ARC to be vacated
The Athletics and Recreation Center at the University of Indianapolis will be turned over to the National Football Conference Champions starting Jan. 15.
The ARC has been designated as the practice site for the NFC champions, who will use the dome to prepare for the Super Bowl on Feb. 5.
According to Director of Athletics Sue Willey, the coaches and student-athletes must be out of the building prior to the NFC team arriving on campus.
“A lot is dependent upon what [NFC] team comes,” Willey said. “But for the most part, I’m planning on the student-athletes and coaches to be out of the H.H. Gregg Athletic Hall for the two weeks prior to the Super Bowl.”
The H.H. Gregg Athletic Hall is connected to the dome and houses coaches’ offices as well as locker rooms for various sports. According to Willey, the entire facility will be off limits, and not only will the NFC be using the dome, but the halftime performances will be practiced inside the facility as well.
Without the dome to practice in, some UIndy sports are at an inconvenience during that time.
According to Willey, baseball and softball will have to travel off campus in order to keep practicing.
“I guess we will go back to the way we had it when we didn’t have the ARC,” Willey said. “I venture to guess that they will have to spend more time off campus at softball and baseball complexes where they have batting cages.”
Indoor track also will have to adjust for the few weeks that the dome will be unavailable. The team will have to practice inside Nicoson Hall or travel to other schools in order to practice and prepare for meets.
Coaches will also have to adjust. They will need to plan accordingly and work together to keep all athletics running smoothly.
“We will try to create space for them [the coaches], but I think the vast majority of them will do their work from home,” Willey said. “We may try to talk to the staff about doubling up or tripling up for that time-frame.”
Willey said that she does not worry about her coaches because they are competitive and know how to get their work done, whether they are in their offices or not.
However, not every coach has considered the impact. Football Head Coach Bob Bartolomeo is one of those coaches.
“I haven’t given it one thought, to be honest,” Bartolomeo said. “We’ll worry about that later on.”
Bartolomeo thinks that the chance to be the host for the NFC team is a great honor.
“It’s a big deal, and it’s great for the university,” Bartolomeo said. “We’ll improvise and adjust. That’s what coaching is all about.”
During the time leading up to the Super Bowl, Willey has her backup plans for certain sports, such as basketball, in case a conflict arises. Saturday, Feb. 4 could pose such a conflict.
“The Saturday games are scheduled for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.,” Willey said. “If the NFC team chooses to do their walk through at UIndy versus down at Lucas Oil, the games will be shifted to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.”
However, UIndy sports teams are not the only ones making adjustments for the time that the NFC is on campus. Willey stated that basketball teams from Kentucky Wesleyan and Southern Indiana will need to adjust to the potential schedule changes as well.
According to Willey, everyone in athletics is excited about hosting the NFL on campus, but, some questions will not have answers until the NFC champion is decided. However, Willey stands by the fact that this is a great opportunity and honor for UIndy.
“It is a big deal for the university, so we will deal with whatever challenge we’re faced with,” Willey said. “It puts UIndy on a national map.”
