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Practice Facility Update

The Pitt Field campaign was a flop and I truly hope the athletic department steps up and does the right thing. They had an opportunity to make it a great facility years ago when Spider baseball had some tremendous teams, but the focus was on basketball to the A10 and the football stadium. Not saying those weren't the right priorities, but it was a missed opportunity.

It's embarrassing that we have the worst D1 facility in the state of Virginia. We also have a coach who is incapable of fundraising and an alumni base that is frustrated with his lack of communication.
 
I think you are right about the next two athletic investments. #1 Pitt Field and probably #2 the Robins Center upgrades to the West and South Entrance and the inside areas of these entrances and likely to extend to all of the ambulatory/concessions areas.

Though, I'm not sure they are quite done with Crenshaw field yet. I think they want to replace the stone seating with Richmond Red brick and improve the fencing to align everything with the Robins Stadium aesthetic.

The remaining Pitt field investment is not that extensive. They need to knock down the Press Box / Concessions building and current bleachers and build a new structure that includes all of those plus permanent bathrooms. They also say new indoor batting cages, outfield seating, and a new right field entrance that mirrors Robins Stadium. So a moderate investment but nothing as extensive as the Queally Athletic Center.

I was told the Robins Center updates are still on the table, just not sure if the timing shifts with the addition of the Queally Athletic Center. I would expect some new renovations to former space inside the Robins Center occupied by the Basketball teams. I assume they will repurpose some of that space for other sports. Again small investments into those areas.

After the assumed Elevate Campaign improvements are complete, I would like to see them invest in the Tennis facility and the practice field areas. These are probably more long term, but possible.

For the Tennis Facility, they have made space for the back 4 courts to be temporarily enclosed. I would like to see them make that a permanent enclosure. Build a building around those 4 courts and include space for team and visiting locker rooms, restrooms, team meeting room, coaches offices and viewing areas that can not only see the 4 indoor courts but also the outdoor courts. This would be a moderate investment but one that has become necessary to complete in D1 tennis these days. It would also open up space in North Court currently occupied by the Tennis team to be repurposed for other non-athletic needs.

Last investment I think is in the Practice fields. I'm torn on if they should invest more in Robins Stadium with something like lighter version of W&M's Jimmye Laycock Football Center. It could be used by Football and both Lacrosse teams. It could be an addition on to the current game day locker room building inside the stadium that could contain things like meeting rooms, coaches offices, team and coaches lockers, an athletic training room, equipment storage areas, and administrative and academic support areas. But they already made so many improvements to those things inside the Robins Center that I just don't see this happening.

Instead, I would like the AD to consider improvement to the practice fields with the addition of a new indoor facility that runs next to the current women's soccer stadium. That could double not only as an indoor facility for all field based athletic teams (football, lax, field hockey, soccer) but also enhance the soccer field to more of a stadium and have soccer team facilities. There is already a plan to improve the lower practice fields and turn them so they run in the same direction as the Presidents fields (soccer, lax turf practice field).

I'm still interested in looking at re-aligning the baseball field to face toward the lake. I don't know the sun implications, and I'm sure there are some, but I did this exercise a few years ago and looked at an overhead shot of the current field, then flipped it and overlaid it on the same site, and I think it fits much better. You'd have room to enter the stands right from the parking lot, more room for seating and amenities in general, etc. It's just difficult right now to do much with the seating because it's backed up against a cliff with no room.
 
I think you are right about the next two athletic investments. #1 Pitt Field and probably #2 the Robins Center upgrades to the West and South Entrance and the inside areas of these entrances and likely to extend to all of the ambulatory/concessions areas.

Though, I'm not sure they are quite done with Crenshaw field yet. I think they want to replace the stone seating with Richmond Red brick and improve the fencing to align everything with the Robins Stadium aesthetic.

The remaining Pitt field investment is not that extensive. They need to knock down the Press Box / Concessions building and current bleachers and build a new structure that includes all of those plus permanent bathrooms. They also say new indoor batting cages, outfield seating, and a new right field entrance that mirrors Robins Stadium. So a moderate investment but nothing as extensive as the Queally Athletic Center.

I was told the Robins Center updates are still on the table, just not sure if the timing shifts with the addition of the Queally Athletic Center. I would expect some new renovations to former space inside the Robins Center occupied by the Basketball teams. I assume they will repurpose some of that space for other sports. Again small investments into those areas.

After the assumed Elevate Campaign improvements are complete, I would like to see them invest in the Tennis facility and the practice field areas. These are probably more long term, but possible.

For the Tennis Facility, they have made space for the back 4 courts to be temporarily enclosed. I would like to see them make that a permanent enclosure. Build a building around those 4 courts and include space for team and visiting locker rooms, restrooms, team meeting room, coaches offices and viewing areas that can not only see the 4 indoor courts but also the outdoor courts. This would be a moderate investment but one that has become necessary to complete in D1 tennis these days. It would also open up space in North Court currently occupied by the Tennis team to be repurposed for other non-athletic needs.

Last investment I think is in the Practice fields. I'm torn on if they should invest more in Robins Stadium with something like lighter version of W&M's Jimmye Laycock Football Center. It could be used by Football and both Lacrosse teams. It could be an addition on to the current game day locker room building inside the stadium that could contain things like meeting rooms, coaches offices, team and coaches lockers, an athletic training room, equipment storage areas, and administrative and academic support areas. But they already made so many improvements to those things inside the Robins Center that I just don't see this happening.

Instead, I would like the AD to consider improvement to the practice fields with the addition of a new indoor facility that runs next to the current women's soccer stadium. That could double not only as an indoor facility for all field based athletic teams (football, lax, field hockey, soccer) but also enhance the soccer field to more of a stadium and have soccer team facilities. There is already a plan to improve the lower practice fields and turn them so they run in the same direction as the Presidents fields (soccer, lax turf practice field).
Any talk about putting in a second video board at Robins Stadium, at the opposite end of the field?
 
I'm still interested in looking at re-aligning the baseball field to face toward the lake. I don't know the sun implications, and I'm sure there are some, but I did this exercise a few years ago and looked at an overhead shot of the current field, then flipped it and overlaid it on the same site, and I think it fits much better. You'd have room to enter the stands right from the parking lot, more room for seating and amenities in general, etc. It's just difficult right now to do much with the seating because it's backed up against a cliff with no room.


Investments into athletic facilities are finished for the forseeable future, not just at Richmond but other schools as well. If the shovel isn't into the ground already schools, can't start due to current financial , etc. conditions.
 
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The Pitt Field campaign was a flop and I truly hope the athletic department steps up and does the right thing. They had an opportunity to make it a great facility years ago when Spider baseball had some tremendous teams, but the focus was on basketball to the A10 and the football stadium. Not saying those weren't the right priorities, but it was a missed opportunity.

It's embarrassing that we have the worst D1 facility in the state of Virginia. We also have a coach who is incapable of fundraising and an alumni base that is frustrated with his lack of communication.
Heard from a couple of former players that baseball alumni were generally frustrated by the responses from Gill and now Hardt which was if you don't have Queally type mega bucks to bring to table don't bother us.
 
I'm one of them. Gave a lot of money for the project and don't hear a peep from anyone in the AD about the progress, if any, about the campaign.
 
Any talk about putting in a second video board at Robins Stadium, at the opposite end of the field?

august,2043 would be a good timeframe.Chemists would need to come up with a material that doesn’t block the view of Robins Hall,Queally Athletic Center and the redone Millhiser gym from a stadium viewpoint.Also,its placement would be symmetrically and oppositely placed to the North End Zone Location.That allowable spacing from the southern end zone DOESN’T EXIST.

in other words,it ain’t gonna happen.It is neither aesthetically pleasing nor practical.
 
august,2043 would be a good timeframe.Chemists would need to come up with a material that doesn’t block the view of Robins Hall,Queally Athletic Center and the redone Millhiser gym from a stadium viewpoint.Also,its placement would be symmetrically and oppositely placed to the North End Zone Location.That allowable spacing from the southern end zone DOESN’T EXIST.

in other words,it ain’t gonna happen.It is neither aesthetically pleasing nor practical.
Well, obviously you haven’t a clue.
 
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