Two years ago, the Carleton women’s field hockey team faced extinction after the athletics department announced they would be cutting eight varsity teams. After rallies, appeals and outcries, the ladies were once again allowed to hit the pitch in varsity jerseys. But in retrospect, Carleton may not have made the right decision.
This season was embarrassing for the team, with only two wins in 14 regular-season games. The girls scored their first goal over halfway through their season and only managed to find the back of the net three times all year.
Needless to say, their 2-9-3 record didn’t earn them a spot in the playoffs.
Across campus, on the mucky field beside the field house, Carleton’s rugby team was pushing for varsity status by racking up 253 points against their opponents while only allowing nine points against all season, despite playing top-ranked varsity teams such as McGill.
The rugby team even managed to beat Quebec Student Sport Federation (QSSF) powerhouse Concordia University, who finished in the fifth spot at Canadian Interuniversity Sport nationals last season.
And while the field hockey team enjoys all the opportunities provided by varsity status, the rugby team faces a sore lack of funding and is excluded from the QSSF, despite their excellence on the field.
Carleton is a school that has a tradition of providing money to the teams that earn it through their performance. This precedent, set by former athletic director Drew Love, demands that if a team is to be varsity, it is going to do well.
So the fact the abysmal field hockey team is still clinging to varsity status while the unstoppable rugby team is scrambling to move up from being a competitive club is mind-boggling.
Athletic director Jennifer Brenning needs to stay true to Carleton’s tradition by ending the field hockey fairy tale and giving the women’s rugby squad a shot at the big dance.