Memorial Field Project Update

After several weeks of demolition, work halted on the East stands at Memorial Field recently, which got me to wondering how much more they would be cut down. I got the answer during a visit to Alumni Gym this morning: They are now at the height they will be when the Varsity House project is completed. (Green Alert take: I'm a bit relieved. While the stands are considerably lower than they were, they are higher than I feared and less "high school" than I expected.)

Also, I had been under the impression the remaining stands would be disassembled during the Varsity House construction project and then reassembled for the fall. I was wrong again. The stands will remain in place while the building goes up behind them -- and while a new track as well as the FieldTurf football surface are installed in front of them. There's still hope that the stands will be usable this fall.

Word is that excavation for the Varsity House could begin as soon as next week. ... For the record, the new building will be three feet lower than the old stands. ... I saw someone running "stadiums" (stadia?) on the home stands at Memorial Field this morning. Not quite the workout the other side used to offer.

While I was on campus I got a tour of the new fitness center on the upper level of Alumni Gym and it is an unbelievable reworking of the space. I'm not usually given to hyperbole, but the transformation is amazing. The new area is light and airy, open and inviting. It will be a real showpiece. ...

There's a good story in the Statesman Journal about former Dartmouth cross country and track coach Vin Lananna's resurrection project of the once-proud track program at the University of Oregon. Lananna brought Dartmouth XC to prominence from 1980-92 before a very successful run at Stanford. He was most recently athletic director at Oberlin. The story notes: "The current Oregon athletes have apparently embraced Lananna, and so has the community. Lananna was instrumental in bringing the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials to Eugene." Vin, by the way, has two sons at Dartmouth now.

Finally, be sure to check out the new Dartmouth Football Parents News and Notes blog. The intro to the blog says: "This is a new gathering place for Dartmouth football parents so that they can stay informed during the football season." The site will have tailgating and reception news as well as other information for parents and family members. There's already a pretty neat slide show up that's well worth a look.