By Michael Stenson

Students trudged through the rough weather this past weekend to help christen the new Ridley Athletic Complex (RAC), but the distance between the Evergreen campus and the stadium may affect attendance at future games.

While the new stadium is one of the most technologically advanced athletic compounds in Maryland, the location of the RAC raises a question for some students. How willing will fans be to travel the extra distance to support their school?

“I don’t think it will affect the freshmen and sophomores, my concern is the upperclassmen,” Lacrosse Head Coach Charley Toomey said. “Will they be willing to get on a shuttle to support the Hounds?”

The stadium is located down East Cold Spring Lane, past Interstate 83, about a 15 minute drive from the Evergreen Campus. There is no on-site parking for students, so those wishing to drive over must park at a satellite parking lot and take a shuttle over to the game. Students who don’t drive might not be willing to deal with the wait to get onto a shuttle before and after the game.

“We got to the field early and left before the game finished, so getting a shuttle wasn’t a problem,” said sophomore Maggie Clausen, who attended the game on Saturday. “I talked to some people who said the shuttles were crowded, but it wasn’t too awful if you left at the right time.”

Of course, Loyola was expected to be at the top of its game on Saturday. The multi-million dollar field has been in development since 1995, and fans were expecting the day to be special. “They definitely lived up to the expectations, even though the Hounds lost,” said Clausen.

The question is whether the fans came out to see the new stadium, or to see the game being played in it. And if fans did come solely to see the new stadium, would they come back to see it again?

“I think it’s 50/50. But for the fan just coming to see Ridley, we hope they walk away excited about the facility, and the team playing there,” said Coach Toomey.

In the end, Toomey said, “It’s our job to give them a reason to come.”