Student Section Seating Solved

BSpringsteen

BSpringsteen

Well-Known Member
This isn't that hard.

The reason you can't put the students across the entire span of the floor is because the arena is not set up for it. They have to kill 5 rows of seating to make up for the students standing and the people behind them not wanting to.

Take a look at this picture:

iowa-match-003.jpg


All we need to do is push up the removable seating (where the stairs are steal rather than concrete) and place bleachers on the main floor.

Problem solved! Students get to be right in on the action, and you lose no premium seating due to the standing.
 
All of the ideas to move the students are good on the surface but until Iowa can prove that the students want to be at the games and show up consistently, moving them would be a disaster. Its already embarrassing enough, imagine if there were 200 students and they were at center court.

Win 1st, move the students later
 
At Berkeley, the have three low, widen wooden risers probably each a foot above the other. The students stand on these. Such a set-up would keep them well below the first row after the metal bars.

But I still think you could put the students behind each basket and just block off five rows behind them. Beyond that, you could offer very reduced price seating.
 
Having the first few rows more like high chorus "risers" may work, but that's not what the university is doing. Both sides of the court will have really nice new courtside seats for the big donors - gotta pay for the practice facility somehow
 
LSimbolo said:
Having the first few rows more like high chorus "risers" may work, but that's not what the university is doing. Both sides of the court will have really nice new courtside seats for the big donors - gotta pay for the practice facility somehow
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That's what I hear. That is why I keep going back to the idea of putting the students in the first section behind each basket. You do have to get them all closer to the court. Put in the choir risers there and then make the seats behind them less expensive gen admission seats. Bringing in risers like that could also get the fans closer to the basket on the baseline, which would make foul shots by the other team an adventure.
 
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CAARHawk said:
That's what I hear. That is why I keep going back to the idea of putting the students in the first section behind each basket. You do have to get them all closer to the court. Put in the choir risers there and then make the seats behind them less expensive gen admission seats. Bringing in risers like that could also get the fans closer to the basket on the baseline, which would make foul shots by the other team an adventure.
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The seats behind the basket are the only bad seats in the arena. That's a terrible idea.

Give the big donors the courtside folding chairs. There's plenty of those on the east side of the court. Add another row if you need to.

Put the students right behind the benches.
 
I am sorry, but first section seats behind each basket are not terrible seats. Also, the students could have a very real impact on the game during free throws.

Then you could really reduce the seats above the students. Say $10. That would put people in those seats, which are hard to fill.
 
Risers behind the baskets would be better than the current seats behind the baskets.

The seats curve away from the court. Put the bleachers in nice and close to the floor--like right behind the photographers and cheerleaders--if you're going to put the students there.
 
Per Bobby Hansen it’s not going to happen. Those seats are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars each for the next five years. I think there is only something like 280 left to sell. That money will be used for the CHA renovation. They are not going to refund the money for the seats already sold.

I go to all the home games. There were some nights there when there were 20 or less students in the Hawk’s nest. You can’t block off 300 seats and only have 7% of them filled. Last year Barta reported that around 900 freshman season tickets were sold. Where were they? They did not come to the games.

You can waste your time worrying and trying to plan for it but it’s not going to happen for at least another five years.
 
1st... sorry about the pic size.

2nd. I think all that is important is that the section stretches from behind the baskets to behind the benches. This is really no different then what it is now, just reversed. Having the sections split up behind both baskets is a great idea, get them yelling back and forth etc...
 
CAARHawk said:
I am sorry, but first section seats behind each basket are not terrible seats. Also, the students could have a very real impact on the game during free throws.

Then you could really reduce the seats above the students. Say $10. That would put people in those seats, which are hard to fill.
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They actually are the worst seats in the building. Half the court is always cut off to you due to the basketball goals.
 
BSpringsteen said:
1st... sorry about the pic size.

2nd. I think all that is important is that the section stretches from behind the baskets to behind the benches. This is really no different then what it is now, just reversed. Having the sections split up behind both baskets is a great idea, get them yelling back and forth etc...
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This is exactly what Barta told some fans they are going to do at the afternoon public mixer, at least it will stretch behind the visitors' bench to "create more of a home advantage."
 
I have a hard time thinking students would want to be forced to stand on risers all game, especially if our team doesn't get significantly better.
 
twine said:
I have a hard time thinking students would want to be forced to stand on risers all game, especially if our team doesn't get significantly better.
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The students stand on metal bleachers for football games, which are longer than basketball games, and outside. They'll stand.
 
IAJay said:
They actually are the worst seats in the building. Half the court is always cut off to you due to the basketball goals.
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I see what you are saying. Two problems are that the current seats are too sloped and they are too far back behind the basket. You get behind the basket in sight line too fast. With risers, you will get a better site line with respect to the basket and the rest of the court.

Also, you can block out the space between the risers and the rest of the seats so that the sloped seats that are directly behind the basket will not be in play.

I have been in arenas that do this and it works much better.
 
Make them Stand For Fran. Give them a t-shirt and a hotdog, and they'll be happy.

Never underestimate the power of free crap for students.
 
BA96MA99 said:
Make them Stand For Fran. Give them a t-shirt and a hotdog, and they'll be happy.

Never underestimate the power of free crap for students.
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The students have stood for the whole game for years now. This wouldn't be any different.
 
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