By Nate West
Managing Editor
We were trapped inside for far too long this winter.
Finally we’ve had a few days of sunshine, and we need to take advantage of the weather.
I enjoy playing sports outside to take get my exercise for the day. Since coming to college, one of my favorite sports to play is basketball. I spend my summers playing pick-up games at the local park. During the winter, my friends and I here play in the Richter. Now that it’s warm however, I would love to play outside at some of the hoops on campus, but that’s just not possible.
There are 10 hoops located around campus. Six are in the parking lot in between the Richter Center and the Reilly Center, and the remaining four are in the parking lot behind Francis. Cars are almost always parked in the spaces underneath the hoops. The only times the spaces are empty are very early in the morning and very late in the evening, both when it’s too dark to play.
There are some solutions. I could play at the outdoor courts down on East Union Street across from the junkyard, and sometimes I do. The problem with that is there is only one court and the court is often being used. Also, I don’t have my own car, so getting there after class but before it gets too dark to play can be difficult.
Another way around this problem is to just keep playing in the Richter Center. But playing outside has a certain je ne sais quoi that makes it more enjoyable. Plus, I get my 60 minutes of outdoor activity. Also, my shots tend to go in more when I’m playing on blacktop as opposed to hardwood, so I prefer it outdoors.
The hoops should be moved to a location where they can be used instead of just sitting somewhere they can’t, perpetually teasing students who want only to play some ball. There is space in the parking lot behind the townhouses where they could be moved. That would be a convenient spot for people living on the east side of campus. There is also space in the lots by the tennis courts where others could be moved for students who live on the west side of campus.
I suppose I could always just shoot while there are cars in the lot, but I imagine the car owners wouldn’t be too thrilled about that.
westnl11@bonaventure.edu.
