Off Season Poll!

[WyoBrandX]

So I'm no expert in the airline industry; I sure as hell don't play one on TV either. But why isn't there cheap flights into Laramie on game day.

Just fooling around on the computer (I don't even know if this is a safe way to fly, etc), I did some random searches for chartering a plane for 200 people round trip.

I used this site: http://www.avchart.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Arrival times are 09:00a and departures are 18:00p

Estimates
From Low High
Sheridan $29570 $43200 $147.85/216 per person, 48 minute flight
-----Cody $31430 $46800 $157.15/234 per person, 32 minute flight
--Billings $35150 $54000 $175.75/270 per person, 40 minute flight
Riverton $26160 $36600 $130.80/183. per person, 40 minute flight

I'm not saying this is a good idea or anything - but you would think that it would be worth investigating. Either UW or CJC getting in touch with an Airline or charter service, then go on a marketing blitz in markets known to have fan's that want to see a game - but are too lazy to drive it - and get something going. Get them to signup in January or February - around the time of season ticket renewals.

 

[kansasCowboy]

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

Weather, even when winning is a problem. 1996 we were 10-2 and our avg attendance was only a little over 18,000.
If you remember just a couple of years ago when we went 8-5, The UNM game was maybe 10,000, due to snow. Weather will always influence games. Sometimes multiple games, but always one a year.

People got to remember probably only 60-70% of the pop of Laramie is even Wyo fans. That is the same with the rest of the state. Cheyenne is also about 60-70%. Then your next closest town over a pop of 10,000 is Rock Springs (pop 28,000. 45-50% UW fans),a 200 mile trip. And out of those numbers, Wyo fans do things on weekends during the football season. A lot of families have kids playing high school games on friday, LONG road trips, where when you get home at 2 am, you aren't really planning on making an all day trip to Laramie. Remember about 60% of the state hunts. When you can only go out on weekends, it affects Wyo's attendance. Then when you get a chance to go, it snows and closes I-80. I grew up in Rock Springs, and everything I just said affected me and my family from going to games. And I know of a lot of others it affected as well.

 

[BeaverPoke]

My grandparents have told me about back in the day, 70s and 80s they would get on a bus in Evanston, and booze and party for the 4 hours to Laramie on either friday nights or saturday mornings.

It would be sweet if there was a bus or 2 from Evanston, some from GR/RS, Casper, Sheridan, Gillette, etc.
Of course we have to be good enough to have fans from throughout the state that are wanting to go to games all throughout the season.

If I was in charge of marketing I would be trying to get something going like that.
Having tons of fans in each city and area throughout the state would be awesome.

The atmosphere would be amazing. And support would be strong all throughout the state.

People don't have to drive every saturday, and pay for a ton of gas. Instead they could be paying a lot smaller price to get on the bus and go have a good time.

Plus, doing that makes the hotels and bars and restaurants in Laramie a lot more busy and brings in more revenue.

Not to mention that we could be getting thousands more people coming to games.

 

[MrTitleist]

Someone on the WyoNation Facebook page was trying to get a bus going from Casper a couple years ago.. dunno if it ever took off or not.

 

[Cornpoke]

There are many succesful football programs in bad weather locations. I don't see it as a viable excuse and if that really is the problem we might as well drop athletics.... until global warming increases and Wyoming is the place to be haha

I however voted for lack of vision. I agree with McPeachy on that one. I truly believe that is the problem with our administration AND fans. That we will accept mediocrity. Setting us up for failure

 

[BeaverPoke]

Someone on the WyoNation Facebook page was trying to get a bus going from Casper a couple years ago.. dunno if it ever took off or not.

As a kid, I remember my Dad and I getting on a bus in Evanston and going to Logan for a game @USU.

Now that we have them in the MWC, I think there should be a bus going to USU for the game from all over the western side of the state.

Get busses going to Laramie from EVERYWHERE in the state.
Multiple busses. Get the fans there, plus then parking problems are reduced.

 

[WYCowboy]

There are many succesful football programs in bad weather locations. I don't see it as a viable excuse and if that really is the problem we might as well drop athletics.... until global warming increases and Wyoming is the place to be haha

I however voted for lack of vision. I agree with McPeachy on that one. I truly believe that is the problem with our administration AND fans. That we will accept mediocrity. Setting us up for failure

Most of the other successful football programs that are in bad weather locations can fill their stadiums from a 100 mile (or less) radius. Many fans of UW have to travel much longer distances.
I completely agree with you about the lack of vision and that blame goes all the way from the state government to the fans who are ok with mediocrity.

 

[laxwyo]

I think a train would be bad ass. I could dig a train ride to Laramie from the rock. I'd get a cabin an get freaky with the ole lady. Of course I'd be shit faced.

 

[BeaverPoke]

I think a train would be bad ass. I could dig a train ride to Laramie from the rock. I'd get a cabin an get freaky with the ole lady. Of course I'd be shit faced.

Lol uhh...so ask UP if we can use their rail from E-town to Laramie. Or, have Cowboy Jow set up some one with a bus from Evanston, GR/RS, and Rawlins. lol

 

[laxwyo]

I know a guy here in town used to get a bus together for wyo games. There is an old school bus painted brown with "go pokes" in the back window here in town. Not sure if it runs or not. Parked in front of a fairly large house.

 

[fromolwyoming]

I think a train would be bad ass. I could dig a train ride to Laramie from the rock. I'd get a cabin an get freaky with the ole lady. Of course I'd be shit faced.

Lol uhh...so ask UP if we can use their rail from E-town to Laramie. Or, have Cowboy Jow set up some one with a bus from Evanston, GR/RS, and Rawlins. lol

I don't think passenger trains run anymore in Laramie, and haven't for years. I think it's all coal trains now. Maybe a couple other types of cargo, but no passenger trains.

 

[WyoBrandX]

Its 99.9999% freight trains.

I think amtrack detours through here now and then though. I think the point is - I really hope someone is putting thought into trains, busses, and planes. It could have huge dividends for attendance if the logistics could be worked out.

While I do agree weather can have an effect, like closing the roads (New Mexico game), I don't think its the deciding factor. We don't sell out when its sunny and 75 degrees. We sell out when we play Texas, Nebraska, Old Mississipi, Virginia, etc.

If CSU and Air Force were hot, we might be able to sell out if we were hot too.

A couple of 10-2, 11-1, 12-0 seasons could change the whole mentality. But thats purely speculation. I know the 1996 team went 10-2, but that was only 1 year. The year before was a losing season, and the year after wasn't that great. I can't find any attendance records for that time anyways - so I'm just speculating even morel.

Location wise - within 100 miles we easily have half a million people. Wyo fans are scattered all over northern colorado. There really aren't alot of excuses other than people need a reason to show up. People just want to ave fun - winning is fun. Getting drunk is fun. You don't see much of either going on in the stadium lately.

 

[kansasCowboy]

There are many succesful football programs in bad weather locations. I don't see it as a viable excuse and if that really is the problem we might as well drop athletics.... until global warming increases and Wyoming is the place to be haha

Yeah, but bad weather and the least populate area in the country combined make for a bad combo. Other football programs don't hae both of those looming over them.

 

[J-Rod]

Yeah, but bad weather and the least populate area in the country combined make for a bad combo. Other football programs don't have both of those looming over them.

It doesn't help either that the largest city near Laramie is 2 1/2 hours out at Denver. The thing is, most of these "small town" schools typically have surrounding towns/cities with larger populations. Being the small town is not the problem....its not having the supporting cast around the small town that hurt.

 

[WYCowboy]

I think a train would be bad ass. I could dig a train ride to Laramie from the rock. I'd get a cabin an get freaky with the ole lady. Of course I'd be shit faced.

Lol uhh...so ask UP if we can use their rail from E-town to Laramie. Or, have Cowboy Jow set up some one with a bus from Evanston, GR/RS, and Rawlins. lol

You might LOL this Beaver, but they used to do this all the time. Not sure when they quit - maybe around 1970. I think they ran one from Cheyenne & Rock Springs.

 

[YankPoke]

I think the weather issue is down to the fact that there is bad weather as well as our fans being pretty spread out in the surrounding state and Colorado. This creates a problem for fans wanting to travel to games and makes us rely on Cheyenne and Laramie alone for some games and there aren't enough fans in those two areas to constantly have large crowds, we have to be able to have fans travel from all around to get the crowds large.

 

[Cornpoke]

I realize we don't have the population to fill a 50k stadium.... BUT We are only talking about 30k! Between Cheyenne and Laramie that should be manageable.

Per capita we are better off than Clemson which holds 80k+, which by the way is much much smaller than Laramie. I'll also give you a minute to think about this... name a large city nearby Clemson. I know i can't name one.

 

[fromolwyoming]

South Carolina

Population-Ranked 24th in the U.S.

- Total-4,723,723 (2012 est)[2]

Density-155/sq mi (60.0/km2)
Ranked 19th in the U.S.


Wyoming-
Population-Ranked 50th in the U.S.
Total-576,412 (2012 estimate)

- Density-5.85/sq mi (2.26/km2)
Ranked 49th in the U.S.


I think that there tells the whole story.

 

[zappinpoke]

South Carolina

Population-Ranked 24th in the U.S.

- Total-4,723,723 (2012 est)[2]

Density-155/sq mi (60.0/km2)
Ranked 19th in the U.S.


Wyoming-
Population-Ranked 50th in the U.S.
Total-576,412 (2012 estimate)

- Density-5.85/sq mi (2.26/km2)
Ranked 49th in the U.S.


I think that there tells the whole story.

Let me add that Pickens County, Anderson County and Greenville County which surround Clemson have a combined population of 775,000.

 

[seattlecowboy]

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.

I disagree with you here because there is a big difference in population between Missoula and Laramie. The weather is only a big deal when it gets bad so it keeps fans that might come to games from around Wyoming from a distance that end up not coming. The populations or location is the biggest reason though.

You have 67,000 in Missoula or if you take the Missoula metro area there is 109,000 people so that makes it a lot easier to get 25,000 people in the stadium. Laramie as has been stated only has 30,000 when school is in session. If Laramie metro had 109,000 you would easily get 30,000 people to games even if the weather was bad because they are right there in town or right in the surrounding area.

Cheyenne is 50 miles away so it can't be considered part of Laramie metro. That is the biggest difference. It's all about Location. Of course I don't know if Wyoming athletics would be any better but maybe they would get better recruits with more attendance and would obviously make more money.

That's my :twocents: