AIRPORT WOES

The team's flight was orignally scheduled to leave at noon...

then 1...

then 2...

then 3:30...

the 5:30...

now is scheduled for 6:30

Oh, the glamor of charter travel....

NASHVILLE

Heading to Nashville in a few minutes. Should be a good trip. It sounds as if the team is ready for this major test. Vanderbilt is developing into a very strong team and I expect that they will be among the top half of teams in the SEC this year...have to wait and see if that prediction holds true.

No TV for this game, but be sure to catch all the action with Bob, Jasmonn and Matt on ESPN950 or WOLF93.1FM or on your computer.

Sunday I will give you a summary of my observations...including a few words from the locker room after the game.

This is the first week of classes and things are really getting cranked up. All week Celia and I are hosting teams at the house for Moe's. Tonight, women's soccer and men's basketball stopped by. Last night, we fed women's swimming, women's tennis, and women's basketball. Women's tennis really has an international flair this year, with team members from Mexico, Equador, Hungary, Canada, and Germany.

Today was also the opening All Staff meeting, which featured President Ayers. He spent about 45 minutes exchanging ideas with the athletic department staff. He focused on the question..."What would you like University of Richmond athletics to be known for?". It was a great opportunty for coaches, administrators, and staff to share their thoughts with the new president.

HEAD COACHES' DINNER

Last night we had our annual Head Coaches' dinner to kick off the year. The last two years we were at Fleming's...this year we tried out the new downtown spot The Black Finn.

It was a very nice event with spouses and a great way to say thank you are the coaches' commitment to the success of our student-athletes and get motivated for the coming year.

Field hockey starts it all off this Saturday morning. Hope to see some of you out at Crenshaw Field for the 11:00 am game.

MAJOR GOLF NEWS

If you have not seen the pictures of our new golf practice facility, you should visit our web site and take a look. It is quite a nice addition. We have had great support from many alumni and friends, including PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, a Richmond grad.

But that is not the REAL NEWS!!!! --- Deputy AD Dave Walsh had his first hole-in-one this past weekend at Independence Golf Club. I am sure he was glad that it came on a Sunday rather than on a work day when he would have had to lie about where he was...

MBB Turny Field Set

As has been previously announced, mbb is playing in the Coaches vs. Cancer event November 5 & 6. I am able to report tonight that the Spiders will be playing in Memphis and the three other teams will be Memphis, Maine, and Tennessee-Martin. Memphis could be ranked #1 in the country...should be an interesting event. Our opponent for the first night has not been determined...but expect us to be playing Memphis Tuesday night if we win our first game on Monday.

The Jim-nasium gets a Plug

Oh...what great publicity the jim-nasium received in the Richmond Times Dispatch on Sunday morning. I will do my best to keep semi-regular updates going thru the school year.

One thing I should tell you is that working with President Ayers has been great. I am a member of his "cabinet" that meets weekly and it is quite apparent that he is dedicated to making an impact on the lives of University of Richmond students and the community.

It's Soccer Time....

MEN...The men’s soccer team starts practice tomorrow, looking for their fifth Atlantic 10 Tournament berth in the last seven years. Pretty good year last year...the Spiders lost just one conference game. The team returns all but one starter, including the 2006 Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year, goalkeeper Eric Sciocchetti. You may want to make it out to the Spiders home opener on Aug. 30...we host Villanova at First Market Stadium. We then head to nationally ranked Virginia on Sept. 2. Good luck to Coach Gettler and the guys as they start their quest for an Atlantic 10 Championship.

WOMEN...The women’s soccer squad gets started early tomorrow morning. They had a tough time last season, but will be more experienced than they have been in the past few years [10 starters returning]. Coach Albright believes the freshmen class will add some size and athleticism.

Good luck to the Spiders as they challenge for the A-10 championship and keep checking RichmondSpiders.com [Notes from the Touchline] for practice updates and pictures.

IN THE PASSING LANE

If you haven't been out to football practice you are missing some great action. For the first time in many years, we have several good-sized wide receivers who really look like great athletes.

We should be in a good position to run Coach's pass-oriented offense. Another reason we are looking so good offensively is the solid line play and a couple very seasoned and very effective running backs. We should score some points!!

It is HOT!!!!!

The fb team practiced at 6:45 this morning to try to beat the heat. It may look glamorous on gameday, playing in front of thousands... but it's all work this time of year!!

Hope you have bought your season tickets... our team is going to be fun to watch.

On another topic...Women's basketball just released its non-conference schedule. It looks pretty tough, with games against Georgia, Nortre Dame, Virginia, Maryland. Be sure to check it out on our webpage... richmondspiders.com

Football

Had dinner with the football team last night...a nice BBQ. All members of the team with a 3.0 gpa or higher had ribs, china, silverware, etc. Very nice event to kick-off the season.

Saw a number of the freshmen. Looks like we continue to bring in some good size, and what Coach Clawson tells me, good speed as well.

Practice starts in a few minutes. I am headed out there right now.

Start Up for 2007-08

With the football team getting cranked up tomorrow, its time to kick-off the 2007-08 edition of the Jim-Nasium.

Look for regular entries starting tomorrow. If you get Spider Sports Update daily, you will be notified when I make a new entry. If you do not get the Spider Sports Update, email Bob Black at bblack@richmond.edu and he will add you to the list.