Mary Harrison, Campus Carrier sports editor

Berry College announced last Thursday plans to build a new athletic facility on campus to house its newest sport, beach volleyball. The new courts come as the college continues to improve and expand various athletics facilities around campus.

Athletic Director Angel Mason confirmed that the department will move ahead with plans to build a competitive facility for beach volleyball, thanks to a lead gift toward the project’s fundraising campaign. Berry’s team practiced for its first season in Spring 2022 on the recreational courts outside of Richards Gym.

Head Coach Caitlyn Moriarty said that the recreational courts offered a fine start, but they did not meet the standards for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition, which affected the team’s performance as the season progressed.

“We are really excited that Berry is supporting what the program needs as far the ability to have really high-quality practices on a top-notch playing surface that is up to NCAA standards,” Moriarty said.

In addition to a proper depth of sand, Mason elaborated that some of the specifications for competitive sand courts include sand that will drain properly and not pack after rain, keeping the top layers safe and playable, as well as proper court dimensions.

Having regulation courts also means that the Vikings will now be able to host beach volleyball tournaments. Moriarty plans to host two tournaments in Spring 2023, with the first being held at the end of February.

Construction is expected to be phased in, so the courts can be finished in time for the season even if all the facility’s amenities are not. 

Shane West, assistant director of compliance, facilities and game management, said that the department’s plan is to build the courts at the current location of Dickey Field, between the Cage Athletic Center and Valhalla, and to relocate the throwing field to the greenspace behind Valhalla’s visitors’ stands.

The new throwing field will be built as part of phase two of the project, which Mason said the department plans to complete by Spring 2024.

Currently, there are no plans to re-pave Clark Track, which encircles Williams field inside Valhalla, anytime soon. The next step in maintenance for the track will be a professional deep-clean and restripe, which West said needs to happen every five to six years.

Supply chain demands prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic are still affecting construction times and costs, along with rising costs due to inflation, West said.

“Based on everything else in the world today, you start now but you run into supply chain demands,” West said. “You could get halted.”

Delays even affect updates to regularly used facilities, like the mechanical room for the Cage Center’s natatorium.

“Though [many] are living normal lives with COVID, we’re not with shipping [and] access to materials,” Mason added. “Things are still behind. Everybody’s trying to get back up to speed.”

The Athletic Department recently finished adding chairs with seatbacks in Valhalla Stadium in time for the first home game of the 2022 football season, to assist with fundraising efforts for the department.

Mason said that adding chairs with seatbacks had been part of the college’s plan to provide an enhanced experience for spectators in Valhalla. Her department coordinated with the Advancement Office to turn the seats into an opportunity to fundraise for the Athletic Department, through designating the seats for season ticket holders.

“There are a multitude of additional costs that we need to have money waiting to be able to take care of, because there’s always something [to fix],” Mason said.

Some of these variables include broken washers and dryers, which Mason estimated could cost from $3,000 to $3,500 each, and ice machines, which could cost around $6,000. Mason said these extra maintenance costs, though unpredictable, are necessary to resolve quickly so that the sports programs can continue with normal operations.

Athletics facilities other than Valhalla do not typically generate revenue for the department, because all sporting events other than football are free to attend and the college rarely rents them out, Mason said. 

All dollars generated by the Athletic Department fund annual operations, with no excess typically left over, Mason said. Donors also support both the department as a whole and individual sports programs through the Vikings Booster Club.

Unclaimed seatbacks will also provide seating for designated guests at special football games such as the Mountain Day game and the day for alumni recognition. West said this this opens up regular bench seating for other spectators.

In the past, some sections of bleachers have been reserved for designated groups, West said.

Chairs will only be reserved as “VIP” seats for season ticket holders during football games, West said. Other official sports competitions held on Williams Field, for lacrosse and track and field, are free to attend and only draw about one-eighth the attendance of football games.

The addition of seatbacks does not change the rules about the area in front of the railings being for through-traffic only. Loitering by the railing in front of the bleachers is not allowed unless a spectator is sitting in a front row seat, West said, to ensure visibility for handicap spectators.

Although the department does not currently plan to use the soon-to-be-built beach volleyball complex for other student uses, most of Berry’s athletics facilities do serve a dual purpose in both athletics and campus life, Mason said. 

In Valhalla, Williams Field hosts games for both lacrosse and football. The track, in addition to being used for hosting track and field competitions and preseason training for sports programs, is also available for open run for community members. The stands have also been used for campus events like firework displays and movie nights.

The Cage Center is also regularly used for kinesiology courses, intramural events and large gatherings hosted by the college and the Department of Recreation.

“They’re an athletic facility, but they’re not only an athletic facility,” Mason said. “Almost everything that we have here are shared facilities.”

These shared uses also add mileage and wear-and-tear on the facilities for which athletics is in charge of maintenance. West said that gymnasium surfaces in the Cage Center, as well as the Ford Gymnasium and Richards Gym, must the refinished annually or every other year

“I know everybody sees it as athletics facilities, because we have 500 [plus] student athletes,” Mason said, “but behind the scenes, the administration of it is not just for athletics.”