New Sports at WSU

[Perezident]

Assuming WSU was interested in adding any new sports in the near future.

[1972Shocker]

From a spectator perspective I would probably prefer Hockey, LaCrosse and even Swimming to Soccer.

However, Soccer would seem to be the best competitive fit in the MVC.

Not sure how many schools have the other sports, but MVC soccer seems to be pretty solid.

However, the next sport that will probably move from club status to a NCAA scholarship sport will most likely be men and women's bowling, assuming the NCAA can get it's pins properly lined up.

[t7017s]

From a spectator perspective I would probably prefer Hockey, LaCrosse and even Swimming to Soccer.

However, Soccer would seem to be the best competitive fit in the MVC.

Not sure how many schools have the other sports, but MVC soccer seems to be pretty solid.

However, the next sport that will probably move from club status to a NCAA scholarship sport will most likely be men and women's bowling, assuming the NCAA can get it's pins properly lined up.

SO let me understand you correctly...you would rather watch swimming than soccer? Or should i take it your exagerating to makle a point?

[Perezident]

Ok now I'm going to show my ignorance. WSU doesn't have collegiate bowling? Haven't we won multiple national championships in bowling?

[RoyalShock]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the NCAA only recently started sanctioning bowling and the top programs have yet to leave their current affiliation for the NCAA, including WSU.

[SubGod22]

RS is right. Most of the top programs have stuck with......whatever it is they've been in. That's why we don't officially have more NCAA championships.

[1972Shocker]

If you go to goShockers.com you will notice that Men and Women's Bowling are not among the listed sports.

I guess this is because the Bowling teams are not NCAA sanctioned at this time. Currently both the Shocker Bowling men’s and women’s teams are both classified “independent varsity” sports. The Coaching Staff is supportive of the NCAA movement within College Bowling. However, at this point I think they believe the best Collegiate teams are still mostly independent of the NCAA.

The 14 National Championships are based on winning the Intercollegiate Team Championship Tournament sponsored by the United States Bowling Congress, which BTW will be held in Wichita in 2007 and 2008.

The Shocker program is funded by the Rhatigan Student Center, student fees, athlete/parent fundraising, as well as individual and corporate sponsorship. They usually have between 15 and 25 student bowlers receiving some form of scholarship aid.

Obviously the Shocker teams are among the elite collegiate bowling programs in the nation and their success should not be diminished by the fact that bowling has not been an NCAA sport. However, it does not count toward winning the MVC All-Sports competition.

So far the NCAA is sponsoring only Women's Bowling. Here is a link to the participating schools:

http://web1.ncaa.org/ssLists/sportByInst.do?sport=WBW&division=ALL

So while there may technically be an NCAA Women's Bowling Champion in 2007, the winner of the USBC Intercollegiate Team Championship will still be the superior achievement (and still the only option for the men).
Shocker alums have their footprints all over the PBA tour.

I would think that the NCAA would be better served simply by trying to piggy back with and work with the USBC in developing Men and Women's bowling as an NCAA sanctioned sport.

[1972Shocker]

From a spectator perspective I would probably prefer Hockey, LaCrosse and even Swimming to Soccer.

However, Soccer would seem to be the best competitive fit in the MVC.

Not sure how many schools have the other sports, but MVC soccer seems to be pretty solid.

However, the next sport that will probably move from club status to a NCAA scholarship sport will most likely be men and women's bowling, assuming the NCAA can get it's pins properly lined up.

SO let me understand you correctly...you would rather watch swimming than soccer? Or should i take it your exagerating to makle a point?

Well about the only time I watch swimming (and diving) is when the Olympics are on. But that is one in four years more often than I watch outdoor soccer which I find exceedingly boring. If given the choice to watch olympic swimming and diving or to watch a World Cup soccer game, I would elect to watch the swimming and diving.

If WSU adopted one or both sports, I doubt that I would be a regular spectator at either sport.

[CharlieHog]

What about wrestling? That's the sport I'd love to see Arkansas add.

Geographically it would fit with both schools.

[SubGod22]

I'd rather watch soccer than wrestling.

[DUShock]

ONly Greco-Roman none of that freestyle shtuff :D

[BostonWu]

Hockey would be cool but I'm not sure of the feasibility. I would think it would not be cheap and would of course need to recruit from the traditional northern reaches and somehow entice those players to come down south to the Great Plains. UNO has D1 hockey and plays at the Qwest. From what I gather it's pretty good draw.

[SubGod22]

Hockey would be the most entertaining of the sports listed above and the one I'd be most likely to watch.

[DUShock]

I'd watch and support via season tix Wichita State Hockey.

Go Shocks!!!!

[RoyalShock]

Would WSU having hockey send the Thunder to Springdale?

:whistle: