Athletics preps for TS Isaac

 
Bad weather threw monkey wrenches in the Southern football team’s fall camp already, forcing the team to either cut short or outright cancel scrimmages.
As Tropical Storm Isaac gathers strength in the Gulf of Mexico and south Louisiana braces for a Wednesday landfall, Southern athletics director William Broussard said Monday all Southern teams must continue to make preparations and adjustments.
Broussard addressed the media and discussed issues regarding possible storm-related changes Southern athletic teams could make in the upcoming days.
“When you’re faced with these adversities, no one’s going to take pity on you,” Broussard said. “We strap it up and go out and get ready to play on Saturday, and same thing with our soccer and volleyball teams.”
The football team is currently slated to leave for Albuquerque, N.M., Friday for its Saturday season opener at New Mexico, Broussard said. The team moved up today’s practice to 7 a.m.
The plans for athletics are based on projections of Isaac’s path. Broussard said he was among a group of high-ranking university leaders meeting earlier Monday to discuss Isaac and its potential impact on the university.
The athletics department also made plans to have certain personnel stay in case the team’s flight has to be adjusted to keep them out of harm’s way.
“Obviously, we have to be very nimble in making the adjustments the later we get into Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning and see that the storm is not going to take the track that we’re expecting to take currently we’ll have to adjust,” he said.
Broussard discussed the players’ mental state, having to leave to play approximately 1,000 miles away from home while family members face the brunt of the storm.
Although players will have their families and homes on their mind, Broussard said the game can serve as a momentary escape and allow them to put their concerns aside – even though those things outside of football takes precedence and are ultimately more important.
“We have a lot of young men on the football team who are from the Baton Rouge area, from the River Parishes, from the New Orleans area, who thoughts are going to be on their families back home,” he said.