On Wednesday, November 21st at 5:30pm Clarke University Women’s Basketball team was set to play No. 23 Grand View in Des Moines, IA. However, the long-awaited Heart Game of the Week was postponed only a few minutes into warmups due to a leaky ceiling. Clarke’s players drove a long 3 hours mentally preparing for a big conference game only to have to drive another 3 hours back home without even a quarter of competition.
Reports from players stated that during warmups they noticed parts of the ceiling dripping onto the court leaving it slippery and dangerous to play on. There was also a few garbage cans scattered throughout the court appearing to catch the leaks, but not all spots were covered. When players notified Grand View personnel, they were slow to act to address the issue. After several minutes one of Clarke’s players took it upon themselves to place a garbage can under where the leak appeared to be coming from – in the middle of the court - and continued with their stretches. After still not seeing the problem be addressed, the players informed head coach Adam Hocking who then communicated further with Grand View. After 10 minutes and still no sense of urgency to stop the leaking, Hocking instructed his players to get off the court. Shortly after the cease of warmups the team was informed that the game was being cancelled.
Many players and fans were frustrated with the lack of precautions taken on Grand Views end seeing as they had travelled several hours for a much-anticipated game and were left unsatisfied. Furthermore, Grandview's coach, Jasmine Stohr, told Clarke’s team that within the last 10 days their team had only practiced on their main court twice. This begs the question: Did Grandview know that there was an ongoing problem with their roof and still neglect to address it in time for the game or at minimum give Clarke coaches and players a heads up? Returning players on Clarke’s team have also commented on how in the past there have been garbage cans behind their benches due to the roof leaking. How long has the facility been ill equipped to keep the courts dry during snowy or rainy weather? Due to lack of precautions taken to ensure a safe court to play on in time, players and fans are suggesting the game should have been forfeited on Grandview’s end; especially since Clarke had already made the trip to Des Moines with no prior knowledge of weather potentially affecting the gym.
Additionally, Men's Basketball was supposed to follow up with their game against Grandview, which did not take place either. Players of the men's team stated that from their perspective, with enough preperation and the willingness to play the two games, it could have been possible. Both games have yet to be rescheduled but the Clarke v Grand View matchup will be long awaited.
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