University decides to go ahead with competitions as planned

After Tuesday's horrific events in New York and Washington, few on campus thought of the joy and camaraderie of sports. But athletic competition is a crucial part of the fabric of life in America and at Princeton, and the University has decided to participate in as many sporting events as possible in an effort to return to normalcy.

President Tilghman, in her address Tuesday to the Class of 2005, said "We will get on with the business of education" and refute efforts to "paralyze us into inactivity."

Classes begin today as scheduled and in the same vein, tonight's scheduled athletic events will go on as planned. The field hockey team takes on Drexel, and men's soccer faces Farleigh Dickinson. Both contests are being held at Princeton. The football team kicks off its season Saturday night against Lafayette, and most college football games across the country will be played on Saturday, as planned.

In contrast with Major League Baseball, which cancelled all of its games yesterday and today, only two Princeton sporting events have been cancelled or postponed. The men's water polo team, scheduled to take on UCLA in Los Angeles, will not make the trip because of "safety concerns" about air travel, Director of Athletics Gary Walters '67 said.

Also, the field hockey team had a home game scheduled for Saturday against Yale, but the Elis have decided not to participate in any athletic events through Sunday. The game has been rescheduled to Oct. 30.

In general, however, the Department of Athletics is attempting to follow the normal schedule as closely as possible while making sure those who were personally affected will have time to mourn.

Although the games will be played, the atmosphere will be more somber than usual.

Most athletes appear to agree with the adminstration's decision to play out the schedule.

"My opinion is that we should go on with things, and goodness will prevail," said Emily Townsend, a junior defender on the field hockey team.

"People who need the time should be able to separate themselves from competition, but we have a commitment — a season that we've worked so hard for. The terrorists have done enough destruction."

"I have mixed feelings [about playing]," senior forward Mike Nugent of the soccer team said. "It's obviously a terrible tragedy and we're all upset, but we feel that soccer's a great outlet off the terrible events. I do want to play but would understand [if the game was postponed.]"

Perhaps the best reason to stick with the normal athletic schedule will be the ability for some to temporarily escape the thoughts of Tuesday's awful events.

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"Once you step on the field you just focus on what you're doing," Nugent said. "I think that for the hour and a half that we're playing [today] it won't be in our minds."

"[Tuesday] we had a light practice. It helped us clear our heads and pulled us away from the TV," Townsend said.