Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Dome Sweet Dome

In February, HWS opened a $3.5 million state-of-the-art, air-supported sports dome behind Robert A. Bristol '31 Field House. Trustee Thomas B. Poole '61, L.H.D. '06 and his wife, Mary Jane Poole P'91, were instrumental in making the new facility a reality through a $1 million lead gift for the fundraising campaign. The official dedication and naming of the dome will take place in the fall. The nearly 86,000-square-foot FieldTurf surface is lined for all of the Colleges' field teams including field hockey, football, lacrosse and soccer.

"Our guys are extremely fired up to be in here," Hobart Head Lacrosse Coach Greg Raymond said on the first day in the dome. "I can't imagine a more perfect place to get better. I can't imagine a more perfect place to play lacrosse. On behalf of Hobart lacrosse and HWS Athletics, I thank everyone who contributed to making this a reality."

The dome immediately paid dividends as a winter storm blew through the area.

"Less than a week after opening, Geneva was hit with a snow and ice storm, typical Northeast weather," William Smith Head Lacrosse Coach Anne Phillips said. "Our preseason practices were unaffected as we practiced in T-shirts and shorts in our amazing new practice facility. We have a very young team and teaching is critical in these first few weeks of preseason. If it weren't for the dome, we would be trying to teach in the cold on snowy Boswell Field. "I think this facility is truly a game changer and gives us an advantage over most, if not all, of our rivals."