Windsor not ideal for bowl location

Thursday, August 12, 2010

We are getting deeper into August and look forward to the start of high school football practices with this one nagging question: What has become of the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl? What have they done to this game?

That question is asked by this scribe simply because it’s been, to be fair, some 16 years since I last covered the game, due mainly to the minor league baseball beat.

And this is nothing against the good feeling that prevailed during Saturday’s 34-20 New Hampshire win, the large crowd and all the money that was raised by the Shriners. Kudos to all involved.

And it’s also nothing against the hard work and dedication by the people of Windsor, Vt., and Windsor High School. They did all they could with what they had. Especially athletics director Bob Hingston and his staff, who, despite being visibly exhausted at the end of day, got help for the media with all of the technical and other issues after the game.

But the game doesn’t belong at a high school. It belongs at a college facility, where the staff support is stronger, the parking is better, and the overall atmosphere is better for fans, players, coaches, media and all others involved. It’s a game of soon-to-be collegians – it should be played at a college.

And that’s not just one man’s opinion. Shrine publicity director David Orr said the organization is “very happy” with Windsor, but he’s not living in the real world.

As one New Hampshire assistant coach whispered when a comment was made in passing about the venue, “Dartmouth College.” New Hampshire head coach Ken Sciacca enjoyed likely his final game of his career and third Shrine Game as head coach. He was not shy about his venue opinion.

“This, for the kids, this is terrible,” Sciacca said. “You need to be at a college. It doesn’t have to be at Dartmouth. … But this is not the Shrine Game.”

And he’s right. Don’t misunderstand, there was a special feel to the event; there had to be, with a crowd of close to 5,000 (actual attendance was not announced). But as one was driving on a dirt road that was part of a detour away from the center of town in the waning moments of the pregame parade, that same thought occurred.

“I don’t know what the attendance was, but it couldn’t have been close to what they would have gotten at a nice facility,” Sciacca said.

He was even more outspoken when asked if he was surprised months ago when it was made known the game would be played a second straight year at Windsor.

“No, I actually knew it when I applied,” he said.

But then came the punch line: “If I had driven here (ahead of time),” Sciacca said, “I probably would have pulled my name out.” He wasn’t kidding; he wasn’t saying it for dramatic effect. Sciacca has always been a straight shooter, and he was simply saying what was on his mind – and a lot of others’ minds, as well.

“This is not the Shrine Game,” he said. “For the Shriners themselves, this is not the Shrine Game. The town itself – it’s a nice little town, but it’s not the Shrine Game to me.”

So what’s happened? Ironically, the first Shrine Game was played in 1954 right here at Nashua’s Holman Stadium. Someone mentioned Stellos Stadium as a possible site, but no, too far for Vermont and also you still need a bigger facility with a college staff running it. Dartmouth reportedly had some conflicts and reported renovations, so after 37 straight years in Hanover, the game was switched in 2006 to Plymouth State. It returned to Hanover for two more years before Windsor snared it for 2009 and this year.

Bad move. No one really had any concrete answers as to why the Hanover location has been abandoned, except perhaps cost and possibly more facility renovations. There was talk the other day that Castleton (Vt.) State College made a strong pitch for this year’s game but was rebuffed. And word was, it’s been made known Dartmouth’s Memorial Field won’t be available for next year’s game, either, slated for Aug. 6.

There have been other changes, too. In 2006, a hokey rule was instituted when the trailing team scores and is still down by 10, it receives the ensuing kickoff and has another chance. This kept Vermont in the game on Saturday, but it’s not football. The change from 15-minute quarters to 12 minutes was OK; simply because of the 29 penalties called, we might still be in Windsor.

Yes, good ol’ Windsor. Nice place for the Shrine Game to visit, but I certainly hope it doesn’t end up living there.

Please get back to Hanover as soon as possible.