The Omaha World Hearld had a article showing attendance down at this years state meet. Top quality facility and well run why didn't people show up? We ordered our tickets early and had to sit in the nose bleed section. Kearney was next to us they had the same poor ticket draw last year also. Things do get a bit expensive. Seat tax, parking charge, body search. All of you who tried to smugle in water shame on you. The Motel we were staying charged for long distance access and a safe charge. It seems Omaha thinks it should give out state Nebraska the worst seats in the house and make them pay also.

I would say the seating is my biggest issue!!!
I think for 2009 we should all order our tickets with millard south they seem to have pretty good LUCK every year.

In Lincoln it seemed that every team for the most part had some seats close to the front. Then parents could at least switch seats for their sons matches.

quote:

Originally posted by C-Bus HWT:
The Omaha World Hearld had a article showing attendance down at this years state meet. Top quality facility and well run why didn't people show up? We ordered our tickets early and had to sit in the nose bleed section. Kearney was next to us they had the same poor ticket draw last year also. Things do get a bit expensive. Seat tax, parking charge, body search. All of you who tried to smugle in water shame on you. The Motel we were staying charged for long distance access and a safe charge. It seems Omaha thinks it should give out state Nebraska the worst seats in the house and make them pay also.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if/when Lincoln gets around to building a new arena, you will see a lot of these same added expenses there as well. These things are not unique to Qwest Center, they are the cost of doing business in today's world.

And as for the security measures -- thank the fine folks who brought you 9/11 for that little inconvenience.

I realize it's been three years now since the move took place, but until the powers that be in Lincoln get things in gear and build their own 15,000-seat crib, it's going to be staying in Omaha for the forseeable future.

I agree on some of what you wrote NWI, however Lincoln hotels will not job the customer as bad as Omaha does. We stayed at the Laquinta for the 3rd year in a row and the 1st year it was $90 per room, last year $110 and this year $160 and almost all of there rooms are singles and you have to get a roll away bed. Here is the kicker, a couple of my wrestlers that graduated a few years ago show up at the hotel and rent a room for $99. I said something to the manager and basically was told deal with it or find somewhere else and basically good luck driving in the traffic. Omaha hospitality at it's finest and we are not the only team treated that way.

]

My comments were directed toward the facility itself. Hotels are a whole different animal -- some are better with customer service than others, and some hotels like to screw people over no matter where you're at or what city you're in.

I can't believe 9/11 has anything to do with $3.00 bottles of water. 15,000 empty seats dosn't add up to a capicity crowd. I hope Lincoln builds a 20,000 seat arena and charges more for no one to go to. The problem isn't the arena or how the tournment is run. It's the cost and It looks to me the qwest wants to charge more then the wrestling audience is willing to pay.

9/11 has to do with the security, obviously.

Unfortunately, the cost is something you're going to pay at a new arena in Lincoln as well. If you've been to a concert lately, you'll obviously see that ticket prices are much higher today than they were a few years ago.

In fact, go to ANY arena and you're going to find that they are charging more for everything. I don't like it any more than you, C-Bus, but it's the ugly reality of the cost of entertainment in the 21st century.

As for Lincoln's new arena, don't expect a 20,000 seat facility. It MIGHT be as big as Qwest's, but likely won't be bigger than a 15,000 seat facility.

And before anyone jumps on the idea that I'm anti-Lincoln, let me just re-establish my position that I'm NOT anti-Lincoln. I'm pro-safety. The state tournament outgrew Devaney a LONG time before Qwest was even conceived, let alone built. Moving the tournament back to Devaney at this time is a stupid idea and -- like we did in the pre-Quest days -- we have no choice but to keep it in the only facility big enough and safe enough to hold an eight-mat setup, and that is at the Qwest.

If and when Lincoln (or any other city, for that matter) builds an arena with the same kind of floor space, I'm all in favor of moving it out of Omaha.

The attendance was obviously down, you could tell just by looking around. I agree that some hotels will screw you around no matter where you are. The hotel we stayed in wasnt all that bad. This is year number two there. The biggest problem I had with it was the fact that there is a "bar" attached to it and it played very loud music. The bass rattled the walls in our rooms, which was very distracting for young wrestlers trying to sleep. I have come to realize Omaha will be the place for years to come, I just wish the city and the Qwest would start to accomodate the fine folks involved with wrestling is all.

Ok I'll get on my soap box again. Why does ticket master get such great seats to sell at the door or on the internet? I realize they need some good seats to draw people but everyone I know that has bought at the door has been front and center. Parents and fans that go every weekend to support their team sit in the rafters. We had lower bowl tickets for the first 2 sessions then in the rafters the last 2 session. Aren't we supposed to order tickets early to get in the draw? Give ticketmaster the ends and the lower upper bowl seats let the parents sit down low. I know everyone has to sit up top sometimes and I don't mind that, its the buying good ones at the door that bothers me.

If anybody thinks for a moment that there is a draw for the seats we get their full of crap. Ravenna has had the same so called draw for three years, nose bleed 219, nose bleed 219, nose bleed 219. Seems to me that the more brown your nose is, the better seats you have.

I will also chime in on this topic. I am glad we went to the Qwest for the wrestling, But Omaha needs to learn how to treat people. 1st year we stayed at 72nd and center. They lost our reservations. Then gave us 2 singles and roll aways for five wrestlers. The rooms were so small we had to climb over each other, I had to have my son share my room so we fit in the rooms.
Then we went to CB to stay. 1st time $79. Then we called for the next year and they hit us for $129.
The people in Omaha seem to care less if we are there for the tournament. I have never known I was number one so much until I drove in Omaha. People must also like me a lot because they honked at me to say hi an awful lot too. I talk to some parents from Sargent-Burwell at the hotel and they said the same thing.
I do like the Qwest for the wrestling but Omaha needs to get a clue on how to treat people. (I have lived there, have family there and I have 2 kids living there now so I have driven there many times) The costs and the security are at any big event now (went to Grand Forks ND to a football game at the Alerus Dome this year and they were the same) so I have no problem with that.
It was funny that the guy who gave us the tickets to sell for the fund raiser was a Jays season ticket holder. Some of the best tickets in the house and he just called and got them. While Randolph started in the lower bowl and went to the nose bleed section also. I sent the ticket orders in 2 weeks before they were due.
I guess allowing ticket master and the Qwest to do it is how the NSAA doesn't have to be the bad guy.

I'm sorry but how about adding an extra day to state Wednesday-Saturday and run fewer mats and let's get it back to Devaney. The experiment at the Qwest is a failure plain and simple. I don't ever recall Friday nights semifinals at Devaney only being at 2/3 capacity or the finals at about 1/2 capacity. There is no atmosphere at the Qwest and the restraunts and hotels could care less if we are there. Lincoln on the other hand would welcome us back with open arms and our wallets wouldn't feel the pinch near as much.

Okay, so lets say you add an extra day. Your wallets still feel the same pinch. First, thats 1 more day you have to take off of work and not earn any money. Than you must pay for the extra night on a hotel, the extra food money you spend during that extra day. Not to mention the cost of another set of tickets for everyone. You still have the same total cost now when you add it up.

quote:

Originally posted by Diehard:
Okay, so lets say you add an extra day. Your wallets still feel the same pinch. First, thats 1 more day you have to take off of work and not earn any money. Than you must pay for the extra night on a hotel, the extra food money you spend during that extra day. Not to mention the cost of another set of tickets for everyone. You still have the same total cost now when you add it up.

Let's see I went and watched a niece of mine play at state volleyball in Lincoln. I stayed at the Comfort Inn by the airport, BTW the same motel the team stayed at and it cost me $70 for my room there for two nights and they charge the same rate for state wrestling. Well let's see $70 x 4 nights is $280 now to my glorious hotel in Omaha $160 x 3 nights = $480. By gosh thats an extra $200 to eat on which wouldn't be necessary. Don't give me the B.S of staying at a cheaper hotel farther away from the Qwest because I would say over 1/2 of the wrestling coaches are not familiar with Omaha and the traffic there is 10X as bad as Lincoln.

quote:

Originally posted by Diehard:
Okay, so lets say you add an extra day. Your wallets still feel the same pinch. First, thats 1 more day you have to take off of work and not earn any money. Than you must pay for the extra night on a hotel, the extra food money you spend during that extra day. Not to mention the cost of another set of tickets for everyone. You still have the same total cost now when you add it up.

But but but but it would be in Lincoln where it is "supposed" to be and we know Lincoln and us folks just can't learn to drive in Omaha like we learned to drive in Lincoln. Oh, and we get to walk in mud puddles to boot!!!!!!!!!! And oh yeah we'll think up more excuses later when we want to justify our position. Just wait.



[/sarcasm]

But we hardly ever got treated like crap at the restaurants and hotels. Lincoln opened its "doors" wide for state wrestling. Omaha seems to have a revolving door. As far as they care you could come in it and go right back out and it wouldnt make a difference. I think the move was correct for the SAFETY of the wrestlers, but I am not a fan of being treated like dirt for 3-4 days!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by JOH:

quote:

Originally posted by Diehard:
Okay, so lets say you add an extra day. Your wallets still feel the same pinch. First, thats 1 more day you have to take off of work and not earn any money. Than you must pay for the extra night on a hotel, the extra food money you spend during that extra day. Not to mention the cost of another set of tickets for everyone. You still have the same total cost now when you add it up.

But but but but it would be in Lincoln where it is "supposed" to be and we know Lincoln and us folks just can't learn to drive in Omaha like we learned to drive in Lincoln. Oh, and we get to walk in mud puddles to boot!!!!!!!!!! And oh yeah we'll think up more excuses later when we want to justify our position. Just wait.



[/sarcasm]

Before you go off on a tangent open your eyes, the attendance at the Qwest center stinks plain and simple. Yes us outstate hillbillies haven't shown up to the tournament like we did in Lincoln. Well let's see why would a person from Mullen go to Omaha for anything? They go to Lincoln to watch the Huskers and grew up going to state tournaments there. Guess what they were treated good in Lincoln, they felt welcomed can you say the same for Omaha. BTW I go to Omaha a lot, one of my best friends is from there and I have gone to the College World Series the past 12 years. I love the Omaha nightlife and lot's of other things but I do not like state wrestling there and you can blast me all you want but I stay at a hotel close to the Qwest to avoid traffic so I have no problem making weigh-ins. I have heard enough horror stories from coaches who leave there hotel at 6:00 in the morning to just barely make weigh-ins that I refuse to stay more than 5 minutes away.

quote:

Originally posted by ndb65:
But we hardly ever got treated like crap at the restaurants and hotels. Lincoln opened its "doors" wide for state wrestling. Omaha seems to have a revolving door. As far as they care you could come in it and go right back out and it wouldnt make a difference. I think the move was correct for the SAFETY of the wrestlers, but I am not a fan of being treated like dirt for 3-4 days!!!!

There lies the problem being treated like dirt for 3-4 days. I agree 100% and there lies the attendance issues. We had 98 seats in our section which isn't bad for a class C coop, however I have lost many fans who refuse to go back to Omaha for various reasons such as hotel screw-ups, bad traffic, rude people and just plain not enjoying the experience. I wish they would come back but they say they would rather spend there money where they are wanted.

Just like anything else in life Craig, you and your fans have choices. You can speak with your wallet just as much as the next guy. If you or your fans don't like the prices or how you are treated, let them know about it and move to the next place of business. Pretty simple really. But at the same time let the folks who treat you right know that it is appreciated. Personally I've been treated just fine the last 3 State Tournaments. Many times the service one gets is equal to the attitude presented. HMMMMMMMMMM.

If you are afraid of the big bad traffic in Omaha and want to stay close to the Qwest Center, you are going to have to pay for it. Personally, I know several teams stayed out in West Omaha and never had a problem making weigh-ins.

I'm sure Angrybilly will welcome you and your fans to his "Great Qwest Center Boycott" but you better get used to it. It ain't movin' in the near future.

quote:

Originally posted by JOH:
Just like anything else in life Craig, you and your fans have choices. You can speak with your wallet just as much as the next guy. If you or your fans don't like the prices or how you are treated, let them know about it and move to the next place of business. Pretty simple really. But at the same time let the folks who treat you right know that it is appreciated. Personally I've been treated just fine the last 3 State Tournaments. Many times the service one gets is equal to the attitude presented. HMMMMMMMMMM.

If you are afraid of the big bad traffic in Omaha and want to stay close to the Qwest Center, you are going to have to pay for it. Personally, I know several teams stayed out in West Omaha and never had a problem making weigh-ins.

I'm sure Angrybilly will welcome you and your fans to his "Great Qwest Center Boycott" but you better get used to it. It ain't movin' in the near future.

Where did I say that I would boycott the Qwest? i guarantee you you won't find it so quit flaming lies! Answer me one question honestly JOH, is the attendance the 1st 3 years at the Qwest = to the attendance the last 3 years at Devaney? People bitch about the safety issue at Devaney and there is one simple solution to it, do away with Dollomur mats and go back to the Resilite mats I had when I wrestled there and bingo no mats overlapping. P.S don't give me the B.S of people staying in West Omaha not having traffic problems because at Friday weigh-ins I saw 3 coaches and wrestlers sprinting to weigh-in area at 6:55 because of a traffic jam and guess where they stayed you guessed it West Omaha.