Alcohol and Athletics

It is not uncommon to see beer cans scattered across the Augustana green after a long weekend, even if Augustana's student handbook describes the campus as dry. 

Although drinking is not supposed to occur, coaches set policies for their players concerning alcohol consumption.  The Augustana athletic department prefers athletes forgo the use of alcohol and prohibit its use when students directly represent the college at sporting events, explained Jeff Holm, Augustana assistant athletic director.  Even with this policy, each coach implements his/her own regulations.

During the three-month soccer season, the team is expected to completely refrain from alcohol usage, junior Stacy Dally said.  In the three years Dally has played soccer for Augustana, she has never seen alcohol as an issue on her team. 

Dally says coach Brandon Barkus is very clear about the consequences: being caught drinking once while in season results in a two week suspension; a second incident means the player is off the team. 

For the team's short season, Dally feels this policy is fair, as alcohol does affect an athlete's body.  She also finds it off-putting that other teams don't have stricter regulations.

Some teams, however, have policies in place that give athletes more liberties.  Football coach Mike Aldrich requires his players to stay out of bars and clubs during the season, according to senior Ryan Isaacson.  The consequence of breaking this rule has come to be called the "Breakfast Club": a 6 a.m. workout consisting of either running the stairs in Kirkeby-Over Stadium or bear-crawling ladders on the basketball court. 

Isaacson said that it is out of "respect for the coach and the team [that players do not] break those rules."  He feels the coaches at Augustana truly care about the players' health and safety, saying they take on a parental role as the players break away from their own parents. 

Isaacson feels these rules are reasonable and easy to follow.  He says that as long as a player's alcohol use is not affecting the team, he doesn't care what individuals are doing on their own time.

The basketball team employs a 48-hour rule, forbidding players to drink in the 48 hours prior to a contest, senior Adam Peterka said.  In his four years playing basketball at Augie, Peterka hasn't seen any issues with this policy.  He says the coaches treat the players like adults and expect them to make the right decisions—alcohol and athletics don't mix.

Volleyball players have a similar 48-hour rule, prohibiting the use of alcohol 48 hours prior to any physical requirements for the team.  This includes practice, games, workouts and physical conditioning, coach Ashley Buckley said.  Buckley has made her expectations very clear this year and has consequently seen no alcohol-related issues on the team.

Contrasting the soccer policy of no alcohol, no exceptions, the baseball coach Tim Huber doesn't feel the need to implement as many alcohol policies.  Huber expects his players to be smart and realize they are representing Augustana, their team and their coach even when they are off the field.  The only specific rule Huber has is not allowing players to drink the night before a game. 

Junior Clarke Comer explained that coach Huber expects them to be responsible whenever associated with Augustana—if they are in a bar, they shouldn't wear Augustana clothes and when the team is traveling, no drinking is allowed in hotel rooms, regardless of age.