What's Buggin Andy: Bowl in Jack Trice

**cyatheart** · 09-17-2012, 12:34 PM

I will never stand on a hillside again after doing it a couple years ago when I couldnt get a ticket to a game. And I know many people that won't go if they have to stand on a hillside. If you want to actually watch the game, it is not a good experience. For some it may be a good thing, but a lot of people it is not.

**Frak** · 09-17-2012, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by farminclone

I was not referencing the activities you have listed. They are very important and I am glad our AD is willing to put the time and effort into doing things to get the next generation excited about ISU athletics. I was referring to the fact that people in our fanbase think we "need" hillsides as an area for people to take their kids, stretch out, play, etc, when there are literally hundreds of other D1 programs that seem to manage without these "amenities".

I think that what you do is you fence off the north hillsides and make them a Jr Clone Club area where it's general admission for those kids and their parents. Then stop selling hillside tickets all together and have a discounted area in the corners or the new SEZ.

**Frak** · 09-17-2012, 12:38 PM

Originally Posted by farminclone

With this SEZ, I hope the plan is to make it very close to the field, and steep. I want that thing to have a suffocating effect. The rest of the Jack is too open, which we can't change now. So let's do this endzone right and make it really intimidating.

I'd like to see it as close to the back of the endzone as possible. If they are really going to connect it to the east and west stands, I don't know that you can do anything about the steepness of the lower level, but for the upper level, I'd like to see it as steep as legally possible.

**Boxerdaddy** · 09-17-2012, 12:46 PM

Originally Posted by Frak

I'd like to see it as close to the back of the endzone as possible. If they are really going to connect it to the east and west stands, I don't know that you can do anything about the steepness of the lower level, but for the upper level, I'd like to see it as steep as legally possible.

Steep stands not only will hold in the sound (and possibly mess with the wind for the better even...not as much of a wind tunnel?) but also gives the spectator a better view. Getting up there is a workout though if it's too steep. I had tickets on the top row of Soldier field and when you're wearing 30 pounds of coats and stuff whew...But that said I hope they do it.

**cyfan92** · 09-17-2012, 12:51 PM

I've heard that expanding the press box may get done sooner than a sez expansion. Suites and club seating pay themselves off faster than general admission seating

**cybsball20** · 09-17-2012, 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by CycoCyclone

This is how you get LIFELONG fans

I think a more imporant factor in gaining lifelong fans is keeping the young (under 35) alumni going to the games and keeping it affordable. If they can build the endzone seating and keep it around $150-200 for a season ticket it will likely be one of the hottest tickets around, just like the current end zone seats are now. Keep those young(ish) fans in and interested and maybe they become the ones who buy the suites later.

Originally Posted by 2ndCyCE

My parents had season tickets during the worst years of ISU football (80s and 90s) and would get a babysitter on home football saturdays. Maybe once a season, they would take us kids, and we never had a problem sitting with them in the stands all game long. We couldn't wait for the games we actually got to go to, and weren't going to waste it by running around getting grass stains.

That's exactly what my parents did too. We didn't go to any games until we could really understand what was going on, then we could go to one a year until we were 13. We still became huge Gator fans and it was pretty fun to watch the games with the other nieghborhood kids while the parents were out having fun. It made that one game a year a pretty big deal though.

**Rhoadhoused** · 09-17-2012, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by cyfan92

I've heard that expanding the press box may get done sooner than a sez expansion. Suites and club seating pay themselves off faster than general admission seating

I wouldn't be surprised to A) See club suits included in the SEZ expansion itself or B) See a multiple phase project where the press box is added to as well. B would obviously require a lot more investment and a lot bigger lead donation.

**1100011CS** · 09-17-2012, 01:08 PM

Originally Posted by Frak

I think that what you do is you fence off the north hillsides and make them a Jr Clone Club area where it's general admission for those kids and their parents. Then stop selling hillside tickets all together and have a discounted area in the corners or the new SEZ.

This is what I'd like to see. Don't use "regular" seats for Jr Clone Club kids (at that much lower rate). North hillside for them and only them (and their parents).

**RedlineSi** · 09-17-2012, 01:15 PM

I can't not even begin to fathom someone complaining about losing hillsides in a Div 1, BCS, major conference stadium....it blows my mind. Take your kids to a HS game and have them run around in some grass.

Also, they should include suites in it to help pay for it. Have them in between the lower and upper levels.

**MNCyGuy** · 09-17-2012, 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by RedlineSi

I can't not even begin to fathom someone complaining about losing hillsides in a Div 1, BCS, major conference stadium....it blows my mind. Take your kids to a HS game and have them run around in some grass.

Also, they should include suites in it to help pay for it. Have them in between the lower and upper levels.

I get what you're saying, but anytime the topic of Iowa State's fan culture growth and improvement comes up, people always talk about JP's efforts to get younger kids and their parents involved as a big factor. The ease of getting a kid and their parents into an ISU game compared to an Iowa game has combined with the excitement surrounding the program to convert a lot of the state's kids into Cyclone fans. They talked about this on one of the radio shows recently; if you look around Kinnick on a Saturday compared to JTS, Iowa is an aging fanbase and as this generation of kids starts to grow up we are going to own this state (assuming the program doesn't fall off). The hillsides are a big part of that equation for football, and it would be a shame to lose them completely.

**CapnCy** · 09-17-2012, 01:26 PM

Originally Posted by farminclone

Family friendly? Why do we need family friendly? I'm sorry, but if the ten year olds really wouldn't come to the game if they can't play catch on the hill, that is sad. The reason we are there is to watch the Cyclones win, and support them, not roll around on a hill side.

I agree on the lil Clone Club. That is awesome. We need to keep winning, and keep finding ways onto good TV slots. Growing up I had to try so hard to find ISU games on TV (if they were even on) but could turn on the TV and stumble onto the Iowa game without trying. Exposure is huge in winning more casual fans to our side.

Oh, I'm ok with family friendly going away....I just think we are at a great turning point (when we have to start charging more for tickets, parking, etc) that some folks who are used to certain things may complain (casual fans)...heck, look at the parking discussions, a lot of people have found out they had decent parking because no one else was wanting it.

**CapnCy** · 09-17-2012, 01:28 PM

Originally Posted by Rhoadhoused

I wouldn't be surprised to A) See club suits included in the SEZ expansion itself or B) See a multiple phase project where the press box is added to as well. B would obviously require a lot more investment and a lot bigger lead donation.

I wouldn't be surprised either. Check out what K-State has planned....I wouldn't be surprised if we see something like that soon (basically, expanding the press box we have now the whole length of the field).

**UICyclone** · 09-17-2012, 01:31 PM

Originally Posted by Frak

I think that what you do is you fence off the north hillsides and make them a Jr Clone Club area where it's general admission for those kids and their parents. Then stop selling hillside tickets all together and have a discounted area in the corners or the new SEZ.

I like this. I helps parents keep their little kids away from fans with foul mouths (Not that I'm saying any of you have foul mouths, you're all angels...but my great-grandmother was like half-gypsy *AND* the mad mule driver of Clayton County, it may have rubbed off a bit, and I usually try to keep that stuff cut out when I'm in the stadium but sometimes it slips out ala Ralphie in "A Christmas Story") and possibly not-so-good-tempers (Hawkeye fans).

**CYCL0NE1** · 09-17-2012, 01:53 PM

Originally Posted by DurangoCy

Curious as to why you assume your ticket prices are going to go up significantly?
Increased TV Revenue + Increase Gameday Attendence Windfalls + Potential Lead Donor would lead me to beleive that gouging the fans isn't going to fund the SEZ.

I'm not making that assumption. I'm replying to the statement made earlier that said people will just have to buck up and shell out more money to get this done. Not everyone has the ability to shell out more money regardless of how much they want the SEZ done.