Duck fans will soon have another varsity sport to cheer for.
With increased revenue from the expansion to Autzen Stadium and a desire to provide a more gender-equal opportunity for future Oregon athletes, the Athletic Department will likely add another women’s sport to its repertoire by 2004.
“We are looking at a variety of sports, and obviously putting together information on facilities, budgets and start-up costs, and trying to make the best decision for the University,” said Renee Baumgartner, senior associate athletic director.
Baumgartner, who said that the timetable may change, listed six
potential sports as being in the running for the open slot, including crew, field hockey, gymnastics, lacrosse, swimming and water polo. She also mentioned equestrian as another potential option.
When the University added soccer as a women’s sport in 1996, the Athletic Department noticed the general growth of the interest of women’s soccer in the state and in Eugene and “felt like that was an interest that we should meet,” Baumgartner said.
The decision for the next sport will be made by a similar process — by weighing the interest of the region and the economic interests of the University. The Athletic Department has sent out surveys to students and community residents regarding their preferences of what should be the next women’s sport at Oregon, and the results have varied.
Presently, crew and lacrosse are women’s Club Sports teams at Oregon, and as a result, they could make the transition to a varsity sport easier than what it would take for swimming or water polo — which would require building an entirely new facility.
Crew coordinator Erin Koenig said that turning the open weight women’s crew team into a varsity sport “would be a great opportunity.”
“To make us varsity would allow us to be competitive with schools like Washington and Cal,” she said.
During the Pacific Coast Rowing Championships on May 18, Koenig and her three fellow rowers in Oregon’s top women’s open weight boat defeated the strong Stanford boat.
There may be potential complications that arise if crew is adopted as a varsity sport. Only the open weight women would achieve varsity status, leaving the men high and dry, which could cause controversy with funding and boathouse space.
Despite the unforeseen potential problems, the Athletic Department is looking forward to its new addition.
“I think that we are making really good progress and are excited about the opportunity to add another women’s sport,” Baumgartner said.