By Mike GarrettUSC Athletic Director
It's hard to believe that graduation at USC is only six weeks away because there is still so much on the docket for our spring sports teams. This is an exciting time of year for us; seemingly every day some Trojan team is in competition. Some thoughts:
- The Lane Kiffin era of USC football has gotten under way with the start of spring practice this week. I'm looking forward to watching our team develop over these next few weeks. I've always believed that spring ball is crucial to building the foundation of a team. Although Coach Kiffin and his staff are in their first year here and have some building to do, the fact that he and some of his coaches have been here before has dramatically helped in the transition. Practice has just started, but I've already heard positive early reports from the players. They like the way they are being coached. It was especially heartening to hear them mention the staff's emphasis on discipline and detail.
- Earlier this week, we announced a policy for those who want to attend football practice. All of us at USC understand that these new guidelines might seem inconvenient to you (i.e. calling in 24 hours prior for approval), but I thank you in advance for following them. This policy was enacted in the best interests of the program and our players, and we know that those who truly care about USC will understand and be supportive. Bottom line, we want to make sure that we know who is attending our practices. The other day, I was talking to someone about our new system and they used this analogy: air travel has become a bit more inconvenient in recent years because of all the procedures people now must go through at airports, but those procedures were put in place for a reason and people still do travel on airplanes. People will still be able to watch our practices, but the way we manage that has been adjusted.
- Speaking of football, 2010 season tickets go on sale on April 7 at USCTrojans.com. We have a very appealing -- and challenging -- home schedule: Virginia, Washington, California, Oregon, Arizona State and Notre Dame. And, if you want a sneak peak of the 2010 Trojans in action, don't forget to also buy your tickets to the Spring Football Game on May 1 in the Coliseum. That's always a fun event.
- Do you want to know the real reason I love the spring sports season? Because it gives me a chance to get out of the office more often than normal and do what I love doing the most: watching our teams compete. One day, I might be out at Marks Stadium watching tennis, the next day at Dedeaux Field for a baseball game, then the next at McDonald's Swim Stadium cheering on the water polo team. I'd love to have you join me. We have 19 teams at USC -- maybe some sports that you've never seen in person before -- and they all compete at high levels. There's no doubt that college sports offer the best entertainment value around.
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