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Atmosphere: Old Ralph vs. New Ralph


hermit

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This topic has been beaten to death ad nauseum over the past few years. The vast majority of it is due to construction. The old Ralph was all concrete, steel, and hard plastic seats. There was nothing there to absorb sound, so it was reflected and built upon itself. The new Ralph has lush leather seats that absorb sound, it has sound absorbent material around the ceiling, there is much less bare concrete on the walls, and it is a much larger box. Any sound person can tell you it will take much more output per fan in the new Ralph than the old Ralph to create the same db level of sound, even if fans otherwise behave exactly the same. Finally, in the old Ralph almost all of the fans were much closer to the action. That has an impact on the fans. These are the facts of life. Yes, are other reasons that involve fan behavior, but physics is a large part of it.

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Is there any way to tour the old Ralph? I have never seen it, but would like to.

We were told it was being tore down in the near future when we were up there for the Gophers vs. Sioux series in January. We were trying to get a tour as well but the lady would not let us walk around. There was even a past Sioux player there when we were who was trying to get pictures of it but she would not let him by either.

So I would assume no.

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When we moved into the Winter Sports Building in the early seventies there was the same discussion. The new place just didn't have the atmosphere as the old barn.

Maybe they were right, but no matter. More people are enjoying the Ralph and that's what's important.

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When we moved into the Winter Sports Building in the early seventies there was the same discussion. The new place just didn't have the atmosphere as the old barn.

Maybe they were right, but no matter. More people are enjoying the Ralph and that's what's important.

It was pretty cool when you couldn't hear the guy next to you. I miss the noise, let's face it, it won't get that loud again unless Holy Cross comes to town and beats the Gophers. WOW ..... I don't think Holy Cross will ever forget that, or will we ever let the Gophers forget.

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It was pretty cool when you couldn't hear the guy next to you. I miss the noise, let's face it, it won't get that loud again unless Holy Cross comes to town and beats the Gophers. WOW ..... I don't think Holy Cross will ever forget that, or will we ever let the Gophers forget.

Even in the old Ralph Englestad Arena it wasn't as crazy as it was say in the early 80's. Our seats were up in the 16th row or so (pretty high) and you could just hear the sound bouncing off of the ceiling.

It seemed that later in the 90's the crowd just wasn't as loud. Of course this is subjective and I could be wrong.

Anyway we've got the best facility in the country. Unlike the national champions we've even got air conditioning.

Why complain about. Let's just have a great time with what we have.

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If they tear down the Old Ralph, I want some seats for my back yard bar-b-que area! :lol: I wonder if they would sell the seats? Now there is a fund raiser project. My favorite sounds from the old one were the glass bottles getting kicked over and everyone looking at me...err I mean the guy next to me. :D

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If they tear down the Old Ralph, I want some seats for my back yard bar-b-que area! :lol: I wonder if they would sell the seats? Now there is a fund raiser project. My favorite sounds from the old one were the glass bottles getting kicked over and everyone looking at me...err I mean the guy next to me. :D

I was thinking the same thing, for around my poker table. Then I would have to get a Fighting Sioux cloth stitched for the felt. Hmmmmm. . . . that would be so cool. I can almost see it now.

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It seemed that later in the 90's the crowd just wasn't as loud. Of course this is subjective and I could be wrong.

It isn't subjective that your ears are much older in the 1990's than they were in the early 1980's.

Maybe you are overlooking a symptom of something. :D

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New to this topic so I apologize if I this is old CRAP! But having been around hockey long enough to understand, or at least hear, all of the superstitions - including the strength of the hockey gods. That's the great spirit that dictates if the puck bounces go your way or that of the other team! Have we won the "big one" in the new museum? Or, are we only teased there - never to taste the juice of the ultimate fruit! Given the strength of the hockey gods - Notre Dame over Michigan - go figure, the new building may have a jinx that we may never overcome! Take to the learnings of our Sioux ancestry (especially since we are so intent on the respect of the same) and realize that this monstrocity may be the source of "bad medicine" as the elders say!

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New to this topic so I apologize if I this is old CRAP! But having been around hockey long enough to understand, or at least hear, all of the superstitions - including the strength of the hockey gods. That's the great spirit that dictates if the puck bounces go your way or that of the other team! Have we won the "big one" in the new museum? Or, are we only teased there - never to taste the juice of the ultimate fruit! Given the strength of the hockey gods - Notre Dame over Michigan - go figure, the new building may have a jinx that we may never overcome! Take to the learnings of our Sioux ancestry (especially since we are so intent on the respect of the same) and realize that this monstrocity may be the source of "bad medicine" as the elders say!

Maybe there should have been a Gopher buried under the floor, and a badger and an eagle and a tiger, a bulldog, a seawolf, a wolverine, and a pioneer, ... and so forth.

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There have been many times that I've missed the old arena...especially when I witnessed an old woman reading a magazine during the Sioux/Gopher game a few years back in the new Ralph. INAPPROPRIATE!!! This was, I believe, a result of the "see and be seen" attitude that has been prevalent in the new arena. But the fact of the matter is that along with all those people simply wanting to "see and be seen", there are also more real fans that are able to come out to the game. The biggest downside of the new place (to me) is that it just doesn't get as loud as the old place. I've never heard such noise as when the Sioux would come from behind and beat the gilded rodents. I remember taping one of the televised games...when the Sioux scored the go-ahead goal you could barely hear Sweeney over all the crowd noise.

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This topic has been beaten to death ad nauseum over the past few years. The vast majority of it is due to construction. The old Ralph was all concrete, steel, and hard plastic seats. There was nothing there to absorb sound, so it was reflected and built upon itself. The new Ralph has lush leather seats that absorb sound, it has sound absorbent material around the ceiling, there is much less bare concrete on the walls, and it is a much larger box. Any sound person can tell you it will take much more output per fan in the new Ralph than the old Ralph to create the same db level of sound, even if fans otherwise behave exactly the same. Finally, in the old Ralph almost all of the fans were much closer to the action. That has an impact on the fans. These are the facts of life. Yes, are other reasons that involve fan behavior, but physics is a large part of it.

Now why would anyone put sound absorbing material on the ceiling?

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