UAA gymnasts, skiers and hockey players turn to philanthropy to save their sports

Hometown, Alaska - Alaska Public Media

Back in late August, UAA’s chancellor Cathy Sandeen announced a difficult financial decision: university funding for women’s gymnastics, men’s hockey and men’s and women’s skiing would be eliminated. A campus town hall to discuss, and UA regents’ action at their Sept.10 meeting gave the athletic teams the opportunity to try and support themselves. The ski team managed to save Nordic, but lost alpine, and half of its funding.

Here we are four months later, still in the throes of a spreading pandemic and an oil-price and pandemic-induced economic decline in the state. How are the state university teams’ survival efforts going?

On the next Hometown Alaska, we’ll feature the coaches for gymnastics, hockey and skiing to share how they plan to survive. If their fundraising is successful, what’s the next step? Are they folded back into the university athletic family once again?

As always, your questions and comments are welcome throughout the program. Join us!

HOST: Kathleen McCoy

GUESTS:

• Sparky Anderson, UAA NCAA men’s and women’s skiing coach
• Marie-Sophie Boggasch, UAA women’s gymnastics coach
• Matt Curley, UAA men’s hockey coach

LINKS:

• UAA Chancellor Cathy Sandeen announces elimination of four sports: gymnastics, men’s and women’s skiing and hockey, 8.24.2020, UAA Website
• UA Regents summary of actions, September 10, 2020, PDF
• REGENTS: If UAA skiing, hockey and gymnastics want to stay, they need to raise money, Alaska Public Media, 9.19.20 news story
• SKIING: 314 Friends of UAA Skiing, fundraising site for ski team, website
• Ski-racing Media, matching funds website
• HOCKEY:Save Seawolf Hockey campaign. fundraising website
• GYMNASTICS: Save UAA Gymnastics fundraising website, with additional links to donate beyond gofundme.com

PARTICIPATE:

• Call 550-8433 (Anchorage) or 1-888-353-5752 (statewide) during the live broadcast (2:00 – 3:00pm)
• Send e-mail to [e-mail] before, during or after the live broadcast (e-mails may be read on air)
• Post your comment or question below (comments may be read on air
• LIVE: Monday, December 7, 2020 at 10:00 a.m
• RE-AIR: Monday, December 7, 2020 at 8:00 p.m.
• PODCAST: on this page after the show