CoteauRinkRat Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 What was the atmosphere like? How did the Betty handle the aforementioned issues, with the biggest crowd on hand so far? 3,064 in attendance against the #4 team in the country?! C'mon Sioux basketball fans, we should be able to do better than this! This could be the best women's team that Roebuck has assembled, and there have been some damn good teams to play for him! My excuse for not going is living 100 miles away, it's a school night, and the weather is crap! What is your excuse, Grand Forks!? I find it hard to rip the fans since I know a lot of them were turned away at the ticket window saying all the tickets were sold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UND92,96 Posted February 3, 2006 Author Share Posted February 3, 2006 It will be interesting to see whether there's any fall-out from last night's game. I'm sure Roebuck would resist moving games from the Betty since it does provide a nice homecourt advantage, but on the other hand, I don't think the athletic department is in a position financially to be turning away people (and their money) who want to attend women's basketball games. Can you imagine how many more people would have been turned away last night had it been a Saturday night, and had the weather been better? Keep in mind that very few St. Cloud fans made the trek, but likely would have on a Saturday. My preference would be to try dakotadan's idea next year for configuring the Ralph for basketball, at least for NCC games, or at a minimum for the St. Clould State game. Do a little arm-twisting at the NCC office if necessary to make sure it gets scheduled for a Saturday next year, too, and that it is on a weekend when the hockey team is on the road. I'm guessing that at the Ralph on a Saturday night, this game could draw 6000 to 7000 people. Possibly more. Am I wrong, or does REA use a "tickets sold" method of determining attendance for hockey, but apparently uses a "headcount" method for basketball at the Betty? I know I've been to many hockey games were there were several hundred no-shows, but the announced attendance was 11,500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringDeanBack Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 It was quite comical after the women's game last night. A considerable amount of people were leaving before the Men's game! Back in the day, more people would arrive before the men's game, not vice versa. I hope that Bunning realizes that the state of UND men's basketball is the biggest problem, not hockey student seating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UND92,96 Posted February 3, 2006 Author Share Posted February 3, 2006 It was quite comical after the women's game last night. A considerable amount of people were leaving before the Men's game! Back in the day, more people would arrive before the men's game, not vice versa. I hope that Bunning realizes that the state of UND men's basketball is the biggest problem, not hockey student seating. The same thing happened after the women's game against Augie. What is really interesting is that nearly the entire student section left shortly after the women's game. By midway through the second half of the men's game, I'd be surprised if there were more than about 1000 left. We've had worse teams (1988-89, for example), but I don't think the level of apathy for the program around town and around campus has ever been this bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huskies679 Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 If you had to guess...how many people were turned away last night? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UND92,96 Posted February 3, 2006 Author Share Posted February 3, 2006 If you had to guess...how many people were turned away last night? I would think that only the ticket sellers at the Betty could give any sort of an estimate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legend334 Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 I would think that only the ticket sellers at the Betty could give any sort of an estimate. WDAZ sports said sellout of 3,064 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eskimos Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 My neighbors were also turned away last night. I don't think the Betty's capacity is as big as they say it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cratter Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 WDAZ sports said sellout of 3,064 The question was how many people were turned away aka not given a ticket to enter the game that wanted one...not what the attendance was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachdags Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 I'm Just going to Say this....If there are empty seats...Get the people in the Building....RUSH SEATING..is a program available at most arenas in the Country in College Sports...Sold as Standing Room,Limited Number of Tickets Sold based upon...How much Room is Left and No-Shows... With Weather Last Night.....And The Huge Drop off always for the Mens Game..NO ONE SHOULD HAVE BEEN TURNED AWAY..... What a Horrible PR Move by The Betty or Game Management Staff... Betty Website list capacity at 4000...someone better change that..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huskies679 Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 When the plans came forward for the new facility, was it planned as a practice gym or a game day arena? I find it strange that the university with the largest following in the NCC would plan things this way. SCSU has a smaller following than UND and I think The Betty would be too small even for us. Good win by the UND gals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachdags Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 When the plans came forward for the new facility, was it planned as a practice gym or a game day arena? I find it strange that the university with the largest following in the NCC would plan things this way. SCSU has a smaller following than UND and I think The Betty would be too small even for us. Good win by the UND gals. Nobody will ever admit this ,but the "Betty" pushed way ahead of schedule to service the World Junior Hockey Tournament, In my opinion it is a poorly designed facility, In both Aspects of Practice, and a Arena for Games..Earlier in this thread we laid out some examples... Good Luck to Your Gals...Lori is a `"1st Class Coach"..I am sure will will play again...maybe twice... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 Folks, honestly, I'm sure the hope is to play in The Ralph more often. Why? - it would mean attendance is up to where you need The Ralph - the Club Rooms would be open PS - I finally saw The Al in basketball configuration. If 13500 spread around a football field can make the place tough for visitors I'm guessing 6000-9000 for hoop would feel about the same for a road team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamsioux Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 For anyone who questioned the ability of the Betty to handle a capacity crowd, got an answer last night...and it failed. For those who stated to quit complaining "our ice cream is too cold".....no longer has a defense. We are not "lucky" to have this arena. In fact, with the scarcity of $$$ for these types of things(athletics,facilites) these days, everyone should be furious, it was one of those nights that only happen one or twice a year with that kind buzz generated. This is when the spotlight is on our program....the rewards of everyone buying tickets and FSC fees.... having people come in a storm from a hundred miles or more to see it...only to be disappointed. I would hate to see if they ever do add bigger bleachers on the ends....it would so crowded everyone would have to sit in their seats at breaks. Especially with the north end now serving as a club lounge, there is very little room to walk around. I can't even imagine if the men's team becomes worth watching again....many people were in and out last night which helped the bathroom and concession lines as people just went home instead of needing use of either of those. One just has to wonder how many fans would of have been turned away it was a Sat. and/or nice weather....lots of ticked off wallets walking away. UND/REA management has failed miserably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UND92,96 Posted February 3, 2006 Author Share Posted February 3, 2006 For anyone who questioned the ability of the Betty to handle a capacity crowd, got an answer last night...and it failed. For those who stated to quit complaining "our ice cream is too cold".....no longer has a defense. We are not "lucky" to have this arena. In fact, with the scarcity of $$$ for these types of things(athletics,facilites) these days, everyone should be furious, it was one of those nights that only happen one or twice a year with that kind buzz generated. This is when the spotlight is on our program....the rewards of everyone buying tickets and FSC fees.... having people come in a storm from a hundred miles or more to see it...only to be disappointed. I would hate to see if they ever do add bigger bleachers on the ends....it would so crowded everyone would have to sit in their seats at breaks. Especially with the north end now serving as a club lounge, there is very little room to walk around. I can't even imagine if the men's team becomes worth watching again....many people were in and out last night which helped the bathroom and concession lines as people just went home instead of needing use of either of those. One just has to wonder how many fans would of have been turned away it was a Sat. and/or nice weather....lots of ticked off wallets walking away. UND/REA management has failed miserably. I have to agree with you. Luckily for me, I never had to leave my seat the whole time, so I didn't experience any of the hassles surrounding the rest rooms and concession stands. The bottom line is that we have to move conference games to the Ralph, or if that is impossible for some reason, then let's hope the contract with REA would allow for conference games to be moved to the Al. Many of us questioned the small capacity of the Betty when it was in the planning stages. It took all of three conference games for our fears to be validated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
govikes27 Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 I was disappointed last night when I wasn't going to be able to attend the games, but it looks like I would have been turned away anyhow . Regarding the Betty's seating, it seems to me I've seen it listed somewhere at 3300, which may be the real number if 3300 - empty seats= "sellout" of 3064. I think if UND moved up, we would have the smallest gym in DI . While we can moves game to the Ralph, maybe in hindsight it would have been more practical to have built the Betty with more seating . So, exactly how expensive would adding seating be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UND92,96 Posted February 3, 2006 Author Share Posted February 3, 2006 I was disappointed last night when I wasn't going to be able to attend the games, but it looks like I would have been turned away anyhow . Regarding the Betty's seating, it seems to me I've seen it listed somewhere at 3300, which may be the real number if 3300 - empty seats= "sellout" of 3064. I think if UND moved up, we would have the smallest gym in DI . While we can moves game to the Ralph, maybe in hindsight it would have been more practical to have built the Betty with more seating . So, exactly how expensive would adding seating be? In terms of seats, I guess the capacity is about 3300, at least if you don't count the hospitality room. I got this directly from the Betty website: 2,600 padded upholstered seats with armrests Telescopic bleacher seating for 700 VIP hospitality room for 200 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bincitysioux Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 Maybe it was built with the idea that the volleyball team would be drawing 3,000+ someday. Sounds like I may have been wrong about the Betty. They have alot of money tied up in all those leather seats if it was just intended as practice facility. Still, it will bum me out the day I have to go back to the Ralph for an NCC game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamsioux Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 How...at least until quite recently, did they quote close to 4,000 as capacity? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UND92,96 Posted February 3, 2006 Author Share Posted February 3, 2006 How...at least until quite recently, did they quote close to 4,000 as capacity? I guess it was a myth. For whatever it's worth, there's a question and answer forum on the online edition of the Herald, and I e-mailed a question to Wayne Nelson about this, and also asked whether he thinks it's likely that conference games will be played at the Ralph again next year. If he answers, I'll post a link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamsioux Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 A possibility then could be.....UND/REA thought that the Betty's capacity would never be put to the test as conference games would stay at the Ralph which would give them the capabilities to pull the wool over everyone's eyes. I just wonder how many other things are going to come out over time about the mismanagement of the Engelstad complex.....no wonder hardly any of the originals are left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiouxMD Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 For anyone who questioned the ability of the Betty to handle a capacity crowd, got an answer last night...and it failed. For those who stated to quit complaining "our ice cream is too cold".....no longer has a defense. We are not "lucky" to have this arena. In fact, with the scarcity of $$$ for these types of things(athletics,facilites) these days, everyone should be furious, it was one of those nights that only happen one or twice a year with that kind buzz generated. This is when the spotlight is on our program....the rewards of everyone buying tickets and FSC fees.... having people come in a storm from a hundred miles or more to see it...only to be disappointed. I would hate to see if they ever do add bigger bleachers on the ends....it would so crowded everyone would have to sit in their seats at breaks. Especially with the north end now serving as a club lounge, there is very little room to walk around. I can't even imagine if the men's team becomes worth watching again....many people were in and out last night which helped the bathroom and concession lines as people just went home instead of needing use of either of those. One just has to wonder how many fans would of have been turned away it was a Sat. and/or nice weather....lots of ticked off wallets walking away. UND/REA management has failed miserably. The first sellout in BESC history and some fans went home disappointed...boo hoo. Some things to think about... 1) Someone always goes/stays home disappointed during a sell-out. 2) Recent attendance history Augustana - 2573 (01/26/2006) Nebraska-Omaha - 2718 (01/07/2006) Saginaw Valley State - 1821 (01/05/2006) Season Average - 2003-2004 - 2387 3) Sellouts are good on numerous levels a) Financial b) Buzz Generator c) Atmosphere conducive to "Homecourt Advantage" d) Increase ticket sales to other home games against "lesser" opponents 4) If the BESC failed because some fans went home disappointed...what does this mean for the REA? How many fans were disappointed that they could not get tickets to the Gophers/Badgers/ETC. "In its inaugural season (2001-02) in the new Ralph Engelstad Arena, Fighting Sioux Hockey attendance erupted into an all time high. All of the games in this 11,500+ capacity hockey arena sold out in just 43 minutes after single game tickets went on sale. Tickets sales have even increased each season thereafter." 5) IF the Betty COULD manage a sellout (3000+) for ALL home games it clearly be the DII Women's Basketball Attendance Champion and would finish no lower than 40th in DI WBB. We have a ways to go before either the MBB or WBB teams outgrow the Betty. We ARE lucky to have this arena. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigGreyAnt41 Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 The first sellout in BESC history and some fans went home disappointed...boo hoo. Some things to think about... 1) Someone always goes/stays home disappointed during a sell-out. That's not the argument, though. The point is that they called it a sellout with just over 3,000 as announced attendance, and there were PLENTY of open seats. Question: Do season ticket holders have assigned seats or general admission? If they're assigned, then it's going to be hard for you to get me to believe that some people have season tickets in the top few rows of the arena, where there definitely were some open seats yesterday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eskimos Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 The point is that they called it a sellout with just over 3,000 as announced attendance, and there were PLENTY of open seats. Question: Do season ticket holders have assigned seats or general admission? If they're assigned, then it's going to be hard for you to get me to believe that some people have season tickets in the top few rows of the arena, where there definitely were some open seats yesterday. Yes, they have assigned seats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UND92,96 Posted February 4, 2006 Author Share Posted February 4, 2006 I guess it was a myth. For whatever it's worth, there's a question and answer forum on the online edition of the Herald, and I e-mailed a question to Wayne Nelson about this, and also asked whether he thinks it's likely that conference games will be played at the Ralph again next year. If he answers, I'll post a link. It didn't take long to get an answer: link. If Wayne is correct, I'm really frustrated. How in the world can they have "estimated" the capacity up until recently? They know how many chairs they ordered. They can easily count the number of people the end bleachers can hold (especially since they're not very big). This is too weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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