THE COUNTDOWN has begun. Less than one week until the well-celebrated day full of drunken debauchery. No, not the last day of classes; I'm talking about Foxfield. Every spring, thousands of University students flock to the site of the infamous Charlottesville Steeplechase. These students - legally able to drink or not - do not come to the races for the horses; they come for the socializing, and the drinking.
Both irresponsible and underage drinking is far too prevalent at the Foxfield Races and creates a huge safety risk for everyone at the races, drinking or not. This year, things will be a little bit different. Albermarle County Police and the Foxfield Racing Association should be commended for their increased efforts and planning, which will make this year's Foxfield races safer for all that attend. Their quest to fight drinking problems, however, is far from complete.
Everyone who comes to Foxfield this year will bear witness to the "crackdown" that Albermarle County Police and the Foxfield Racing Association have planned. Efforts will include plainclothes police officers on patrol inside Foxfield as well as private security officers, uniformed police officers and required wristbands for those who are over 21 and wish to drink alcohol ("Foxfield, police fight drinking problem," April 11, The Cavalier Daily). The focus of the increased security is not to decrease the vast amounts of underage drinking, but rather to respond to fights and emergencies, littering, public urination and drunk driving. All of these are problems that need to be eradicated in order to begin eliminating irresponsible drinking, but with the hoards of University students in attendance at Foxfields, underage drinking needs to be kept more in check through tougher enforcement of wristbands and tighter patrolling.
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Foxfield private security will be patrolling the areas to look for students who are drinking alcohol without the required wristband. But these are simply "friendly patrols" and the officers really don't want to get students in trouble. This is more than evident. Last year there were a mere 12 arrests at Foxfield on various charges, only some of which involved underage drinking. We would be kidding ourselves if we believed that those were the only 12 minors drinking at the entire Foxfield Races. Wristbands or not, minors procure alcohol and drink it just like everyone else at Foxfield.
It is too dangerous for security officers haphazardly to encourage underage drinking through their lack of strict enforcement, and their focus being more so on the outcomes of irresponsible drinking. With the gates opening at 10:30 a.m. and students typically staying until 5 p.m., the extreme sun and possible dehydration pose threat enough to the attendees of the event. Add alcohol and possible mass consumption of it to the day, and many people could end up passed out or even in the emergency room.
Granted, where there's a will, there's a way. The whole allure of the steeplechase event to students and alumni alike is the mass social affair with alcohol flowing like water. It's tradition, and it's fun. Alcohol should not be barred from the races; it should just be kept under better control in conjunction with the other new safety measures this year.
With Albermarle County Police and the Foxfield Racing Association advertising their increased efforts to curb drinking related issues, they really should step up the intensity and begin with fighting the issue of drinking itself. Foxfield Racing Association President J. Benjamin Dick claims that the security officers and patrollers are "there to help." Because the officers are maintaining such a relaxed attitude concerning the crackdown on underage drinking at Foxfield, they are not helping patrons to remain safe and healthy so much as helping them potentially to get wasted.
As much as underage drinking is a concern, at least the problem has been recognized, and hopefully in years to come a proper solution will surface, such as tighter control over drinking on private plots, limits on the amount of outside alcohol allowed into Foxfield, or maybe even designated areas - like outside bars - for patrons over 21 to frequent if they should like to drink. For now, the new policies that will be instituted at Saturday's Foxfield Races hopefully will minimize some of the drinking and the problems associated with it. There only is so much officials can do. Until patrons realize that a day in the sun with thousands of your friends can be fun without alcohol, we must be thankful that Albermarle County and the Foxfield Racing Association are making the efforts that they already are.
(Alex Roosenburg's column appears Mondays in the Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at aroosenburg@cavalierdaily.com).
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