Inflatable dome: not an impossible dream here?

The inflatable dome at St. Cloud State (HMA Architects)

A dome is part of the St. Cloud State University athletic facilities. Do not get the wrong impression: this is not a domed stadium per se. Trying to suggest such an extravagant thing for our Morris would be a fool's errand. 

So let's be straight: the SCSU facility is simply an inflatable dome over the playing surface. The playing surface is like what we have in Morris at Big Cat. So you might say we're part of the way there. 

Big Cat sits there unused through the long cold winter months. Isn't it a wonderful dream to try to imagine an inflatable dome here? But, off the charts for being practical? Why should we presume that? In an earlier time we could not have imagined Big Cat Stadium itself. We should strive to be glass-half-full about the future. 

St. Cloud is in a different league from us? I mean, in terms of being able to aquire amenities? Hmmm. We in Morris are part of the prestigious U of M system. Legend has it, the MIAC never wanted us because they were too afraid of the resources we could summon as part of the (big bad) U of M. I remember the late Carl Johnson the pilot saying "we should be in the MIAC." Issue solved? But it wasn't so simple. 

Other institutions can feel some awe looking at our U of M branch here in Morris - this is a big reason why community promoters once worked so hard to get the U here. Those advocates were fearful of Morris getting a "junior college." That's one thing I've never quite understood: why a junior college would be such an awful thing, a plague of sorts. Many brilliant people spent a part of their studies at a junior college. Willmar has Ridgewater. 

Ridgewater, interestingly, cut its football program several years ago. Not only that, the big 4-year school St. Cloud State cut its football program too! So let's have our heads-up, us Morris people, about how football continues to be played out here on the prairie at Morris. You can speak for yourself, maybe, because I personally do not approve of football based on the health risks presented to players. Seems rather contradictory to the ideals of higher education. 

 

UMM, political winds

Weighing the big picture, man oh man we can be glad we don't have a governor like Ron DeSantis. DeSantis is in the news as I am writing this, coming down hard on public colleges that he feels have too much of a progressive agenda. I might observe that such colleges offer "grievance majors." I'm not a fan of that, really, but I think DeSantis and others like him rather go off the deep end. 

I'll take Walz over DaSantis. UMM offers "grievance majors."

And how about those Florida voters going more and more for Republicans, even though it's the Republicans most likely to go after entitlements? Isn't there a big senior citizen portion of the Florida population? I can't quite reconcile. 

Our UMM with what it offers now, is exhibit 'A' for what the Ron DeSantises of the world are going after. I guess we'd better hope the Democratic Party stays strong in Minnesota. The Democratic Party can live with what we do here at UMM. Conservatives call it "woke." I do not get agitated on these matters. And a problem is growing for defining just what a "conservative" is. I have elaborated on that in my other writing. A cult? 

 

A miracle "cover"

But let's look at St; Cloud State Husky Stadium. Still seems new to me, built in 2004. I remember the ballyhoo at the time. I attended one SCSU football game there in 2006. Decent enough facility, though I found it a little sterile. The multi-purpose facility has seating capacity of 4,198, and also is the field for soccer. The field and stadium overlook the Mississippi River. 

Another view of the SCSU dome (facebook)

But get this: during the winter months, an inflatable dome is placed over the playing surface. The SCSU softball team hosts annual indoor tournaments in the dome. The baseball team uses the dome for winter practice. The recreational sports programs take advantage. Myriad valuable use actually. The facility offers one of the highest indoor domes in the Upper Midwest. 

It appears the loss of the SCSU football program has not left much if any void. High school football and soccer games use the place, plus rec and intramural programs. None of this should surprise anyone. There is life after football, most certainly. 

The stadium is adjacent to the old Halenbeck Hall. The two are connected through the St. Cloud State Student Fitness Center. The whole complex is Jetsons-like compared to what I remember being there in the '70s. No hockey arena yet either. Mercy! Progress can be amazing. 

 

Bring idea here

So what am I suggesting through all this reporting, all these thoughts? That an inflatable dome could be proposed for UMM? Why yes! That is exactly the idea I am trying to float. 

Already we see softball being played at Big Cat Stadium - at least I have seen the Cougars playing there. I do not think the Tigers have yet. I inquired with my friends at the UMM Development Office last year, whether MACA softball might have access to Big Cat. In theory Big Cat is a cooperative thing. But all these arrangements must be in writing, be "legal." 

The answer I got was "yes." So that's nice, but I personally am not convinced. Can you imagine what an asset it would be, if we had the inflatable dome for UMM and MACA softball, available also to other programs through contracts? The dome might be the primary symbol of this community. 

It's just an inflatable thing. Still I'm sure the financial challenge could be daunting. Let's at least have a preliminary study on the idea. 

We all got sold on the "softball complex" which I still think was dubious. The softball complex is not the kind of polished facility I was expecting. Look at the new field where the old UMM field was: are there dugouts there? Bleachers for fan viewing? 

We already know that the new Holmberg Field is a disaster for fan viewing. You don't have to consume my writing for knowing that. Why did this slip through? Is there a watchdog of any kind? Maybe not. 

Batters at the newest field will likely be looking into the sun too much. I have checked this out. The old UMM field with its brick dugouts was perfect. The fans loved it there. I passed by on occasion and stopped to watch. 

UMM still has its football program while Ridgewater and St. Cloud State have cancelled theirs. Time to maybe progress on to the Jetsons future? What a dream to see an inflatable dome over big Cat. What a dream to realize that MACA softball games could start right after basketball season! And, considering how our girls basketball teams typically flounder, that would be real soon. Rim shot!

 

Addendum: I have finished typing this formal post so now I'm "vamping." UMM may have informed me that Big Cat is indeed available to the MACA softball program. Right? Wrong? Let me just say my initial reaction was to think that the MAHS administration hadn't bothered to inquire about this. Maybe it's just my instinct built up over decades of being close to school administration and board people. 

So I'm lied to? I have been lied to countless times. 

Mary Holmberg is the MACA softball coach. I have always considered her an enigma. She was extremely devoted to making sure girls sports got treated equally, got equal treatment to boys, right from the start. She deserves tremendous credit for that. She was our Chris Voelz. 

On the other side of the coin, she did not seem devoted to pushing for the best competitive standards for the teams. In other words, a particular program might flounder, getting embarrassed by clear underperforming vs. some very small schools out here, and she's just nonchalant about it all. 

I remember talking to her right after a loss to Barrett one year. She was "nonchalant."

And if you were to approach her to hint that maybe a more hard-driving coach was needed for a particular program, she'd give the impression that she didn't really know what you were talking about. And by instinct she'd want to support the incumbent coach. That's just how things were in our school system once. And outside critics could be stigmatized within ranks of school staff, to a degree that was ridiculous. Disingenuous: the school people promoted this idea that sports is just "extra" and is far down the list from "academics," but if that really was their point of view, why should they care if there's an occasional coaching shakeup? I mean, if it's such a low priority, why care so much? 

But man they cared! Teachers tried putting people out of business here once. Not a day goes by when I don't think about those strange bygone times in Morris. 

In the long history of underperforming girls basketball coaches, Holmberg was one of them. Remote history, I know. She had a player, Julie Huebner playing post, who today would be a top Division I recruit. Seems like there have been a lot of top "Huebner" athletes. Great bloodline for athletics, I guess. I am a contemporary of Mark Huebner.

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com