Off Season Poll!

[McPeachy]

What is the biggest hurdle for Wyoming athletics to rise to success?

 

[J-Rod]

Considering the Big 5 are looking to take their football and go elsewhere, the "rise to success" is being weighted down heavily by conference affiliation. UW can win all it likes, only can go so high with the Big 5 in charge.

 

[BeaverPoke]

Not the size of the fanbase, but the lack of interest and support from the fanbase.

 

[J-Rod]

Not the size of the fanbase, but the lack of interest and support from the fanbase.

Wyoming has the 2nd largest fan base in the MWC, yet ranks near the bottom in attendance. So clearly location/weather is a problem too.

That said, McPeachy's question is which one is the biggest hurdle? Still think its conference affiliation. Impossible to beat the issue....

I'll say this though.....McPeachy should also include "pay for play".....If Ed O'Bannon wins that case, we are on the fast track to paying college athletes. Which could be a serious setback for small schools who don't generate tons of revenue.

 

[BeaverPoke]

Not the size of the fanbase, but the lack of interest and support from the fanbase.

Wyoming has the 2nd largest fan base in the MWC, yet ranks near the bottom in attendance. So clearly location/weather is a problem too.

That said, McPeachy's question is which one is the biggest hurdle? Still think its conference affiliation. Impossible to beat the issue....

I'll say this though.....McPeachy should also include "pay for play".....If Ed O'Bannon wins that case, we are on the fast track to paying college athletes. Which could be a serious setback for small schools who don't generate tons of revenue.

I picked other.
#2 size of fan base. Yet bottom of the barrel in attendance like you said.
To me it is lack of support from the fanbase.
I don't think anyone in my family has gone to a wyo game for like 8 years. Hoops or Football.
They listen on the radio, watch on TV, attend cowboy joe club fundraisers, are part of the club yet they don't care THAT much when it comes to traveling to a game.
And they aren't the only ones.

Wyoming has tons of people who will ask people "How did the Pokes do this weekend?" so sure they are "fans", but if they really cared they would know..
We have horrible support.

 

[ProudWYOAlum]

The support in Laramie has always shocked me. Those weeknight games are crucial for them to attend. What else is there to do in Laramie?

 

[MrTitleist]

Weather and location is a BS reason. I live where the weather is shit for 9 months of the year, it's cold, it snows, it rains a lot, fog often cancels flights late in the year, on a large interstate corridor.. and somehow on gameday the stadium is still full of 25,000+ people. Right down the road 200 miles where the weather is comparable (and more difficult to fly into) they still pile in 15-17000 every Saturday. Winning cures all ills, even when the weather is shit. I've watched 25000 people pack into a stadium when it's 10 degrees and snowing pretty regularly.. those crowds are often the most fun as they're the people that really want to be there. It's winning, winning, and winning. Investing more in the athletics programs would be nice too.. gotta attempt to compete with the top of the MW.

 

[WyoBrandX]

Weather and location is a BS reason. I live where the weather is shit for 9 months of the year, it's cold, it snows, it rains a lot, fog often cancels flights late in the year, on a large interstate corridor.. and somehow on gameday the stadium is still full of 25,000+ people. Right down the road 200 miles where the weather is comparable (and more difficult to fly into) they still pile in 15-17000 every Saturday. Winning cures all ills, even when the weather is shit. I've watched 25000 people pack into a stadium when it's 10 degrees and snowing pretty regularly.. those crowds are often the most fun as they're the people that really want to be there. It's winning, winning, and winning. Investing more in the athletics programs would be nice too.. gotta attempt to compete with the top of the MW.

Gotta agree with you here. Laramie weather is usually worst sometime after mid december. Besides, we have a huge population within 100 miles (probably close to a 500,000 people). Ton's of alum in Northern Colorado - and I know quite a few that travel to the games. Nobody wants to travel up when we are going to lose.

Things have changed since the 90's - this program gets to winning - it will send shockwaves through the MWC.

 

[McPeachy]

Interesting votes. 1/3 that responded, stated weather and location. To me...that is the death sentence (way of thinking) for Wyoming athletics. If a 1/3 of the people - on this FAN message board - say it is about weather and location, that is saying somthing about our fanbase. The people that post here are true fans, imagine if the poll was sent out to the fence riders...how many would say weather & location...1/2? 2/3?

How very sad.

 

[Bryoming]

Three words: Just win, baby! If the programs are successful the crowd comes out to watch. People are just so sick of getting their hearts ripped out season after season they quit going to the games.

 

[SLCPoke]

Weather and Location....pffff.......is that the same excuse Boise State used?

 

[laxwyo]

Weather and Location....pffff.......is that the same excuse Boise State used?

Isn't Boise 10 times the size of Laramie? They can fill a stadium without one person coming from out of town.

Weather is a problem when the team almost loses to FCS schools. Beat Nebraska and then be 4-0 and I bet weather doesn't influence too many

 

[J-Rod]

Weather and Location....pffff.......is that the same excuse Boise State used?

Laramie population is around 35K-40K......Boidse population, including City and greater area is around 850K.

 

[fromolwyoming]

Weather and Location....pffff.......is that the same excuse Boise State used?

Laramie population is around 35K-40K......Boidse population, including City and greater area is around 850K.

Laramie's population is barely 30,000. If that's including college students or not, I don't know, but according to the oficial census and the new population sign, Laramie has just a little over 30,000. Not 35k-40k.

 

[J-Rod]

Laramie's population is barely 30,000. If that's including college students or not, I don't know, but according to the oficial census and the new population sign, Laramie has just a little over 30,000. Not 35k-40k.

I was always add a couple thousand or so to each population....my parents live in Wenatchee, Washington...which is around 30K as well.....however, if you add the people who live just on the outskirts of town.....it balloons past that. I could be wrong though.

 

[YankPoke]

My reasoning for picking weather and location is based on the recruiting. Big time recruits will never want to come here the weather sucks it is just a fact, sure if we were good we would be getting better recruits, but the weather and location will never allow us to have great recruiting classes. That being said the fan base is very pathetic in Wyoming and most people just don't care, this can partially be fixed by building winning programs, but that is not all that has to happen. I also think conference affiliation is a non issue, we are in a pretty competitive conference that is very good for us rivalry and geographic wise. If we were to start winning and being a great program then we can talk about making a jump to a better conference and someone would take a winning program. I think the vision and plans are steadily getting better and the sports currently are on the rise across the board. It would be very good to see us hold onto our coaches that we currently have in all sports to keep that going, I also like the renovation plans of the AA.I think the first step is to build winning programs and from what I see and players I talk to from the various teams I believe we are on the right path to doing that. Once we get to being winning programs is the key and that is when we need to pay our coaches the money we need to in order to keep them around and to keep the program trajectory up.
Sorry for the ramble everyone. Go Pokes!

 

[fromolwyoming]

Laramie's population is barely 30,000. If that's including college students or not, I don't know, but according to the oficial census and the new population sign, Laramie has just a little over 30,000. Not 35k-40k.

I was always add a couple thousand or so to each population....my parents live in Wenatchee, Washington...which is around 30K as well.....however, if you add the people who live just on the outskirts of town.....it balloons past that. I could be wrong though.

I see what you're saying, samething with Fallon, NV. The actual town is only like 8,000 people. But including the county/country side around it (only a small creek dividing it from the town proper) the population baloons to 25,000 people.

But Laramie stands at 30,000. The entire Albany County is only 36,000 combined. So, yeah. A lot of those are ranchers and what not that don't exactly live right on the edge of the town.

 

[WyoBrandX]

I agree - weather / population may be an issue when we are losing.

Start beating the lower half of the conference by 5 or 6 TD's, and put it to the big guys by 1 or 2 TD's and that stadium will be full - do that for a few years - and I'll be bitching about ticket prices being rediculous and having to watch it on TV. *

* Some folks will naturally not return at halftime after walking over to the local bars. Seriously - get rid of the draconian stadium alcohol policies and promote a safe, fun, and winning environment.

 

[BeaverPoke]

I agree - weather / population may be an issue when we are losing.

Start beating the lower half of the conference by 5 or 6 TD's, and put it to the big guys by 1 or 2 TD's and that stadium will be full - do that for a few years - and I'll be bitching about ticket prices being rediculous and having to watch it on TV. *

* Some folks will naturally not return at halftime after walking over to the local bars. Seriously - get rid of the draconian stadium alcohol policies and promote a safe, fun, and winning environment.

That is the best way to do it.
The Boise St. method.
They killed EVERYONE they played except for the big schools, but still beat them by 10-14 points.

If we beat Nebraska, whether it is 1 point or 30, we have got to go and destroy the "scrub" teams on our schedule to get fans here.

 

[WyoBrandX]

I agree - weather / population may be an issue when we are losing.

Start beating the lower half of the conference by 5 or 6 TD's, and put it to the big guys by 1 or 2 TD's and that stadium will be full - do that for a few years - and I'll be bitching about ticket prices being rediculous and having to watch it on TV. *

* Some folks will naturally not return at halftime after walking over to the local bars. Seriously - get rid of the draconian stadium alcohol policies and promote a safe, fun, and winning environment.

That is the best way to do it.
The Boise St. method.
They killed EVERYONE they played except for the big schools, but still beat them by 10-14 points.

If we beat Nebraska, whether it is 1 point or 30, we have got to go and destroy the "scrub" teams on our schedule to get fans here.

I'd be happy with the TCU method as well - play brutal defense - play balanced offense - let off the gas when the game is well in hand and run the ball the rest of the game. TCU has never been a big team - but they always seem to be athletic, fast, and vicious.

I guess most of that could be said for Boise too....hrm.