CHA Fact Check

HuckFinn

HuckFinn

Well-Known Member
Just read a Hlas article. Interesting.

Averages:
2000-2001: 15,500 sold out for all games
2010-2011: 11,635, lowest since CHA opened
Two Yrs ago: 12,869
10,963: So far this year, but all remaining games are BT

Due to every Iowa and BT game on TV, the traditional start time of 7:00 pm is non existent. Now 8:00 pm, all of which for Iowa are week nights, except one, and it’s winter in Iowa. Result? Des Moines and Quad Cities area fans get left out big time.
Biggest crowd this year? Western Illinois. 7:00 pm holiday week night. 15,056 fans.

Mike did add that “CHA is not the most fan friendly arena.”
The comments on TV and distance, start times, are Hlas, not me.
He also made mention of The fact that the student seating area is not great.

My comment. Good article. I think the late starts on weeknights are the single biggest factor, given that the fan base for season BB ticks comes
from IC, CR, DM, Quad Cities.
 
“If you build it they will come.”

We’re not building. We are just maintaining.

Possibly a reoccurrence of the Mr. Davis syndrome. Also huge let down from last year with such high expectations.

Still, If Fran builds it they will come regardless of time or travel. A good run or two in the tournament would help like hell.

At this point it appears that’s not likely to occur. Fran has done a great job of putting out the dumpster fire this program was in when he got here. It’s time for this program to take the next step up UNDER FRAN. If it doesn’t happen soon within the next three years, you can expect to see an even greater decline from the fan base. The Murray’s might be just what the doctor ordered. I certainly hope so.
 
Well, Carver is about 40 years old and the University has officially bought the Old Capitol Mall...just doing the math like everyone else has.:)
 
trj said:
Well, Carver is about 40 years old and the University has officially bought the Old Capitol Mall...just doing the math like everyone else has.:)
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On one hand that would be awesome for the students, they would be able to walk to the games. But I'd imagine parking would be a nightmare.
 
trj said:
Well, Carver is about 40 years old and the University has officially bought the Old Capitol Mall...just doing the math like everyone else has.:)
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ssckelley said:
On one hand that would be awesome for the students, they would be able to walk to the games. But I'd imagine parking would be a nightmare.
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Been calling for it for three years. Think of the boon it would be for downtown establishments.

@Fryowa wants to keep wrestling where it is and I would have no problem with that. But time, and overtime, to bring basketball downtown. You could still keep the offices and practice facilities and training facilities in their present locations.
 
Speaking of Carver can anyone tell me if a game time has been announced for Saturday's game vs Penn State.

I'm going and there's no time listed on any schedule I've seen. In fact it's the only game remaining on the schedule with no listed starting time.
 
When Iowa makes a run here, it’s going to be proven that making a run didn’t mean shit either
 
Carver has had its run. Its not an old, venerable site that must be preserved like they have in Kansas or Butler or the like. It was a modern arena when it was built, it WAS really cool, but its not cool anymore and the school choose poor site from the get go.

Building a new arena, closer to campus and downtown, would invigorate the basketball program. Hell, look at those mouth breathing Husker fans that nearly fill their arena every night with an absolute shit product on the floor, and that has been there 4 years now.

A new arena allows the school to make the necessary changes more easily than trying to wedge a square peg into a round hole. With better amenities (beer and wine and more concessions), closer to campus, luxury boxes and clubs for the donors, and with a legit student section, the program could start to generate sustainable buzz again.

An arena is a reflection of a program. We are not blue blood with traditions that go back a hundred plus years, and we are not new, fresh, hot and cool. We are the old lady who knits and tells the person in front of her to sit down. Time for a change.
 
I actually work in the Old Capitol Mall. I'm not sure of the university plans or if there actually is room to construct a large arena at that spot. It might be rather tight. They just built a new biomedical engineering building across the street from the mall on Capitol St. To the north is Maclean and Schaeffer halls and The Old Capitol, which I know they wouldn't raze. Across Clinton St to the east are private businesses in Downtown. Maybe they could buy those out. Who knows.

But, if they could make it work, they already have a The Old Capitol parking ramp that is currently connected to the mall which would be handy to have connected to a arena.
 
trj said:
Well, Carver is about 40 years old and the University has officially bought the Old Capitol Mall...just doing the math like everyone else has.:)
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MelroseHawkins said:
I actually work in the Old Capitol Mall. I'm not sure of the university plans or if there actually is room to construct a large arena at that spot. It might be rather tight. They just built a new biomedical engineering building across the street from the mall on Capitol St. To the north is Maclean and Schaeffer halls and The Old Capitol, which I know they wouldn't raze. Across Clinton St to the east are private businesses in Downtown. Maybe they could buy those out. Who knows.

But, if they could make it work, they already have a The Old Capitol parking ramp that is currently connected to the mall which would be handy to have connected to a arena.
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Even if they added additional parking ramps, with an arena on the same block as the mall how the F would you get out of there? 12-15,000 people all trying to get to Hiawatha via Burlington street would the ultimate of ultimate clusterfucks.

Can't go east because it's residential can't go north because you run into the river and then residential, no good route south...It's completely hemmed in.

In my opinion the only place to reasonably put it would be to move the Hope House and Ronald McDonald House (pocket change for UOI), and put it on the wooded area west of Carver. Plenty of room for new parking in addition to the parking already available at Kinnick, Carver, and NW of the baseball field.
 
Fryowa said:
Even if they added additional parking ramps, with an arena on the same block as the mall how the F would you get out of there? 12-15,000 people all trying to get to Hiawatha via Burlington street would the ultimate of ultimate clusterfucks.

Can't go east because it's residential can't go north because you run into the river and then residential, no good route south...It's completely hemmed in.

In my opinion the only place to reasonably put it would be to move the Hope House and Ronald McDonald House (pocket change for UOI), and put it on the wooded area west of Carver. Plenty of room for new parking in addition to the parking already available at Kinnick, Carver, and NW of the baseball field.
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There are a handful of parking ramps in the general area downtown within blocks of that area. But yea, as I stated in another thread, Iowa City is a stop and go city, advance to the next light, stop and go.

There are numerous directions to go to get out of there though. The locals would know some short cut routes. Dispersing in all directions from various ramps might not be too bad. I'm sure it's a similar case in many university settings. It isn't Kinnick's 70K crowd leaving, it's 15,000, and which many may just hang downtown to eat or catch a drink after to let the crowd disperse. Business downtown would actually love this getting 20 games a year.
 
HuckFinn said:
I cannot even imagine a downtown arena in Iowa City.
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It's never going to happen, but one can dream. Parking would be a nightmare, yeah there are a few parking ramps but as Fry pointed out getting in and out of there would be horrible.

Besides, the Old Capital Mall is not big enough and even if it were who wants to build an arena right next to an ugly parking ramp?

I think CHA is going to be around for a long time.
 
Fryowa said:
Right there, boys.

Chris Street Court at Iowa Fieldhouse.

View attachment 8583
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Better yet....

Don't "move" the Hope House and Ronald McDonald House.

Attach new ones right to the new arena with windows and a lounge overlooking Chris Street Court from above the upper deck. Patients and caregivers can watch the games to make their lives a little more bearable at the time. Can always close it off with external curtains or blinders during practices/maintenance/etc.
 
ssckelley said:
That would be a lot of digging, that wooded area is pretty much a hill.

I don't think this is seriously going to happen any time soon. If they did I would think they would build it out here. This location would be easy in and out of.

View attachment 8584
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I've thought about the hill, and I think it'd be a feature, not a bug. You could have two levels of parking, and two levels of entry/exit. Perspective from one side would be a hole in the ground like it is now, and the other side a "normal" arena facade.

Or, instead of digging the hill out build the low side up and have parking underneath.
 
Whatever they do needs gobs of fucking parking available. It's shameful how jealous I get when I go to Trice or Hilton or just about any other school and see that they have ridiculous amounts of space. Going to an Iowa basketball game or wrestling meet and you have to pick from one of 15 little tiny piecemeal parking lots because they built a residential area around everything.

Football I don't mind because I enjoy the residential atmosphere and backyard tailgate spots, but holy F does it suck going to and leaving Carver unless you make mid six-figures.
 
Fryowa said:
Whatever they do needs gobs of fucking parking available. It's shameful how jealous I get when I go to Trice or Hilton or just about any other school and see that they have ridiculous amounts of space. Going to an Iowa basketball game or wrestling meet and you have to pick from one of 15 little tiny piecemeal parking lots because they built a residential area around everything.

Football I don't mind because I enjoy the residential atmosphere and backyard tailgate spots, but holy F does it suck going to and leaving Carver unless you make mid six-figures.
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When it was when i was a student in the late 70’s or now, parking has always been a cluster F in IC, and i have never sniffed the mid six figures. So what else is new?
 
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