pride as part of the Terrapins.

The possibility of expanding the now existing facilities in order to help the team and increase revenues would no doubt be beneficial. Aside from obtaining the necessary training facilities such as gym equipments and computer chips in training jerseys and arm bands that register temperature and calories being burned while in exercise which allow trainers to track athlete’s performance that enhance athletes’ skills and the technical aspects of the games, home court advantage would be prominent as more home fans would be accommodated as more seats are made available to them.

Hometown crowd is considered as the “x-factor” that propels teams to victory. Cheering fans provide the needed energy and boost to teams. With the needed support, proper training and coaching techniques, winning games can come in handy, and gates attendance will soar and records’ being broken with every game, as wins starts to pile up and the team dears for a championship drive and seek a date with destiny. Expansion can increase revenues and team’s performance (Noll, 1997).

This is evident from 2002 in the inaugural opening of the Comcast Center as attendance records of fans who watched the games average a record of 17,950 fans, which was ranked as the fifth highest in the nation. The season was marked with the team’s amazing run in January which included an upset over the no. 1 ranked Duke University and a rout of no. 10 Wake Forest. Although building new facilities and acquiring new materials and equipment may prove to be expensive as god effects have often been exaggerated (Ozanian, 1997), the move may be considered as investment as returns would soon be flowing.

Furthermore, the school can always turn to their alumni association to seek for assistance. Also, new facilities built can also be used for other purposes and would never be useless as they would become the school’s legacy.

References

1. Durgin, T. (2003). What you may not know about Maryland's colleges and universities. The Baltimore Sun.
2. Earle, R. W. (2000). Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. Champaign, IL. Human Kinetics.
3. Noll R. (1997). Are New Stadiums Worth the Cost? Brookings Review.
4. Ozanian, M. K. (1997). Field of Debt. Forbes Magazine.
5. Sanderson, A. (1996). Field of Fantasies. Intellectual Ammunition.