Campus Connection

Five scoreboards to be replaced at UW-L

Hosting the outdoor track national championship meet in 2013 was a major incentive for UW-La Crosse to acquire new scoreboards — replacing some that were nearly 20 years old and in need of frequent repairs. “We felt like bringing an event of that caliber here was cause to make some changes,” says Josh Whitman, UW-L’s athletic director. “We have one of the best track and field facilities in the country with the exception of that scoreboard.” The five new scoreboards should be installed before fall semester starts. The main scoreboard on the football field at the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex will benefit major events including the 2013 NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships and the annual WIAA State Track and Field Championships, held at UW-L since 1990 as well as UW-L and area high school games. Whitman anticipates the campus and community will find other creative ways to use the main scoreboard — even outside of sports. The board will have a 15-by-40 foot monitor to display not only the score and time, but also video. “At Lambeau Field they have a movie night and watch a movie on the scoreboard,” says Whitman. “We could do something cool like that with students. It’s nice to have the flexibility it will give us to do different things.” Whitman also notes it could be used at community events at the complex such as Freedom Fest. In late December, the State Building Commission approved a request for more than $900,000 to replace the boards. Whitman notes they expect the actual price tag to be less because the state requires certain contingencies be built into the cost estimate. The other boards will go up in the soccer facility inside the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex, on the baseball and softball diamond on the north campus fields, and at the pool in Mitchell Hall.