September 1, 2010
Dear Bearcats Nation,
A new year is underway here with Cincinnati Athletics and our teams are already off to some outstanding starts. Women's soccer is out to a 3-0-1 debut with a big road win over No. 20 Wisconsin and is ranked No. 19 in the nation and volleyball has jetted off to a 3-1 beginning. With men's soccer (Wed. vs. Dayton, 7 p.m.) and football (Saturday at Fresno State, 10 p.m. - ESPN2) both ready to open their seasons later this week our fall sports programs will be in full gear as Labor Day approaches.
While the fall sports are launching their seasons, our men's basketball program is also back on campus as they prepare for their exhibition tour in Canada. Coach Cronin and the guys are wearing out the new finish on the practice gym floor as they are hard at work to make this season a strong one. This is a big year for UC as we will be starting a two-year celebration of our NCAA men's basketball championships from 1960-61 & 1961-62. Be sure to stay logged on to GoBEARCATS.com for more information on this which will be coming out in the weeks ahead.
One of the most exciting things that is also being unveiled with the start of September is the Jefferson Avenue Sports Complex. Driving in and out of Corry Street each day I have watched this site progress from a hole in the ground back in mid-March into the magnificent complex that it is today. The venue will serve all 18 of our intercollegiate teams in some form or fashion and will also enable us to engage in training programs that have simply not been a part of our vernacular in the past.
I want to publicly thank all of the people here on campus with our Office of Planning + Design + Construction and University Architect Beth McGrew, project manager Barrett Bamberger, and the construction team at Turnbull Wahlert for all of their hard work and dedication to opening this area on time and on budget. I would also like to acknowledge the incredible effort and enthusiasm of the people from MSA Sport. From the initial concept to the final architectural design, the firm, led by principal and UC graduate Mike Schuster, has been an absolute pleasure to work with.
Construction will continue on this site for months to come with the short field opening later this spring. Our teams will begin using this space immediately and the indoor bubble will go up later this fall.
Some other milestones have been reached with our external areas breaking barriers. UCATS will soon be welcoming its 5,000th member to the family. This is a fantastic achievement as we were under 2,000 donors just four short years ago. Likewise, UC football season tickets have eclipsed the 21,000 mark for the first time - up from less than 6,500 in 2006. Thanks to all of you who invest so generously in our CATAPULT ideals and the shared desire of creating the best student-athlete experience possible for more than 500 student-athletes each year. Our young people certainly REPRESENT THE C with pride and enthusiasm, on and off the field.
If you know of a UC fan that is excited about the Bearcats, but is not a member of UCATS, please urge them to join our ranks. Our "Each One, Reach One" new member referral program is in place to help broaden the UCATS membership base and increase the level of support for Bearcats student-athletes. This program empowers current members with the framework to recruit and refer prospects to UCATS and ultimately receive rewards for the referral of new members. You can make a difference by referring new season ticketholders to football, men's basketball, or encouraging fellow Bearcats contributors to join UCATS in support of UC student-athletes. For more information, please click http://ucats.net/new-member-referral-eachone.html to get more details.
Have a safe and memorable Labor Day weekend. I look forward to seeing you all this fall as you make your way to campus.
Sincerely,
Mike Thomas
Director of Athletics
