At City College, many students have no idea that the school has a robust athletics program. This is at least partly because the majority of the teams (men's and women's basketball and volleyball excluded) don't have a conveniently located home field on which to practice or compete. So when a rumor floated around the City College athletic department that athletes would soon have a home and practice field of their own -- one within walking distance of the campus and Riverbank State Park off the West Side Highway -- many were thrilled.
Unfortunately, that's all it turned out to be: a rumor. Thomas Sullivan, 19, a mechanical engineering major and sophomore captain on the men's cross-country and track and field team, heard all the gossip. "Having a track and field would have been extremely convenient, especially with it being right down the street from our school," he said. Furthermore, according to the rumor mill, City College athletic director Kevin Rahman had the opportunity to redo Riverbank and make it the home field for City College sports teams. Rahman was taken aback by the false rumor. "That's what you were told?" he asked. "Alright, you know that [turning down the rights to Riverbank Park] is absolute garbage."
City College used to have a track, but it was removed completely in 2006 after the opening of City College's dorm building, The Towers. An archived story about the history of athletic facilities at City College shows that the architect who designed the Riverbank State Park track also created City College's track. "They were actually twins," Rahman added. "So why would I... That's asinine! Why would I [do that], [especially] since we've been so successful in CUNY?"
The facilities will be constructed on the grass areas next to the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture, as well as directly in front of the entrance to The Towers. They won't be full fields for official games and meets, but they will be regulation-sized for practice for the soccer, baseball and lacrosse teams, field events, and so on.
Anthony Cacchione, a CCNY baseball player who lives in the dorms, says he's happy about the idea of having a new practice space. "That would be great to roll out of bed five minutes before practice and still make it there on time," he says.
Adds soccer player Emily Ramos, "I wouldn't have to wake up at 3:30 in the morning and then worry about getting back to class on time." Ramos, a psychology major, commutes from Long Island to her practices on Randall's Island. "And on top of that, I would get an extra hour of sleep!"
Having a field outside of the dorms, which hundreds of students pass by every day, would also help highlight athletics at City College, which often get overlooked at City's busy commuter campus. "That's step one," says Rahman. "If we can get this done, then that's a sign that other things can come."