Tim Bromme

ENG 101 8:30 AM

Shelter at the Outdoor Athletic Field: A proposal from a concerned student
Background:
What does it mean to be outside? Generally, to be outside is to be out of any man-made
structure, and in the open, exposed to the troposphere. As stated on The Troposphere-overview
on UCARs Center for Science Education website (http://scied.ucar.edu/), the troposphere is the
lowest lying part of our Earths atmosphere, and the section of the atmosphere that we and the
rest of the organisms that live with us inhabit. Within the troposphere is approximately three
quarters of all of the oxygen that is present within Earths atmosphere. With this taken into
account, when scientific knowledge is applied, it makes sense that all of the inclement weather
that occurs on Earth is due to the oxygen in the troposphere interacting with the water present on
Earth, as well as the mixing of this oxygen with warm and cold environments around Earth. If
one is outside and is exposed to these meteorological processes, it is safe to assume that a
damper may be placed on their experience if there is no shelter to seek in the immediate area.
Shelter, whether natural or man-made is defined on www.merriam-webster.com as a
noun, and as: a structure that covers or protects people or things. At the outdoor athletic field
and track located on the southern end of campus at Western Washington University, there is no
designated shelter, man-made or naturally formed that could support the average amount of
patrons generally present during the active hours that the facility is open. There is however a
frequent amount of inclement weather in the area, and therein lies the effective dilemma.
Inclement weather poses potential health and safety hazards, and may potentially place patrons
of the outdoor athletic field and track at risk of bodily injury and harm.
The Problem:
Expanding upon the effective dilemma that this proposal is based around, Western
Washington University is located in Bellingham, Washington in the upper most corner of the
contiguous 48 United States. Due to the location of this city and university, inclement weather,
that being a combination of rain and fierce wind is all too common. Storm systems frequently
brew in the Northern Pacific Ocean and move south-west through Canada and into northwest
Washington. Consequently, citizens of Bellingham, Washington are placed directly in the
crosshairs of these storm systems. As a freshman at Western Washington University, when
inclement weather occurs, I am generally glad to be in the confines of man-made shelter, safe
from becoming soaked by relentless rains and blown away by ever prevailing winds.
However, I, and hundreds of other students routinely use make use of the outdoor athletic
field and track on the southern end of campus. Here at this vast and expansive turf field there is

but a modicum of shelter present. There are bathrooms present at the southern end of the facility,
and they are built into the side of a hill on the western edge of the track, providing an overhang
that juts out approximately ten feet by twenty feet. This overhang provides a small amount of
shelter from the elements, but is not large enough to support the amount of people that are
generally present at the outdoor athletic field and track during the day and throughout the night at
most all times of the week. At the outdoor athletic field and track, numerous club teams such as
the Ultimate Frisbee teams, Lacrosse teams, rugby teams, and Westerns collegiate track and
field team practice on the turf field Monday through Friday. Those teams alone amass to a large
group of patrons regularly making use of the facility; and then the intramural sport system at
Western Washington University must be accounted for. Ultimate Frisbee, soccer, flag football,
and spike ball are all played seven days a week at the facility by hundreds of students day and
night. With the majority of users of the outdoor athletic field and track accounted for, there is still
inclement weather to factor into this locomotive equation, and weather doesnt make
accommodations for anything or anyone.
In expansion of weathers stubborn attitude, according to the climate graph included in
the infographic below as provided by U.S. Climate Data, Bellingham received an annual rainfall
of 36.29 inches of precipitation from the years of 1961-1990, and usually blustery, bordering on
dangerous gusts of wind to accompany that precipitation. With there being some form of
precipitation every month of the year in Bellingham, and people using the outdoor athletic field
and track steadily nine months of the year, the problems that arise at the facility are
unequivocally weather related.

This slightly humorous infographic evinces the fact that Bellingham receives rain every
month, and that inclement weather is powerful.

Based off of my own personal experience, and as I am sure many other patrons of the
facility may be able to relate, when I am physically active at the outdoor athletic field and track, I
do not mind a light drizzle or the occasional light gust of wind. However when the two are
combined, or one is more severe, it is very difficult to participate in athletic or fitness activities,
and safely for that matter. When it is raining or windy, the ambient air temperature is generally
much cooler than if it were sunny or merely partly cloudy, and in cooler temperatures, muscles
are more prone to being pulled or injured because they lose heat and contract, which may also
result a restricted range of motion and a higher occurrence of pinched nerves, according to Los
Angeles based physical therapist Vivian Eisenstadt in Amber Greviskes article: Do your
muscles hurt more when its cold outside? on CNN.com. In addition, to be outside running and
exercising in inclement weather generally guarantees that one will eventually be soaked and cold
from the rain, and this may result in chills, low energy and cold skin, all symptoms of mild
hypothermia according to Symptoms of hypothermia by the Mayo Clinic Staff on
www.mayoclinic.org. If the outside ambient air temperature is low enough, and there is a steady
wind as well as rain, mild hypothermia may develop if one is exposed to the elements for a long
enough period of time. While one might argue that it is possible to wear waterproof clothing and
effectively complete athletic and fitness activities, waterproof clothing is expensive and
generally bulky, which may inhibit athletic movement, and ones ability to catch a football or
Frisbee. In extrapolation of catching athletic implements, when ones hands become cold, fingers
are more difficult to move rapidly, and catching a Frisbee, rugby ball or football becomes much
more difficult.
The Proposal: A Shelter for Facility Users
In the face of inclement weather that is unpredictable in its occurrence, but sure to occur,
the most effective solution that would keep users of the outdoor athletic field and track dry and
safe during these frequent events is to construct a man-made shelter on the northern end of the
athletic field. By constructing a man-made shelter at the outdoor athletic field and track, Western
Washington University would be able to provide patrons of the facility with a convenient and
safe place to take shelter during frequent occurrences of inclement weather while at the facility.
An appropriate shelter would be one that has a stable four pillar concrete foundation and an
angled rain and wind-proof roof, and could support at least fifteen people comfortably. Fifteen
people is an approximation, but in my time spent at the outdoor athletic field and track, I usually
observe approximately ten to fifteen people on the premises at any given time. While it is a
rather specific build of shelter, the most appropriate construction would be a Rectangle Gable
Shelter, constructed by ICON Shelter Systems Inc. This type of shelter has a very steep gable
roof that would ensure that any rain, no matter how severe would be deflected and would not
have any possibility of causing anyone or anything in the confines of the shelter to become wet.
ICON Shelter Systems Inc. customizes these shelters to the buyers specifications, and would be

able to build it to an appropriate length and width that would not detract from the usability of the
track or field. By usability, I mean that when a user of the field is playing Frisbee or football,
even rugby, the shelter would not be an obstruction and activity could be performed normally
without infringement on field length, or worries of athletes running into the foundation of the
shelter and potentially injuring themselves. Moreover, a shelter such as the one in contention
would take a relatively short amount of time to construct, a week at the most, and its construction
would not close the whole facility to public use, however the northern end of the facility would
be subject to blockade or partial closure.

Pictured is the Gable Shelter built by ICON Shelter Systems Inc. This is a larger scaled
model, but at the Outdoor Athletic Field an appropriately scaled model would be
constructed.

Worries and Concerns:

Notwithstanding, the construction of a shelter on the northern end of the

outdoor athletic field does warrant protest and concern on the publics
understanding of the shelters cost, and it potentially being too small.
All attempts to contact ICON Shelter Systems Inc. regarding the price of such
a shelter were unsuccessful, and surely the cost would amount to thousands of
dollars, and at the expense of whom? The answer to whom, is the students. As
reported on wwu.edu on the Campus Recreation Services page, the Wade King
Recreation Center was constructed through a self-assessed fee by the students of
Western Washington University in 2003. This is pertinent because it is a fact that
the Wade King Recreation Center cost millions of dollars to construct, and students

were willing to self-assess a fee in order to facilitate its construction; the shelter in
contention would cost thousands of dollars-not millions. If every student attending
Western Washington University were assessed a fee of as little as two to five dollars
in their attendance cost, the cost of this shelter would easily be covered, just as the
users of the outdoor athletic field would be covered during events of inclement
weather.
In like manner, another tangible concern would be whether the facility would
be large enough to support the amount of users of the facility that are generally
present. As stated previously, I generally observe ten to fifteen people at the
outdoor athletic field and track when I am at the location, and I am there a decent
amount. A shelter that would cover ten to fifteen people could easily be constructed
on the confines of the northern end of the outdoor athletic field, but what about one
that could provide shelter to a whole track and field team, or the mens rugby
team? That is up for debate, but surely ICON Shelter Systems would construct a
shelter that would maximize the available space, and provide the most shelter from
the elements; and it is a fact, that some shelter is absolutely more desirable and
valuable than no shelter at all when the health and safety of users of the athletic
field is at risk. The silver lining that pertains to this shelter is that it would not only
keep enjoyers of the outdoor athletic field and track dry and safe from inclement
weather, but it would also provide shelter for their valuables and possessions that
they bring with them. Most people own a gym bag that they will fill with a variety of
things, some that may become ruined by rain and wind, and to place them in the
confines of the shelter would keep them dry and intact.
Conclusion and Summarization:
In summation, the occurrence of inclement weather at the outdoor athletic
field and track is a recurring problem that is sure to occur and is beyond mans
control. Rain, wind and cold air pose health risks to users of the outdoor athletic
field such as chills, mild hypothermia, and pulled muscles or joints. Constructing a
gable roofed shelter on the northern end of the facility would provide safety from
the elements for patrons of the facility as well as their belongings, and would
definitely reduce the potential effect of the aforementioned risks because users of
the facility would be able to escape inclement weather and wait for the weather to
pass, or warm up their muscles and potentially put on the appropriate clothing and
not get soaked while doing so.
Currently, there is no shelter on the northern end of the outdoor athletic field
and track however construction would be relatively cheap and hardly inconvenient.
Beginning construction would be as simple as proposing the idea to the student
body through email and public meeting, and if the opinion of the idea was generally
positive, assessing a small fee to the cost of students attendance at the university
would easily pay for the shelters construction.

Rhetorical Assessment:
1. Being very upfront, my audience was users of the athletic field, the
administration at Western Washington University, and people who may have
concerns about the construction of a shelter at the outdoor athletic field and
track. I made it very apparent who my audience was by referencing the
mentioned groups within the proposal, and directing the proposal towards
them in a manner that was sensible and flowed well. This proposal matters
to the mentioned audience because they all have some sort of stake in the
proposal. Users of the facility would be provided with shelter and also
facilitate the construction of the shelter, Western Washington University
would also be included in the construction process of the shelter, and people
who have concerns about the proposal may hold back the construction of the
shelter or require convincing before approving of the construction of the
shelter. In terms of unique angle, I would say that I was very thorough with
each audience in terms of explaining their stake and what would be required
of them, and I approached each audience with confidence in the fact that
constructing a shelter is absolutely the right thing to do.
2. I did not necessarily choose an audience for my proposal, the audience was
practically pre-determined. I already knew that students of Western
Washington University are the primary user s of the outdoor athletic field and
track, so it was sensible to include them as my primary audience, and then
WWU was another group, because they would play the ultimate role in
deciding whether to construct the shelter. Finally, there are always critics of
everything, so I had to address them too when listing and refuting concerns.
Based off of my audience and my general writing style, I chose a
straightforward and direct approach, and attempted to be professional,
because after all in my eyes, this is a serious proposal. Throughout I
attempted to be logical and connect the dots as well with definitions and
context.
3. I chose to start this proposal with a rhetorical question as a hook. Being that
this proposal is not humorous and doesnt really plead to any emotions, I
thought it would at least grab the readers attention because it is a thought
provoking question. To the reader, being outside is subjective and has its own
emotional and mental connotations. Correspondingly, the proposal focuses on
an outside location, so to mention outside right off of the bat is somewhat
convenient. On the flip side of the coin, the conclusion works as a strong
restatement of my introduction in a way that reinforces the need for a shelter
on the outdoor athletic field. In my introduction I stated that weather doesnt
make accommodations for anyone or anything, and I was sure to restate that
in the conclusion in order to solidify that point and expand on its importance.
4. In terms of ethos and tone and the role they played in the development of the
proposal, I approached my audience as a genuinely concerned student and

made use of a straightforward and professional tone. By including concerned

student in the title of the proposal, I come across as someone who cares
about the users of the field and wants them to be safe and happy when at the
field during the occurrence of inclement weather. In addition, the cause and
effect I chose to articulate the most was inclement weather and its potential
effect on the health of users of the outdoor athletic field and track. I chose to
do so because when people play sports or exercise, something that everyone
worries about is injury, so I thought that in expanding vastly on the risks of
inclement weather and also on how a shelter would lessen or negate these
risks.
5. I chose two images to include in this proposal; an infographic and a picture of
the shelter that would be constructed were this proposal approved. The
infographic gave some respect to science and statistics in that I cited average
rainfall in Bellingham in order to contribute to the professional and
straightforward tone of the proposal, and the problem is weather related, so I
thought that a rainfall graph and pictures that included wind and rain would
be suitable. Then I included a picture of the shelter being proposed simply
because it may be difficult for some of my audience to visualize a gable
roofed shelter or the specific shelter offered by ICON Shelter Systems Inc.
Furthermore, when it came to the structure of this proposal, I followed the
outline provided in the document that is posted in canvas. I used information
and sources in a way that was orderly and sensible and built upon itself.
6. In short order, I delivered this proposal to my audience in written form. In
expansion, it contained an introduction, an overview of the problem, a
proposal of a solution, concerns from critics, and a solution as well as a
conclusion in that order. In each section leading up to the proposal of a
solution, I made use of sources and information in order to build towards the
proposal of the solution and make my audience realize that inclement
weather is a serious problem. Then in discussing my solution and the
concerns and refutation I made use of other sources that reinforced the low
cost and low inconvenience of my solution. The use of sources proved important in

delivering the proposal because the sources build on each other and they were relevant to
each section of the proposal. Sources used included a picture, and infographic, articles,
and educational websites.