Junior High Registered: September 30, 2004 Posts: 534 |  posted Thanks for the info on Colorado Falcon Dad. The similar comparisons to the Pepsi Arena and the Qwest Center kinda throw some assumptions out the window...... Chad Mattox |
Junior Varsity Location: O'Neill, NE Registered: November 18, 2005 Posts: 613 | posted Well, after that informative post by Falcon Dad, we have learned that there are a lot of similarities between the Pepsi Center/Denver and The Qwest/Omaha...only on a bit of a different scale(population...4-5 times more in Denver, size/capacity of Pesi center greater than Qwest). With that comparison, it would in theory, throw out the assumptions of price, traffic, parking, hotels, and distance from hometowns to the venue. That may bring more focus back on Dale Bonge's theory on the UNL Student/high school alumni presence at the Devaney. It may also lend more legitimacy to my theory on the increased media coverage being a factor. Antoher factor that came to mind is maybe the demogrqphic of the supporting entorage of the wrestlers has changed(decreased). Perhaps we are in that cycle where there just isn't as many siblings or other family members that come to watch...perhaps the brothers and sisters are grown up...graduated from high school and off to college too far away...or even old enough to have there own families now and just can't make it. Perhaps there aren't as many grandma's and grandpa's, aunts and uncle's as there used to be. This last theory would be hard to prove, but if only one or two per wrestler less shows up...that's already 1-2,000 less attendees right there. We may never completely solve this mistery as there are so many variables that come into play, especially since we are dealing with humnans and choices. For me, this is my annual pilgrimage...since 1973...so whether it's to provide radio coverage or hopefully in 7-11 years from now to watch my son wrestle...I plan on showing up no matter what the cost and no matter where it is. Keep the theories coming! |
| Junior Varsity Location: pierce, ne Registered: February 11, 2004 Posts: 736 | posted Thank You Falcon Dad, He gave us some very eye opening information. I know the little things like prices and traffic and service mean alot to people here in Nebraska, me included. I have complained mostly about the service from local establishments, but I will not do that anymore. I would like to HELP find a solution to this problem, and I realize by me "whining" on here will not get that done. FALCON DAD, I am interested in knowing how the seating works for you guys in Denver? That too has gained alot of attention around here. Thanks Radio Man and Coach Bonge may just have the "actual" problems down here. We all know the students at Lincoln were great to have around, WHY cant we get the students in Omaha to do the same. I would find it hard to believe that there arent just as many siblings/former classmates at UNO as there were at UNL. Just a thought. Guaranteed LOUDEST guy in the gym!!!! |
| Junior Varsity Location: O'Neill, NE Registered: November 18, 2005 Posts: 613 | posted Yea...not only UNO, but Creighton too. |
| Rookie Location: Colorado Springs, CO Registered: January 05, 2004 Posts: 160 | posted RadioMan - The numbers are different with respect to total population, I'll give you that. My point was more to the fact that the same amount of wrestlers qualify for both meets - 896. NDB - The Pepsi Center blocks 1 section each for nothing but wrestlers and coaches in the northeast & southwest corners of the arena. Using the Qwest Center seating chart, it would be like blocking off sections 109 for the 5A teams and section 125 for the 4A teams. Yes this gets abused by managers, little brothers, and the occasional mom or dad. The teams all sit together in one spot in front of their section of mats. They then warm up in the tunnels leading to the floor. There are warm up mats (just mat sections) in the tunnels. As for the rest of the building, it is all general admission for every session except for semis & finals. They sell you a ticket and you sit where you want. Usually the seats matside get shuffled every match. Mom, dad, g-ma, g-pa, move in, watch Junior wrestle, then go back to where they made their "base camp" and the next group moves in. On semis night, all 4 classes wrestle at the same time on 8 mats (2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9). The other 2 mats (1,10)have consolation matches on them while the semis are going on. As the semis finish, all mats become consolations mats to set up the consolation semis for the next morning's session. You can buy packages of tickets for your group through CHSAA ahead of time. You will be sold tickets in view of your respective mats. To my knowledge it is first come first serve. They start selling tickets a few weeks before regionals. Of course you can always walk up to the box office and buy tickets on site. We had a kid make the finals and I bought 5 tickets for the finals at the box office a few hours before they started to get the rest of his family in to see him wrestle. To be honest, the tickets were up high, but the entire place was sold out by the time it started. Qwest lists a capacity of 18300. Pepsi Center 19309. So they are very close to the same size venues. |
| Junior Varsity Location: O'Neill, NE Registered: November 18, 2005 Posts: 613 | posted Wow...I thought the Pepsi Center was bigger than that...my bad. |
| Rookie Registered: December 08, 2005 Posts: 174 | posted Why can't an online system be devised to just let people see the available seats and purchase them through the internet? Basically, it would be like ticketmaster, but without the additional fee. The Qwest could black out the seats that are reserved for MECA members, coaches, wrestlers, etc. and then it would litteraly be on a first come basis. |
World Champion Location: Wayne, America Registered: October 20, 2002 Posts: 5714 | posted Because, unfortunately, everybody has to play by Ticketmaster's rules. And if you want to complain about ticket prices, availability, etc., they are the first hoop EVERYBODY has to jump through, including the NSAA. "Energy Flows Where Attention Goes" -- James Arthur Ray |
| Rookie Registered: December 05, 2006 Posts: 124 | posted
You start your post stating that it took aome time to read this thread then you come up with this mess. Please learn to use the English language and not some instant messaging garbage. You can also hit your "enter" key and separate your paragraphs. Otherwise you can go back to worshiping Tommy Tutone. After sorting through the mess, there are actually some pretty good points in your post.This message has been edited. Last edited by: JOH, |
| Junior Varsity Location: pierce, ne Registered: February 11, 2004 Posts: 736 | posted Thanks Falcon Dad, Exactly the info I was looking for. I think you have successfully covered the areas at question. Anymore useful info would be much appreciated. Seems to be that Colorado can run a tournament in a bigger city with better attendance in the same size arena. I really think it is time we all, myself included stop being negative and start to come up with reasonable solutions we can pass on to the correct avenues to get this better. Ive said it before and I will say it again, I will never quit supporting Nebraska wrestling, no matter where it is!!! Guaranteed LOUDEST guy in the gym!!!! |
| State Qualifier Registered: March 21, 2005 Posts: 1035 | posted [QUOTE]Originally posted by ndb65: I really think it is time we all, myself included stop being negative and start to come up with reasonable solutions we can pass on to the correct avenues to get this better. QUOTE] Great idea. Now, go to my post at the very top of this forum and give us some solutions. So far there have been 110 viewers and zero ideas posted. Your ideas are as good as anybody else's. |
| Rookie Registered: April 10, 2006 Posts: 75 | posted Frank, I don't see your thread asking for suggestions, What is its title or can someone post the link? I have seen some good ones on this thread. Thanks. The were a few complaints about workers at Quest, so I thought I would share my own story. One year when I wrestled at the state meet, after weighins I went up to the section where my parents and school fans had been sitting. I wanted to leave my bag there and was changing into my wrestling shoes. It was before the doors had opened so I was literally the only person in a seat. As I am tying my wrestling shoes an usher comes up to me and askes if I have a ticket for that seat, I look at him, then I look around at the COMPLETELY empty arena, and then ask if he is serious, he was. I then had to state my case that I was a wresler, this is where my parents would be sitting and promised that I was telling the truth and wouldn't take anyone's seat, he decided to leave me alone for the time being, but would be watching. This was in Lincoln and I only tell it to show that some people take their job a little too seriously, no matter what town they are in...plus I think it is a funny story. I still laugh at this today. If that guy had never seen a "R U 4 Real?" look before, he did then. |
| World Champion Location: Wayne, America Registered: October 20, 2002 Posts: 5714 | posted Hot Dog -- my favorite story about the "candy stripers" in Lincoln goes like this...I was standing near the area where the announcers were in the southeast corner of the Devaney talking with a fellow media friend of mine, and we were both lamenting about the candy-stripers trying to stop every media person coming into the arena IN SPITE OF THE FACT we were all wearing our credentials in full view of anybody who isn't legally blind. As we are standing there talking, we both notice two high school girls who had gotten past the first security guy at the bottom of the stairs, walked past the media room, past the announcers stand and past THREE of these all-powerful candy-stripers. One was holding one of those dinky purse-sized instant cameras and the other was holding . . . and I swear to God on this one . . . a strawberry waffle cone. Neither, I repeat, NETIHER of the two girls had anything around their neck or on their wrist resembling anything that could even be CONFUSED with a press credential. After the initial shock and hilarity of watching these idiots allow this breach of, ahem, security, we found Jim Angele and pointed the two girls out. Suffice it to say that, in spite of the candy stripers and their zeal for showing us media guys who the boss is around here, their stay on the floor was relatively short-lived. Coincidentally, nobody in the media was stopped by this trio of idiots the rest of the tournament. "Energy Flows Where Attention Goes" -- James Arthur Ray |
| World Champion Location: Wayne, America Registered: October 20, 2002 Posts: 5714 | posted . "Energy Flows Where Attention Goes" -- James Arthur Ray |
| Rookie Location: Colorado Springs, CO Registered: January 05, 2004 Posts: 160 | posted Quick update on the purchasing of tickets through CHSAA. I went back and re read the order form last night and it does say that renewal ticket orders will be filled first. What that means is that if a team was sold tickets last year and reorders them again this year, they will get first choice of seating. Of course this only applies to the semis and finals. All other sessions are general admission. You asked for a suggestion, here's one. Find out who (company or individual) leases the luxury boxes at the Qwest. Those boxes usually come with tickets for every event held during the lease period. More than likely these people do not attend the state tournament. Ask them if your school could buy those tickets or if they would donate them. The boxes usually come with parking passes and a set number of tickets for each box. At Pepsi Center they hold 12-15 people. The father of one of our wrestlers (his kid didn't even qualify for state) asked one of the companies he knew that leases a box if we could use their tickets. He was more than happy to let us use the tickets. |
Junior Varsity Location: lincoln ne. usa Registered: January 28, 2003 Posts: 634 | posted Falcon Dad, I know of 2 such owners of boxes and asked the people that were in charge of those boxes for said owners as soon as it was announced they were moving the tournament to Omaha and the response I got was "Oh my god I did not know this was such a big deal we have had over 100 requests for our box" Must have been the fact they could serve beer at that time in those boxes. hawk |
| State Qualifier Registered: March 21, 2005 Posts: 1035 | posted [QUOTE]Originally posted by HotDog: Frank, I don't see your thread asking for suggestions, What is its title or can someone post the link? I have seen some good ones on this thread. Thanks. QUOTE] It's at the very top of the Open Forum page, right above Wrestlers in Iraq. https://huskermat.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7476003901/m/2461047832 |
NCAA All American Location: Helena, MT, USA Registered: October 21, 2002 Posts: 1760 | posted It is of the opinion of many that we need to increase the youth/jrhigh/clubcoaches/community attendance at both the district and state level. Here is my idea on how to fill the seats at the state tournament for years to come: If every tournament throughout the season within 2hours of Omaha ‘paid’ ten of their volunteers (table help/announcers) with a ticket to the Friday night semis or Saturday afternoon finals of state, then the place would be full, fire-marshall full. Ten times $7 = $70 for each tournament seems pretty cheap for a win/win/win. Heck, for the bigger tournaments, give them a ticket and $10 to cover gas/parking. I’m talking pretty big for a coach that doesn’t have a tournament yet, but I’m trying! When it happens, I’m handing out tickets. I had never been to a state WR tournament before I wrestled in it my freshmen year, neither had my parents. I think that is still the same for many wrestling parents. Most coaches nowadays try to make sure non-qualifiers get a chance to attend. But I think it is almost equally important for non-qualifing parents to go as well, to help understand the importance of the goal and the quality their kid will have to attain to reach that goal. A van/bus sponsored by the school on Friday night or Saturday morning? Maybe the booster club could arrange this, as this is the last thing the coach wants to arrange/spearhead during this hectic time. I understand its hard to do for a far away school district, or a school that doesn’t typically have anyone wrestling that deep into the tournament. Worth a shot anyway. I’ve also noticed that a fair amount of coaches at youth tournaments and club practices do NOT attend the state meet. Whether they are busy, haven’t followed the hs team very well, and/or didn’t pre-order fri/sat tickets, or they simply can’t justify the expense, we need to find a way to get them there. Those coaches have wrestled there, most of them, and more of them need to continue to be there to understand what they are ultimately wanting to have their young wrestlers achieve. I understand why many don’t attend, I’m just saying we need to work harder to get them there. Bottom line is that we need to make it CONVENIENT for our supporters and future supporters to understand the magic of winning a medal at state. Many don’t, and many have forgotten, or may simply need to be reminded……….. What percentage of people at state don’t fall into one or more of these three categories: a relative, a current wrestler that didn’t qualify, or a high schooler looking to support their team AND get out of school for a day or two? What do you think? 10%, 20%, surely not 30%. I’m talking about ‘true fans’. Some communities have these, and maybe it takes a stretch of great teams to develop these ‘true fans’. That’s not true of other sports, but maybe that is what it takes in wrestling. I’ve never been on a great wrestling team, other than college, and I’ve never coached a great team but I hope to someday. Maybe then there will be a following for my wrestlers, a fan base, and I can stop wondering what the magic recipe is for building a program. For me, its been the carrot on the far side of a deep canyon for a long time. Wrestling has shaped me greatly, as it has many of my wrestlers, and I shutter to think that it isn’t as meaningful or magical now. I don’t believe it yet, and I don’t think an attendance number, building, or city controls all of that. We control it. The wrestling community and how it is portrayed to our actual communities. I have developed 100 wrestlers in my career, but only a handful of true fans. I guess its time for me to start placing more emphasis on that end………. At the beginning of this post I stated the opinion that we need to get more people in attendance at districts and state. Why? Do the wrestlers deserve it? Did you deserve it when you were wrestling? Did you think about it? Do the wrestlers out there now on a Friday night notice or care? Does it make them wrestle any better? Why are so many of you (and maybe me) up in arms at the support wrestling gets? Is it a complex? Support equals acceptance and money and glory and equity to some I guess. Ask yourself why the state tournament should have 20,000 people standing up and cheering as 896 wrestlers enter the mats from the concourse. I really truly hadn’t until I was writing this diatribe. The most intense and magical four hour athletic spectacles under the umbrealla of NSAA happen on the Friday and Saturday of the third weekend in February. I have no doubt, as do you if you are reading this, and it’s a shame more don’t know about the product! Rick Henry |
   Hus World Champion  Location: Ord, Nebraska Registered: October 19, 2002 Posts: 3252 | posted well said chiefstorm, maybe the NSAA needs a ' producer '; one that uses NSAA as its 'director'. The producer creates the product and the director brings it to life. i.e. the music is louder and longer because the producer knew the crowd wanted it so, the parade was grander, a greater spectacale of smoke and lights and music because the producer knew it was needed. Past greats were integrated into the production and cheerleaders were recognized with participation and the outstanding district coaches get due recognition and maybe even some special fans from all across the state get showcased. what a great idea for every club to present some free tickets to some deserving supporters, and inducing new parents at just the right time with some tickets is an even better promotion. A good producer would of course have many more and better ideas of actually ' producing ' something instead of only ' staging ' it. |
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