Huskie Athletics has great potential, says reviewer

By Darren Zary of The StarPhoenix

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies could be “next to unbeatable” if they figure out how to tap their market, suggests one of the authors of the Huskie Athletics external review released this week

“If the political will was there they would be next to unbeatable because of the community support that they have,” said Dr. Dru Marshall, vice-dean of the faculty of physical education at the University of Alberta.

“We would kill in Edmonton to have that sort of support. We have some of that support, but not to the level they do in Saskatoon. That is a strength they would be really wise to build on.

“There were some individuals that we talked to from alumni groups that were frustrated but, despite the fact they were frustrated, they still were around the table and talking. There’s amazing potential in that group to be explored.”

While Marshall has done external reviews of faculty and graduate programs, this was her first external review of an athletics program.

“I would applaud the U of S for the open process,” Marshall said. “It’s a hard process to go through, but it’s a really valuable process if you keep the frame in mind for why you’re doing it in the first place, which is to get feedback on what could make you better.”

She hopes the report will be perceived as constructive.

“Some of the press seems to be quite negative, like ‘Huskie Athletics given a failing grade.’ I’m not sure if I would have been that strong.

“Their success has been amazing given some of the issues they’ve been dealing with, but unless they fix those issues, there are going to be some major problems.”

Marshall, a former head coach of Canada’s national women’s field hockey team, stressed that many of the challenges facing the U of S and Huskie Athletics are not unique.

“How do we fund our program? What are the sources of money used to do it. How involved is the community? This is the plight of university sport in general.”

The first step, she suggested, is for the U of S to decide what its level of commitment is to sport.
dzary@sp.canwest.com