05/26/2021
Sad day to be an RMU alumni. Not a headline I was expecting or can really make sense of.
As a former player I’m devastated that everything we built, all the championships, grassroots programs, community support, feels as though it was for nothing.
As a coach I’ve always talked highly of RMU, but now I don’t have the ability to. I’m sad that the school and athletic department made this decision so abruptly, without consulting alumni or even attempting to fundraise. I’m sad I won’t be able to guide any of my athletes to my alma mater and experience the program that made me who I am today.
I feel an overwhelming sadness for my former teammates and current members of RMU Men’s and Women’s hockey programs. Players and staff given notice 15 mins prior in a zoom call? For the coaches this is their livelihood. For the players they now have to scramble to find news teams/scholarships and opportunities. I thought the goal was to create opportunities for student athletes not take them away.
At the end of the day this news wouldn’t hit so hard if this wasn’t the standard in women’s sports. It’s hard to not feel like its one step forward two steps back. My collegiate career was the highlight of my time playing because that was the last time I was treated like a true professional. Women’s sports deserve better. My former teammates deserve better. The next generation of female athletes deserve better.