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Bad Experiences at the Ralph


lucky

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A quick note on the original intro and the firts two years of video coverage. The first two years the video work was contracted out to ASN, the same group that is still doing the football games at the Alerus. After the second year TB thought that he was paying too much money for the services and decided he could get by with cheap help. Guess what , it shows now with poor quality video. We don't get the goal replays most of the time and the intro sucks. REA also decided it made more money by running ads instead of using crowd shots. "Birthday" shots went from free to $25.00 per shot. It's all about money and stats and videos don't make money.

REA is a great facility with poor management!

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The Friday night game two years ago, I was let thru the turnstile w/no problems. The Saturday night game is when a security guard stopped me and escorted me back to the ticket window where I purchased the $5 ticket for my son (who was sleeping at the time). I brought him up for one game last season (the holiday tournament) and had no problem getting him in.

Nice to see that suggestions are being listened to. It sure can't hurt to hear some of the issues/problems.

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i agree with the sound system being bad. i noticed this the very first game vs the gophers a few years back. i know there are problems at the ralph and things they do sometimes are just plain stupid but to have the nicest hockey arena in the world sitting in grand forks is pretty cool. they just need to make smarter decisions on issues that people really care about who pay their money and attend games and concerts and i guess that would be a start....................

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Yea, yea, yea, I know the pic...I was joking, since that pic reminded me of my own college days...good times...I'm below on the right with the balding mini-mullet...a classic look for sure! Below that is the pic of my son and I shortly after I paid the extra $5 so he could see his first Sioux game. :D On the plus side, having "HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAWN" displayed on the big screen and a quick shot of him on my lap up there didn't cost me $25 back then. :) again!

1992 MafiaMan

Ten Years Later

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I have had no really unpleasant experiences at the Taj Mahockey. But, if I could hand-pick those who sit around me, I'd be making some changes!

Aside from the atmosphere issues, my only real complaint has been the arbitrary scrutiny of security regarding the signs I made and carried into the arena last year. But that's not a butts-in-the-seats kinda deal.

For that, I'd re-sell any seat empty 15 minutes into the 1st period, including student seats. And, if that were the plan, I'd make sure Tim Hennessey announces the availability of rush seats all through his pre-game show. I'd anticipate empty seats during school breaks and holiday weekends and promote accordingly. I'd also sell SRO, assuming no fire code violations. I'd promote the availability of single-game general admission, including tickets returned unsold by the opponent, to the public at large on game day if not earlier. Or I'd sell such seating at a discount to our corporate sponsors for them to give away to employees or customers. I don't think the problem is that fewer than 11,000 people want to be at any particular hockey game. The problem is no-shows. There ought to be some way for those who don't make it to be replaced by someone who'd be happy to be there. If the seat-holder shows up late, and a rush ticketholder has plopped down in the assigned seat, the latecomer gets shown to the SRO spot.

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For that, I'd re-sell any seat empty 15 minutes into the 1st period, including student seats. And, if that were the plan, I'd make sure Tim Hennessey announces the availability of rush seats all through his pre-game show. I'd anticipate empty seats during school breaks and holiday weekends and promote accordingly. I'd also sell SRO, assuming no fire code violations. I'd promote the availability of single-game general admission, including tickets returned unsold by the opponent, to the public at large on game day if not earlier. Or I'd sell such seating at a discount to our corporate sponsors for them to give away to employees or customers. I don't think the problem is that fewer than 11,000 people want to be at any particular hockey game. The problem is no-shows. There ought to be some way for those who don't make it to be replaced by someone who'd be happy to be there. If the seat-holder shows up late, and a rush ticketholder has plopped down in the assigned seat, the latecomer gets shown to the SRO spot.

I think 15 minutes is too short to resell the tickets. Sometimes it takes longer than 15 minutes to negotiate the traffic around the Ralph (and don't say I am not enough of a die-hard since I don't get there at 4:30 in the afternoon).

Here's my reason: Before my mom died, we would go to some of the games together. She wasn't all that healthy and didn't move fast at all. So, it took us a while to get to games. I could drop her off at the front of the Ralph, but would still have to go park my car . Then, we had to negotiate the lobby, get to the bathroom a couple times, get some popcorn or something from the concession stand, and still make it to my upper deck seats. This took a looooooong time. If we went through all of that and found out that we had to be in SRO, it would be ugly.

Do you mean 15 minutes off of the game clock or 15 minutes after the puck dropped?

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15 minutes off the game clock is what I had in mind though I can see how that standard would slide based on TV time-outs, penalties, other stoppages, so maybe 15 minutes after the puck drops would be more predictable.

Certainly, the point at which you declare a no-show is arbitrary but the goal is to fill the seat. It would be great if someone who knows in advance that he or she won't make it would do the work of finding a seat-filler but if that doesn't happen...

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With the technology (Engelstad employees now "punch" in to work by scanning their hands) at the ralph you'd think they'd know exactly what seats haven't been scanned in yet, so they could sell rush tickets for that exact seat after a certain length of time, for a discount. How much were they at the Old Ralph?

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Won't happen, but rather than rush seating, let those with student ID's (that match their face) fill unused seats at the 15 min mark. A small fee would suffice. This might give those students who lost out on the lottery situation another shot at getting in, and would generally get in the rowdiest fans. Not only that, but it might salt the audience with enthusiasm :D

BTW, I think Mariucci sells rush seats starting at the 10 min mark.

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Won't happen, but rather than rush seating, let those with student ID's (that match their face) fill unused seats at the 15 min mark. A small fee would suffice. This might give those students who lost out on the lottery situation another shot at getting in, and would generally get in the rowdiest fans. Not only that, but it might salt the audience with enthusiasm :D

Either that or when a student tries to start a "Let's Go Sioux" chant, someone will complain to security and the student will be kicked out. :)

Do rush seating like Marriucci. It's simple and effective.

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I hate the atmosphere at the REA. The facility is top-notch and second to none but I'd take the old Ralph back in a second. You couldn't beat the atmosphere at that place and the student's weren't treated as second class citizens. I've gone to Sioux games at St. Cloud and Mankato and am envious of the fans that get to watch games in those arenas. That's what watching college hockey is all about.

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You're preaching to the choir, Siouxper Dave. I have season tickets to the games in GF, but would much rather go to games in Mankato, Minneapolis, St Cloud, Duluth, or Hougthon than Grand Forks now. It's not a college atmosphere anymore... :D

Just drink more beer and you will get into the mood.

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