As Buffalo's athletic director, Warde Manuel has set a lofty goal for the university: 10 Mid-American Conference Championships in four years. On Tuesday, he may have found the perfect way to achieve that goal, and also pick up a few national titles along the way.
The NCAA approved Buffalo's request to institute a Division-I figure skating program starting in the fall. Some programs feature figure skating as a club sport, but Buffalo will become the first accredited varsity figure skating program for both men's and women's sports in the country.
"This is a great day not only for our Athletics Department, but for our entire university," Manuel said. "This is the next step the University at Buffalo needed to take if we're going to be taken seriously both in the MAC and at the Division-I level."
UB President John B. Simpson also believes that adding a figure skating program is a vital piece in the future success of the entire university.
"[The figure skating program] is a huge component of UB2020. Our university has always been a pioneer in the world of Academia and we now feel that it is time to truly branch out and add new options for prospective athletes," Simpson said in a press release. "Ever since I saw the movie The Cutting Edge 15 years ago, I knew that the university needed a program that exuberated exactly that kind of passion, enthusiasm and theatrics. Our new sport will greatly complement the other strong athletic programs we already have in place."
Manuel also announced that former Olympic figure skater Brian Boitano will coach both squads. Boitano won a gold medal for the U.S. in the 1988 Winter Olympics and was inducted into World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1996.
"Brian is someone we've always had in mind for this job if the opportunity ever presented itself. I've always been good friends with Brian (him) and we talk at least once every few weeks. I think he's going to do a magnificent job building this program," Manuel said when asked what Brian Boitano would do.
Boitano is expected to begin work next week. He will then go on a recruiting trip that could take him anywhere from Bulgaria to Saskatchewan to Zaire, according to Manuel. Tryouts for potential walk-ons will also take place as the new fall semester nears.
Each team is expected to consist of six members. For the program's first two years, five of those 12 slots will be held for players on scholarship. That number could increase to as many as 10 student-athletes if the program meets a certain set of criteria. The remaining spots will be reserved for walk-ons.
Financial details for this new endeavor were not disclosed, but a Business First report suggests that the new figure skating program could cost the university somewhere in the $19 million range over the next three years. The price tag would have been exponentially higher if UB had to flip the bill for a brand new state-of-the-art rink. The teams will compete at the Amherst Pepsi Center for the foreseeable future.
Manuel also announced that fashion designer Marc Ecko has been tapped to work on the team's uniforms. Ecko recently made headlines in the sports world after buying former San Francisco Giants' slugger Barry Bonds' record-breaking 756th home run ball. Ecko runs his own brand of clothing, specializing in urban apparel.
"The designs I've seen so far have been fabulous," Manuel said. "Marc is doing a wonderful job blending traditional figure skating attire with some urban flair that will make them appealing to our entire student body."
Being the only Division-I figure skating team in the country next fall, the Bulls will skate uncontested in not only the MAC Championships, but in the NCAA tournament as well. Manuel was not concerned about the validity of those championships being called into question.
"When we won titles at Michigan, no one asked how we won them...A win is a win; a championship is a championship. No questions asked," he said.
With two championships seemingly in the bag, only eight other teams need to step up in the next year to meet Manuel's original goal. If not, then the decades-old rumor of UB starting a Division-I duck calling team may finally come true.
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Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
