Take no issue w your position, RedSea…but for me “the Cradle” should be reserved for Miami graduates. Just my two cents worth.
FWIW, I really wouldn’t expect to see a new scoreboard any time soon. It may be pushing 17(?) years old but I think that Miami’s emphasis these days in renovations and donor dollars is on Millett, the never mentioned to-be-built tennis center and other areas.
They built new tennis courts next to the field hockey stadium (I think they demolished the ones behind the baseball field to make room for a new dorm), it’s likely the indoor facility is on hold indefinitely if not canceled.
Also Yager needs new turf, the current field is from 2010 and it looks like crap (and probably isn’t ideal to play on). It isn’t cheap, but it’s a matter of player safety and it’s a lot less expensive then other renovation projects so we should probably earmark some funds towards it in the next offseason or two.
Got it on the tennis courts. I just remember the tennis center being mentioned a few years ago in the fundraising campaign. I think new Yager turf should rightly be a priority over a scoreboard.
Not sure how accurate but I have heard there may be some work done at Yager this summer. They didn’t say what was getting done, just that some work was happening. Who knows, maybe they are replacing the scoreboard-hopefully the sound system gets some work done on it.
A significant commitment came in for the indoor tennis facility recently. It is my understanding that project may come sooner than we think. Before anyone complains, it wasn’t necessarily the primary priority of the development team at the time, but when a lead gift surfaces, you take it and move forward with the long range plans. Time will tell - I might not be current or completely accurate on this piece.
They had drawings of the indoor tennis center several years ago, but does anyone know where the plan is to build it?
I remember it looking like a nice facility. Hopefully Miami can monetize it and make a little extra money from its use……
Ask and you shall receive…
https://www.miamiathleticfund.org/s/916/gradchamps/interior.aspx?pgid=8293&gid=1
In defense of tennis, their team has to travel 20+ min for every practice during inclement weather which is more or less 2 mo in the fall and 3 mo in the spring. There certainly are opportunities to generate revenue, but in a Mkt like Oxford it will be minimal. Too bad they don’t have men’s tennis anymore or it would be an easier lift financially.
Yager is already getting new turf over this off-season. New turf will have built in cooling.
Neat! Now, where’s it gonna be built?
Indoor tennis facility would be a great addition for the women’s team and student body (assuming they can access during off hours).
If it’s not all red like Eastern Washington then we riot!
They call it The Inferno in Cheney.
No built in cooling, would be nice but not this time
Back in the day, if the weather was bad (too hard to drive to Hamilton) we actually practiced in either Withrow with a pop-up net or the sub basement at Millet. Both were dark and the balls skidded like crazy off the wood floor. However, when we played Ohio State in Columbus, their courts were always fast and dark so we would always play well. Speaking of the Withrow net, I was told that it was from the 50’s and that Tony Trabert often came up from UC to use it and hit with Miami guys. I personally doubt the story as Cincinnati has many indoor clubs (even back then) but it made for a good story.
A long time ago, my brother actually wrote a business plan for this when he was in grad school at Miami and the research he had done with other racquet club directors showed it could make a modest profit. Tennis is booming now because of the pandemic. You could imagine camps being held there, league play, and a place that (depending on electricity costs) could be open almost all day/night. A lot of programs will have the coach or assistant coaches teach lessons during the day as a way for them to pick up extra money and build some community outreach. Obviously there are many other needs on the facility list that could become bigger profit centers (Millet) but fun to think about.
One word-pickleball.
I’ve been watching some games at the epically awesome Taube Family tennis center I’m Golden Gate Park and it looks fun! Have never played.