Now in his second year as University Athletic Director, Bill Gehling has set his sights on increasing on-campus recreational opportunities for non-student athletes and faculty. While stressing the importance of maintaining support for Tufts' intercollegiate athletic teams, Gehling insists that there is a need to bring athletics to the rest of campus.
Gehling, a Tufts graduate and former women's soccer coach, has spent the better part of his time in the job exploring new physical education opportunities, and working to increase awareness of Tufts' athletics teams to both the student body and administration at large. From acting as a liaison between the athletics department and the administration, to searching for additional recreational outlets, Gehling is pushing to expand athletics on several fronts.
Gehling's plans to add more recreational activities began coming to fruition last year, with the creation of a full-time position dealing with recreational sports and physical education. Gehling's naming of Branwen Smith-King as Assistant Athletic Director (AD) at the beginning of the 2000 school year did not signify a new title (Gehling himself held the role under former AD Rocky Carzo), but along with the designation came a structural overhaul of the role of Assistant AD.
"The first thing I wanted to do was to get out into the community and listen and see what the community wants," Gehling said of his first days in the job. "That resulted in some interesting observations. One of the things I learned is that the community wants us to provide something for more than just the varsity athletes, that we need to do a better job of meeting the needs of the other 80 percent of the student body in terms of intramural opportunities, recreational opportunities, and health and fitness opportunities."
Gehling decided that the role of assistant AD would be redefined to focus primarily on creating such opportunities, and spent the better part of fall '99 exploring options to fill the new position.
"I assisted Rocky for many years, and I was pretty sure I didn't need someone to do for me what I did for Rocky," he said. "But what I wasn't clear about was exactly what I needed."
Gehling's candidate search resulted in luring away Smith-King from her role as women's cross country and track coach and placing her in a more office-oriented environment. Smith-King's job description is rather vague, but includes responsibility for the creation of further courses and opportunities for recreational athletics, heading the physical education department (not a new role for her), as well as overseeing the University's intramural sports league, and the student-athlete advisory committee. She has also been exploring options for health and fitness programs in coordination with Health Services and the Nutrition School, as well as the eventual creation of a University "wellness" program.
The 2000 fall semester has already seen the creation of several non-credit, eight-week courses within the physical education department, including courses in yoga and sea kayaking, both of which have filled the class size limits.
The opening of the Gantcher Center last year allowed the school's track, lacrosse, and indoor tennis facilities to move out of Cousens Gym, creating additional space in the Cousens cages that the department hopes will eventually be used for recreational purposes. As athletic teams dominate the time on the Cousens basketball courts, the Chase Gym remains one of few outlets for use by non-student athletes. Plans for maximizing Cousens' space remain in the works.
But while much of the department's focus has shifted to athletic opportunities for the non-student athletes, Gehling warns that "as much as I'm focusing the department on broadening our goals with respect to what we do for the community, I don't want that to imply that I somehow think intercollegiate athletics are diminished... I think they are extremely important and this is a year of major change in intercollegiate athletics."
Gehling refers to the increasingly inclusive nature of the NESCAC, a conference formed 30 years ago as a loose alliance but which continues to become more of a competitive division. Most Tufts teams in the NESCAC will play an end-of-season tournament this year for the first time ever, with only the winner heading to the NCAA Tournament. Furthermore, following this year, NESCAC teams will not be allowed to qualify for postseason tournaments such as the ECAC's, meaning the NESCAC tournament will mark the end of the season for all but the winning team.
Gehling hopes the new format and playoffs will help bolster community support for the school's 29 intercollegiate athletic teams. The first two home football games have unofficially brought in higher-than-usual attendance numbers, and early prospects for several fall sports teams point towards a number of postseason berths come November.
"I want to spread the word about Tufts athletics," the director said. "Athletics can serve a critical function not just for the participants but the community. It has the potential to be a galvanizing element."
While encouraging students to come out and watch their peers, Gehling acknowledges that losing teams are not likely to bring out too many fans. "Successful teams bring people together," he said. "It is important to have teams that are successful on a level, it's important for all our teams to aspire to that. When it comes to providing a source of inspiration and pride and getting people out to games, people don't come to watch when you're losing."
