By: Ava-Caroline Schmidt
For the past several years, Southern Adventist University has been using flip chart
scoreboards and a small digital clock on fields three and four for outdoor intramural sports.
However, in the past few weeks, students witnessed tall, metal poles being set into the ground
near the outdoor track beside the Hulsey Wellness Center. The poles were part of the new
scoreboards that have been officially up and running since Monday, Oct. 26, just in time for the
flag football playoffs.
According to Troy Walker, the head of Southern’s Intramurals, softball fields one, two
and five have had physical scoreboards for the past seven years.
According to Darin Bissell, the facilities manager in the School of Health and
Kinesiology, Coca-Cola supplied the boards due to a contract that Southern signed with them, in
exchange for selling their drinks on campus. As a result, Southern was only expected to cover the
installation, which included digging the holes, pouring the concrete and supplying power.
“Coca-Cola said that scoreboards typically run between $8,000 to $20,000, depending on
the boards you get.” Bissell said.
Soon after rose the question of why Southern is promoting a caffeine-based beverage
company on their scoreboards if students are encouraged not to consume caffeine.
“In our original request with Coca-Cola, we had asked for the logo to be Powerade to
match what we have on the softball fields,” Bissell explained. “They accidentally sent the wrong
logo and will be switching it soon to what we requested.”
For Marli Mitchell, a junior history major and score keeper for intramurals, Wednesday
evening, Oct. 28, was her first night managing the new scoreboards. The standard protocol for
score keeping is to manually write every play down, keep track of the score and time and change
the flip chart scoreboards if a team scores. Scorekeepers now not only need to document
everything manually but are also required to plug in the stats to the scoreboard through the new
controllers.
With the new scoreboards, players and spectators can see how much time is left on the
clock and the score of the game without having to walk in front of the clock. Before the
scoreboards were installed, those walking in front of the clock would often obstruct the view of
the players, referees and spectators who wanted to see the stats.
During the first week of the scoreboards being used, Mitchell had some challenges
keeping score. Crowded sidelines obstructed her view and communication with referees on when
to start and stop the clock. She was several yards away from the field, as the scoreboards require
a direct electrical connection, and their controllers need to be plugged into a power source.
According to Bissell, Southern is planning on using portable battery-powered stations so
scorekeepers can operate the scores from a more convenient and closer location.
“I think that students will like it,” Mitchell said. “I think it’s good for them to be able to
see the clock itself, [because] we had those little digital clocks, but they broke.”
Joshua James, a sophomore finance major who is currently playing flag football,
welcomed the addition of the new scoreboard.
“It’s very good, because when you’re on the field, you can really have a sight of what the
score is and how much time is left,” James said.
Andressa Gomes De Sousa, a freshman nursing major who plans to join kickball, said the
scoreboards are a positive addition.
“It makes it look neat,” De Sousa said.
She also noted that the larger displays make it easier for spectators to follow games
without having to move around people or ask others for the score.
According to Bissell, the new scoreboards are part of a larger plan to improve the athletic
facilities on campus.
“Within the next two to three years, there is a plan in place to update scoreboards in Iles
Gym and also on Field 6 over across from the Collegedale Church,” Bissell said.
For now, students and staff are adjusting to the new equipment as the program continues
to grow and work through the initial challenges of operating newer displays. With the larger
scoreboards giving a clear view of game time and scores, this marks another step forward in
improving player, referee and spectator experience.
