Felt like the Waterloo crowd was maybe 80% of what it was last year. Good turnout but less than it has been in the past or when it was out at the Cattle Congress.For those of you that attended one of these locations this year, what was the attendance like?
I was at the one in Waterloo and they drew a pretty good crowd.
I was there and I too thought the crowd would be larger. Still a nice crowd and a great event.Did anyone in the metro make it out to the RecPlex last night?
I was surprised that the crowd was a little lighter than I expected. Thought for sure it would be packed.
We did get a nice picture with TJ.
The line to Campbell wasn't bad but I had kids with me that didn't want to wait in line anymore.
I was there and remember it well. The good ole days! haMidcrest Cyclone Club was host for the “Outings” in Creston’s Elks Club & then moved to Osceola’s Casino. 200 attended in Creston for a steak dinner & then 300 @ the Casino’s buffet. Johnny Orr & Jim Walden rotated as featured speakers in Creston and McDermott & McCarney in Osceola. We presented the AD with $5,000+ donation after the event. At the time, they held 15 or so of these events and the Head Coaches and Staffs hated doing them. When Jamie came in, he looked at the time devoted and monetary return and changed the format. Money talks and the format had seen its day. Side note: A coach made some embarrassing comments and I personally drove to Ames and handed the check to Gene Smith with an apology stating that our Club did not reflect that mindset. He thanked me and that was the end of it.
Yes, the tone and activities are completely different. I see the logic. That said, as an older person not bringing children, who wants to hear the coaches speak I find the 90 minutes or so before the on stage part starts not particularly interesting. I've been to several but decided it wasn't geared for me anymore, so didn't go this year. I get better info from CF honestly.Pollard has been pretty up front that the new (that aren't really that new) are events to help bring in new fans and get kids invested. The old events were pretty insulated and it was the same, mostly old people every year. While I am sure that it was fun for the people that attended those events, it is probably more important that young people and young families feel connected to the athletic program. I doubt the Tailgate Tour is making Iowa State any real money.
The other thing that is different is TJ and Matt are quite different than Johnny and Jim. First, neither one seems especially super interested in attending a bunch of separate country club type events. They have young families. Johnny and Jim enjoyed the events. Do you think Matt and TJ would? So this way, they commit to 6 days in the spring where they have to show up and pose for pictures, play a dumb game that we'll all watch on Twitter, and probably be pretty miserable, but it is only 6 days.
I missed the Waterloo stop for the first time in a long time. Had to help a middle schooler get caught up on math homework before the end of the year.For those of you that attended one of these locations this year, what was the attendance like?
I was at the one in Waterloo and they drew a pretty good crowd.