Just a few days into their second summer camp under head coach Paul Rhoads, the Iowa State Cyclones suddenly have more important things on their mind than preparing for the start of a season.
Massive flooding has hit the Ames, Iowa, campus and surrounding areas following a thunderstorm that dumped up to six inches of rain overnight. That storm was preceded by several day of heavy rainfall in the area and led to the state of emergency that exists Wednesday.
As a result of the flooding, Rhoads called off today’s scheduled practice and several dozen players helped to surround the Jacobson Athletic Building with sandbags beginning at around 9:15 ET this morning. Those players who were helping were already in the building lifting weights when nearby Squaw Creek overflowed its banks; nearly half the squad was isolated from the facility due to the rising water.
According to ESPN.com, the majority of the on-campus football facilities — both Jack Trice Stadium and the indoor practice field — have not yet been damaged, although the Ames Gazette reported that the outdoor practice fields were flooded “at about knee level.”
As to when summer camp would resume, that answer remains very much up in the air.
“What are we going to do about practice and so forth, that’s a good question once we’ve seen what happens with the water, but there’s really no way we could go somewhere else on campus here,” ISU associate athletic director for communication Tom Kroeschell said. “We’re just waiting to see. We’re watching. We’re standing there watching the water. We’re sandbagging and just kind of watching.”
My heart goes out to all our citizens being affected by events such as this. If one thing mother nature can teach us is that all else fails in comparison when it comes to our homes and treasures.
We’re here to talk football, but one can’t help but to imagine what all these young men are dealing with at the present time.