Jamie Pollard talks facilities/south endzone

**ChrisMWilliams** · 07-25-2011, 06:26 PM

Iowa State Athletics: Jamie Pollard talks facilities | Cyclone Fanatic

**CloneFan319** · 07-25-2011, 06:29 PM

Thanks Chris! That's to bad about not having any plans to bowl in the south enzone any time soon :(

**CycloneErik** · 07-25-2011, 06:30 PM

So, we went back to 2500 student season tickets for MBB, and they're sold out. That's really good news!

**cyclonedave25** · 07-25-2011, 06:32 PM

So, in other words, the south endzone will not get underway until we have somebody donate the entire check. (which is what most, if not all of us knew anyways)
And also:

“I am really excited,” Pollard said. “To be back to 2,500 and to do it before we’ve even gotten done with orientation on campus is tremendous. That speaks volumes for the excitement that people have for the basketball program this year.”

Sounds like we increased our student season tickets from 1,600 last year, back to 2,500 this year. Now, hopefully it fills up.

**alarson** · 07-25-2011, 06:32 PM

I couldnt disgree more on the bolded:

“The south endzone would be great, but it doesn’t do anything necessarily for student-athletes. It doesn’t really do anything for current fans, other than the fans would love to see it and so would I. That would be great for new fans but we have to get to a spot where we actually need it and can afford it. Right now, we couldn’t afford it.”

It would do tons for the thousands of fans (and current hillside ticketholders) every week that would rather sit on a permanent seat than have a cold, wet seat, especially later in the season. Plus just the appearance factor. The lack of a bowl really makes us look bush league. Granted the money isnt there right now regardless, but i hope when it is it isnt put behind other projects because they dont see the need for it.

Also... how much money are all these minor sports upgrades going to cost? I understand doing some other stuff for football before the bowl, but an indoor track facility, a new pool, a new golf practice facility, and more upgrades for wrestling, golf, soccer?Those dont exactly pay the bills, and we're already sinking a decent amount of money into the new facility by towers..

**ChrisMWilliams** · 07-25-2011, 06:35 PM

Originally Posted by alarson

I couldnt disgree more on the bolded:

It would do tons for the thousands of fans (and current hillside ticketholders) every week that would rather sit on a permanent seat than have a cold, wet seat, especially later in the season. Plus just the appearance factor. The lack of a bowl really makes us look bush league. Granted the money isnt there right now regardless, but i hope when it is it isnt put behind other projects because they dont see the need for it.

Also... how much money are all these minor sports upgrades going to cost? I understand doing some other stuff for football before the bowl, but an indoor track facility, a new pool, a new golf practice facility, and more upgrades for wrestling, golf, soccer?Those dont exactly pay the bills, and we're already sinking a decent amount of money into the new facility by towers..

Jamie also said that there isn't a timetable on anything so in theory, the endzone could come before any/all of the above.

**Creed** · 07-25-2011, 06:36 PM

While everyone would like to see the South end zone bowled in, it's hard to argue with any of the improvements that JP mentioned.

**CyFan61** · 07-25-2011, 06:38 PM

Originally Posted by alarson

Also... how much money are all these minor sports upgrades going to cost? I understand doing some other stuff for football before the bowl, but an indoor track facility, a new pool, a new golf practice facility, and more upgrades for wrestling, golf, soccer?Those dont exactly pay the bills, and we're already sinking a decent amount of money into the new facility by towers..

The new track and new pool are both desperately needed. I can't speak to the golf facilities but if they are anything like the first two, JP has his priorities straight.

South endzone WILL get bowled in once we start filling up the stands we have now consistently. There is no question about it.

**alarson** · 07-25-2011, 06:39 PM

Originally Posted by CyFan61

South endzone WILL get bowled in once we start filling up the stands we have now consistently. There is no question about it.

We sell many more tickets than we have actual seats. We have for some time. Ever since we lost seats to the suites, any time we sell more than 42500 or so, we're in excess of actual seating capacity.

**isuno1fan** · 07-25-2011, 06:39 PM

Ehhh...I still think they are working on the South endzone after the 2013 season.

**cyclonedave25** · 07-25-2011, 06:42 PM

Originally Posted by CyFan61

The new track and new pool are both desperately needed. I can't speak to the golf facilities but if they are anything like the first two, JP has his priorities straight.

South endzone WILL get bowled in once we start filling up the stands we have now consistently. There is no question about it.

**Cytaki** · 07-25-2011, 06:43 PM

Jamie has a point. We need other things far more than we need the south end zone bowled in right now! The improvements that have been made on Jack Trice were the things that were most pressing. Next, the locker room and office facilities are important. And then the other sports. The south end zone doesn't need bowled in NOW! It will happen though...it just doesn't need to happen NOW...

**clonedude** · 07-25-2011, 06:46 PM

I agree pretty much spot on with what JP had to say. We can't really justify bowling in the south endzone yet. It doesn't add seating capacity to the stadium... it adds permanent seat capacity, but we don't usually sell all the permanent seats we have now.

People that don't like to sit on the grass don't have to. There's plenty of seats available. JP has put a ton of money in Jack Trice lately. Suites, concessions, restrooms, videoboard, and next year a 20 million dollar new football only facility.

I think it makes sense to use a bit of cash on some of the other athletic programs should the money surface. True, they don't pay the bills, but you can't let all your athletic programs complete collapse as the athletic director... you just can't.

He's right about the rec building when it was built. It was done on the cheap, didn't include a pool, and was built in a floodplain. And we're paying for that now. We can't just abandon our indoor track team, our swimming program, and our golf program completely if we want to remain as a first class athletic institution. If all of our programs are now out of the rec bldg except for indoor track, I think we should take the final step and get them out of there too.

Someday, the south endzone will get done. But it will take some time I'm afraid. It's just not in the budget. I agree with JP that we need to first take the steps necessary to attract the best athletes here that we can. The demand for football tickets just does not warrant bowling in the south endzone right now... it just doesn't. Someday it might?

**cyclonedave25** · 07-25-2011, 06:47 PM

Originally Posted by Cytaki

Jamie has a point. We need other things far more than we need the south end zone bowled in right now! The improvements that have been made on Jack Trice were the things that were most pressing. Next, the locker room and office facilities are important. And then the other sports. The south end zone doesn't need bowled in NOW! It will happen though...it just doesn't need to happen NOW...

Now? nah. But, in the next 2 or so years? I sure hope so. I would rather have a bowled in south endzone than more toilets and better concessions. But, that's just me.

**Cytaki** · 07-25-2011, 06:48 PM

In regards to the new rec facility, I think he was talking about the new State Gym facility not getting a new pool. Though I thought it was supposed to and it really should. Well hopefully it gets done. Really if we were smart we wouldn't have put anything on Elwood/University. Hindsight is 20/20 though.