by Brad Norman
Senior Staff Writer
No matter what happens during an Appalachian State University football
game next year, the goalposts will come down.
However, students will not be the ones responsible.
According to a press release sent by Assistant Director of Athletics
Mark R. Dreibelbis, goalposts will be “taken down [at the
end of the game] to prevent them from being dismantled and carried
out of the stadium.”
“The reason we have been working on this is for campus safety,”
Dean of Students Susie L. Greene said.
“In the last two years there have been a number of incidents
where students have been badly hurt [at other campuses]. Luckily,
we’ve avoided that.”
Greene, Director of Athletics Roachel J. Laney and University Police
have collaborated on the new policy.
Greene said new goalposts would hopefully be installed by the end
of spring practice.
Greene also said Appalachian’s home schedule will allow the
police time to practice the removal of the goalposts at the end
of the game because bigger rivalry games come later in the year.
The Mountaineers’ first three home games are against Eastern
Kentucky University, The Citadel and Texas State University.
The current goalposts will be cut in half so a hinge can be installed
on them. The hinge makes the goalposts capable of being taken down
in a matter of seconds.
The hinges cost $750 a pair and will come out of the University’s
General Operations Fund.
“When I was at the Division I-AA championship game at Chattanooga
(Tenn.), the NCAA had them installed, so I actually got to see them
utilized at the end of the game,” Laney said.
“There were four to six people at each goalpost and within
15 seconds they were on the ground. It’s a safe thing to do.
Sitting there and watching that, I knew that was the direction we
should go,” Laney said.
The press release also said, “only after players have left
the field will fans be allowed onto the field.”
“The first part is to keep people off the field until the
teams can leave the areas, and the other part is protecting those
who then go to the field from being hurt,” Greene said.
Laney said not allowing people on the field until after the players
exited the field is part of the current policy.
“We are going to try to educate people [about not coming onto
the field] and hopefully everyone will work with us,” Laney
said. “It’s about the safety and welfare of people.”
Laney said the central safety issue is not students charging the
field, but rather carrying the goalposts off it.
“The safety issue is carrying the goalpost and hitting people,
knocking out windows and scratching cars,” Laney said. “[Tearing
down the goal post] has become a common part of the game, and it
has gotten to where it is happening too frequently.”
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