Attendance under 20K

[NowherePoke]

Golf :rofl:

Please, can we take all money allocated to golf and give it to skiing?

FIFY

But you can't have a golf course without a golf team...so UW will always have a golf team, as long as they own the 30+ acres of mixed Bermuda & Bent that gets used 5 months of the year. That bitch loses more money than most could ever imaging. But it is UW's - and it is watered for free...so there is that.

Dumb.....just think how far the cost of the indoor golf facility could have gone toward re-establishing the ski program. You know, the program which Wyoming took home its most recent national championship.

The problem is that we have to compete in a certain number of MWC sports in order to remain in the conference. Men's and Women's Golf fulfill that requirement but skiing (and Wrestling for that matter) are not MWC sports.

We could drop Golf, but would need to add additional MWC sports to stay in the league and I assume that those options (Baseball/Softball for example) are more expensive (at least to the AD) than Golf. We wouldn't be any more competitive in those sports either, so I understand why we are where we are in terms of sports offered.

I would rather see skiing, but I understand why it isn't practical.

I assume that you are talking about Cross Country skiing? Because adding Alpine skiing would be extremely impractical given the closest ski hill to Laramie worth training on is Steamboat, which is a 2 1/2 hour drive on good roads. You could maybe get some training in at Eldora which is still 2-2 1/2 hours away.

And before anyone gets the bright idea to suggest Snowy Range, just stop yourself right now. That hill is not nearly big enough for advanced skiers or boarders to legitimately train on.

Now if you meant Cross Country skiing, I'm all for it!

I know what you are saying, but I am pretty sure UW used to compete in the full spectrum of skiing events resulting in a National Championship in 1985, and a couple of runner up finishes as well.

Think of it this way, the primary Golf season runs from February through the MWC championships in Mid-April. How far does UW have to travel to practice/compete in Golf during that time frame? All of the tournaments are in AZ/CA and practice is difficult. Sure, you might get lucky and be able to drive to FTC for a round at times but that's about it.

They do play in some fall events in Colorado or Utah for golf, but that's about as regional as it gets. I would also suggest that Jacoby:Championship Golf is pretty similar to Snowy Range:Championship Skiing. IOW, no relation in either case.

I suppose this does a good job of highlighting some of our challenges athletically.

 

[ragtimejoe1]

Then you need more exposure. Other ADs around the country very much organize weekend events and activities as well as cater to Alumni.

Maybe so! I only flipped through the first five pages of search results, showing all the alumni associations setting up these trips.

ETA: I call it like I see it. If you don't like it, squeal away!

Like I said, you need to get out more. Curious, what were your search terms that yielded 5 pages of results showing ONLY alumin associations organizing game weekend events?

Call it like you see it or defend it at all cost due to association with AD? You and Visorhair rally to any post that questions the AD. Curious for sure.

 

[SnowyRange]

Like I said, you need to get out more. Curious, what were your search terms that yielded 5 pages of results showing ONLY alumin associations organizing game weekend events?

Call it like you see it or defend it at all cost due to association with AD? You and Visorhair rally to any post that questions the AD. Curious for sure.

Oh, no doubt I don't have your long and wide-ranging experience. Surely I'm a mere stripling compared to you.

And I also have no doubt that you don't like some of my opinions. Sadly, I am almost certainly unable to conform my thoughts and deeds to what you find proper...so I must apologize in advance for any offense!

 

[WestWYOPoke]

I assume that you are talking about Cross Country skiing? Because adding Alpine skiing would be extremely impractical given the closest ski hill to Laramie worth training on is Steamboat, which is a 2 1/2 hour drive on good roads. You could maybe get some training in at Eldora which is still 2-2 1/2 hours away.

And before anyone gets the bright idea to suggest Snowy Range, just stop yourself right now. That hill is not nearly big enough for advanced skiers or boarders to legitimately train on.

Now if you meant Cross Country skiing, I'm all for it!

I completely disagree.

Alpine skiing won a national championship at Wyoming - training on that mountain (Snowy Range) - and they could do it again. There are plenty of runs that are adequate to train a team on. The team also utilized the Happy Jack mountain as well, which is roughly 10 minutes from campus, but considerably smaller and not groomed / kept.

After doing a little research on the subject, I have to change my opinion. It could possibly work as college alpine skiing only consists of Slalom and Giant Slalom, there is no downhill discipline. My thinking was that there is no way sufficient training for downhill could take place at Snowy Range (no way, far too small). I would imagine you could create a challenging enough course at either Snowy or Happy Jack to be able to train for slalom, and then on the weekends head to Winter Park, Steamboat, Copper, etc. and train your Giant Slalom. If downhill was involved I would be very skeptical, but as it is not, I feel better about the idea.

 

[ragtimejoe1]

Like I said, you need to get out more. Curious, what were your search terms that yielded 5 pages of results showing ONLY alumin associations organizing game weekend events?

Call it like you see it or defend it at all cost due to association with AD? You and Visorhair rally to any post that questions the AD. Curious for sure.

Oh, no doubt I don't have your long and wide-ranging experience. Surely I'm a mere stripling compared to you.

And I also have no doubt that you don't like some of my opinions. Sadly, I am almost certainly unable to conform my thoughts and deeds to what you find proper...so I must apologize in advance for any offense!

What were those all encompassing search terms that showed ADs NEVER organize game day events, weekends, etc.?

I want to educate myself using google.

 

[SnowyRange]

What were those all encompassing search terms that showed ADs NEVER organize game day events, weekends, etc.?

I want to educate myself using google.

Good attitude!

Well, what I was trying to figure out was who does these airline, hotel, ticket packages that the poster was talking about. At first pass, all I came up with was alumni associations, which both made sense and squared with my experience.

I have no idea if the UW alum association has ever tried setting something like this up. Do you know?

 

[ragtimejoe1]

What were those all encompassing search terms that showed ADs NEVER organize game day events, weekends, etc.?

I want to educate myself using google.

Good attitude!

Well, what I was trying to figure out was who does these airline, hotel, ticket packages that the poster was talking about. At first pass, all I came up with was alumni associations, which both made sense and squared with my experience.

I have no idea if the UW alum association has ever tried setting something like this up. Do you know?

You ridiculed me and told me to educate myself using google. Now, in any research based or academic setting, education in other words, a search is only as good as the terms used. So help educate this country hick and tell me the all encompassing search terms you used to conclude beyond all doubt that athletic department play no part in organizing game weekend festivities. Please separate search terms by commas.

I will have to weigh these against my own first hand observations of athletic departments catering to and organizing alumni events for game weekends.

 

[SnowyRange]

conclude beyond all doubt that athletic department play no part in organizing game weekend festivities

Ah, I see the error now.

Game day "festivities"? Sure.

But these plane/hotel/ticket packages? That I didn't see.

 

[ragtimejoe1]

conclude beyond all doubt that athletic department play no part in organizing game weekend festivities

Ah, I see the error now.

Game day "festivities"? Sure.

But these plane/hotel/ticket packages? That I didn't see.

Search terms yielding over 5 pages clearly demonstrating that athletic departments have no involvement in game weekend activities and/or travel?

 

[ragtimejoe1]

I'll save a little time here and quit giving you rope. Many athletic departments organize weekend festivities and include things like hotel discounts, airfare discounts, etc. even for home games. Obviously, it is most common for away games. Universities like Iowa State have an entire Alumni Athletic Travel group that does this. Others do things like new grad season tickets at a reduced rate and coordinate other weekend entertainment items.

Since WYO, more than many other Universities, has a high percentage of graduates who leave the area (as Nowhere pointed out), you would think that an AD struggling with attendance would have the vision to do things to facilitate getting alumni back to fill the stands. Rather than just point to our limitations as excuses, I would feel much more comfortable with an athletic department that at least tried some innovative ways to overcome them.

We do an absolutely terrible job with alumni relations at the University level and within the athletic department.

 

[calpoke25]

I'll save a little time here and quit giving you rope. Many athletic departments organize weekend festivities and include things like hotel discounts, airfare discounts, etc. even for home games. Obviously, it is most common for away games. Universities like Iowa State have an entire Alumni Athletic Travel group that does this. Others do things like new grad season tickets at a reduced rate and coordinate other weekend entertainment items.

Since WYO, more than many other Universities, has a high percentage of graduates who leave the area (as Nowhere pointed out), you would think that an AD struggling with attendance would have the vision to do things to facilitate getting alumni back to fill the stands. Rather than just point to our limitations as excuses, I would feel much more comfortable with an athletic department that at least tried some innovative ways to overcome them.

We do an absolutely terrible job with alumni relations at the University level and within the athletic department.

UW does offer reduced rate season tickets for football and basketball for Alumni within 5 years of graduation. You didn't know that? Neither did I. Goes to show you how much they get the word out.

 

[ragtimejoe1]

UW does offer reduced rate season tickets for football and basketball for Alumni within 5 years of graduation. You didn't know that? Neither did I. Goes to show you how much they get the word out.

Truth be told, I didn't really look for that specific thing but was listing some of the things I've seen elsewhere. With that said, you are definitely right about advertising it.

 

[Brew_Poke]

Advertising, advertising advertising, advertising, advertising and, wait, oh a little bit more advertising! In order to build fan support and excitement for UW athletics it's going to take some... wait for it... advertising! Send out letters to UW alumni, get some floats in parades state-wide, distribute pamphlets in gas stations, billboards in every town. We've got to make it seem cool to come to Laramie to see games (which it really is). Athletics can be a great tool because it's the only real connection many of us have left to the Univ. of Wyoming.

I think that's an oversimplistic, pollyanna-ish take on it. Advertising wouldn't have gotten me there this year. I didn't see a game at all in person for the first time in 14 years this year. There is nothing that the CJC or the AD could've done with advertising to get me there. The problems go a lot deeper than not 'getting the word out' enough. Everybody knows that UW has a football team that plays in Laramie on 6 Saturdays in the fall.

I feel like I agree with what you're saying.

There's a bigger issue with UW athletics than advertising.

What, then? Because we've sucked for 15 years? All that makes you are fair-weather fans. Why don't you just turn in your Wyoming fan cards right now if we suck so bad? As soon as we have success you three are going to be right back on the bandwagon thumping your chests. Because fair-weather fans like some of you leave for "greener" pastures we've got to find some new ones to fill the stadium, hence advertising.

Well, for me, call me bandwagon if you want, but the roughly $20k I've spent in the last 15 years have been pretty much wasted. That is the problem UW athletics is facing.

 

[Brew_Poke]

What, then? Because we've sucked for 15 years? All that makes you are fair-weather fans. Why don't you just turn in your Wyoming fan cards right now if we suck so bad? As soon as we have success you three are going to be right back on the bandwagon thumping your chests. Because fair-weather fans like some of you leave for "greener" pastures we've got to find some new ones to fill the stadium, hence advertising.

UW could buy all the ad space during the Super Bowl and it won't make any difference if we continue losing. The vast majority of fans are fair weather in terms of attending games...in the sense that if we keep going 4-8 they'll check in on the radio or read about it in the Sunday paper, and get very interested in elk or cleaning the garage on Saturdays.

You're right. What you are saying is probably true, but it pisses me off how some people get on this board and dump on Wyoming under the guise of a fan. Isn't this the last place we should have to put up with such garbage? One would think if someone cares enough about UW athletics to post on a message board like a freaking nerd then the communication would be positive for the most part. Guess I was wrong. Debbie downers in the office and on here, too. It's sad because people are bailing just when things are looking up. end rant.

LOL. I get it, you're clowning around.

 

[LanderPoke]

Advertising, advertising advertising, advertising, advertising and, wait, oh a little bit more advertising! In order to build fan support and excitement for UW athletics it's going to take some... wait for it... advertising! Send out letters to UW alumni, get some floats in parades state-wide, distribute pamphlets in gas stations, billboards in every town. We've got to make it seem cool to come to Laramie to see games (which it really is). Athletics can be a great tool because it's the only real connection many of us have left to the Univ. of Wyoming.

I think that's an oversimplistic, pollyanna-ish take on it. Advertising wouldn't have gotten me there this year. I didn't see a game at all in person for the first time in 14 years this year. There is nothing that the CJC or the AD could've done with advertising to get me there. The problems go a lot deeper than not 'getting the word out' enough. Everybody knows that UW has a football team that plays in Laramie on 6 Saturdays in the fall.

I feel like I agree with what you're saying.

There's a bigger issue with UW athletics than advertising.

What, then? Because we've sucked for 15 years? All that makes you are fair-weather fans. Why don't you just turn in your Wyoming fan cards right now if we suck so bad? As soon as we have success you three are going to be right back on the bandwagon thumping your chests. Because fair-weather fans like some of you leave for "greener" pastures we've got to find some new ones to fill the stadium, hence advertising.

Well, for me, call me bandwagon if you want, but the roughly $20k I've spent in the last 15 years have been pretty much wasted. That is the problem UW athletics is facing.

I understand your frustration. We all just want some real success really bad.

 

[Brew_Poke]

Bringing it back to UW athletics, this means that a lot of folks that would love to be in the AA/War etc., to cheer on the Pokes are instead scattered around the country. Now, that is true for every school to a point, but I believe it is even moreso for Wyoming.

Good point. Has our AD ever tried to organize a travel weekend package TO Laramie? Maybe partner with airlines, hotels, rental cars, restaurants, etc. for an all encompassed package to travel to Laramie for football and bball game. Open IPF for reception type setting where families from around the State can also join those that traveled in from out of State. At least something along these lines. It could be "Bringing Wyoming Home Weekend" or something...

Isn't that just called homecoming?

 

[ragtimejoe1]

Bringing it back to UW athletics, this means that a lot of folks that would love to be in the AA/War etc., to cheer on the Pokes are instead scattered around the country. Now, that is true for every school to a point, but I believe it is even moreso for Wyoming.

Good point. Has our AD ever tried to organize a travel weekend package TO Laramie? Maybe partner with airlines, hotels, rental cars, restaurants, etc. for an all encompassed package to travel to Laramie for football and bball game. Open IPF for reception type setting where families from around the State can also join those that traveled in from out of State. At least something along these lines. It could be "Bringing Wyoming Home Weekend" or something...

Isn't that just called homecoming?

I was not aware of homecoming travel packages arranged by the AD. I also was not able to attend Homecoming this year, so I was also unaware of extra accommodations like a band and dinner at the IPF.

Of course, with attendance at just over 19K, I wasn't the only one who missed out.

Seriously, though. Homecoming is homecoming, which is great. However, I'm speaking more towards greater facilitation of helping out of state alumni or fans get to Laramie and giving them something more than the game to do once there. Other Universities have recognized this need to have more entertainment than just the game.

 

[Brew_Poke]

Bringing it back to UW athletics, this means that a lot of folks that would love to be in the AA/War etc., to cheer on the Pokes are instead scattered around the country. Now, that is true for every school to a point, but I believe it is even moreso for Wyoming.

Good point. Has our AD ever tried to organize a travel weekend package TO Laramie? Maybe partner with airlines, hotels, rental cars, restaurants, etc. for an all encompassed package to travel to Laramie for football and bball game. Open IPF for reception type setting where families from around the State can also join those that traveled in from out of State. At least something along these lines. It could be "Bringing Wyoming Home Weekend" or something...

Isn't that just called homecoming?

I was not aware of homecoming travel packages arranged by the AD. I also was not able to attend Homecoming this year, so I was also unaware of extra accommodations like a band and dinner at the IPF.

Of course, with attendance at just over 19K, I wasn't the only one who missed out.

Seriously, though. Homecoming is homecoming, which is great. However, I'm speaking more towards greater facilitation of helping out of state alumni or fans get to Laramie and giving them something more than the game to do once there. Other Universities have recognized this need to have more entertainment than just the game.

What I meant was, they could just organize all those bells and whistles at Homecoming. Party train from fucking Denver, for a start. I'd go every year and have a blast.

 

[ragtimejoe1]

What I meant was, they could just organize all those bells and whistles at Homecoming. Party train from fucking Denver, for a start. I'd go every year and have a blast.

Gotcha and true enough. I agree, start with one party weekend and see what happens. Run a party train from the North and South gathering fans along the way. Meet Friday night at the IPF for pep rally, concert, auction, and beer drinking.

Bloody mary and breakfast bar the following morning. Get tailgate ready with band, cheerleaders, etc. circulating. Game time followed by....?

 

[Triple-WY]

This is a fun thread. Very Christmas Spirit-ish.

Can we stop talking about how it is so great to be a top 25 wrestling program? There are 79 D1 wrestling programs nationwide (soon to be 76 from my understanding). We should always be in the top 25.

I will not let you rain on my parade, sir.

Two points- First, there may be only about 80 D1 wrestling schools, but looking at recent UW history (2000s) they are beating programs that have Goliath scale athletic programs as compared to UW (Stanford, West Virginia, Duke, NC State, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Oregon, Nebraska, as well as other respected programs such as Boise State, Navy, Air Force, et al). I will take that. Second, The D1 football landscape of the 80s and 90s was not that much different than today's wrestling landscape...think they were only about 100 teams...but that does not stop us from reminiscing about those top 25 Poke teams and claiming success.