your suggestions

OK. So, after exchanging e-mails with the coach on this year's line fiasco, I've been asked to compose a formal letter stating what was wrong with this year's procedure and make suggestions on how to fix it. Since I wasn't there I am hoping you all can help me out by providing me with details on what else (aside from what has already been mentioned in the other line thread) was problematic and perhaps giving me your best idea on how to remedy the situation for years to come. Any imput would be appreciated. As a now calmed down third party I am hoping that I can write it from a less emotional standpoint than those who followed procedure and are still upset about missing out.

Can anyone fill me in on the timeline for waiting, etc? How much time did people actually have to spend in line? From what I gather it wasn't nearly as much as in years past. Am I right?

hey
i was there for a while, i was already talking to gene (the ticket guy in charge) about setting up a cornell club or something run by the students in order to come up with a fair way for students to recieve tickets for next year. He thought it was a good idea. I agree that it was probably unfair that people like me and my friends that camped out got better seats while the people who shoed up on time got nothing. But i must also mention that last years crowd sucked and it is always more fun when people are loud and most of the people who remember the good old days of 600 pounds of fish on the ice don't want those fans that will obey all the rules. Most people should have realized it was not going to stick and should have taken a chance, the same chance you take when bringing in a lobster or fish for the harvard game, or like when you find out #24's little sisters name from RPI just so you can scream out that you had sex with her all of the previous night. Yes, those are the fans that we want. we were once rated the worst place to play as an away team anywaywhere, at any lvel, in any sport. So who should be rewarded the people who listen to everything they are told, or the real fans that are not willing to take the chance. And there is no way that anyone going to these games should not know all the cheers or ask anyone what the name of our players are. And that means all freshman, except if they were a townie that wore a vesse jersey all weekend, he can stay. so stop complaining about how you followed the rules. You should have thought how it would never work for 2000 people to form a line and realize it was going to happen earlier. Maybe it will change next year, maybe it won't, but are you going to take a chance. and why the hell do all these damn people want tickets anyway, it is not supposed to be lame. we need the old school, hardcore, 20 lb fish throwing, hardvard goaly taunting, in your face, extremely drunk, crazy fans we used to have that made cornell hockey above all hockey.

NOTE: this is in no way direted towards you mellissa, i think you made some good points, but the fans can't be as lame as they were last year, it was pathetic.

check your email melissa

Melissa,

I think this is the heart of the issue.

The system as it is does not reward the most dedicated fans. When someone gets pushed back from 200 to 450 by cutters, over half of the top numbers go to cutters, not dedicated fans. When 1 person holds a spot for 30, those numbers go to cheaters, not designated fans.

When people jump on eLF two days later and offer to sell their tickets for a profit, those numbers are going to 'scalpers', not dedicated fans.

I think you know I'm as dedicated as anyone... LP, Albany, Buffalo, will be at Boston this year, rain or shine, North Country in the middle of a snowstorm with an 8-hour drive, etc. Why didn't I get tickets? Not because I wasn't willing to camp out, but because I believed the rules and follow them.

The issue is that the current system gives tickets to rulebreakers and to cutters, and those are not the people who are the target audience - at least I should hope not. Now, yes, it goes to the most dedicated rulebreakers and cutters, but I hardly see that as a virtue.

If you'd like me to add more, I'll be glad to once I get over this project that's due Wed .

General admission for all students.

Had to be said.

. . .and open the door after the end of the 1st to fill any empty seats as was the case before I was born (or so I'm told). . .



Post Edited (09-15-03 19:24)

^ I definitely like that idea, particularly since in the 2nd period, the opposing goalie comes down to the E-K end, where it is more likely for less students to be in attendance. That's when we'll need those seats filled the most.

Keith K '93 wrote:

General admission for all students.

Had to be said.

Ok, so I told Age this today via IM and he thought I was on crack. But here is my idea.

1) Sell 1500 student ticket vouchers at the the beginning of the season.

2) Every wednesday at 8am, make tickets for that week's games available for pickup at the Straight. One voucher gets one seat. First come first serve with regard to seat and section selection. One person can only use 4 vouchers.

3) At 3pm on Friday, any remaining tickets go on sale to the general public. Unclaimed tickets do not qualify for a refund.

I have sneaking suspicion that things would be crazy the first couple weeks and then settle down. Once word gets out that Jim down the hall didn't get to the Straight until 1 on Thursday and still got tickets in E, the crowds will thin out first thing Wed AM, leaving only the hardcore fans.

Pros
Diehard fans that get to the Straight at 7:45a every Wed. morning are rewarded for their dedication by choice of the best seats.
Requiring effort to claim tickets earlier in the week helps creates buzz about that weekend's games.
Lynah is packed for every game as regulars that have a conflict won't see their tickets go unused.
Less rabid fans still get to enjoy the Lynah experience, albeit only for some of the less popular games.
Out of town fans have a better shot at getting tickets without getting scalped.
Attendence at 8:30 sections on Wednesday increase as people are up anyway.

Cons
Being a diehard fan requires constant effort throughout the season, not just in Sept.
People with 8a lecture on Wednesday will never get the best seats.
You may not end up in exactly the same seat every week, although getting up early on Wed. may help with this.
Frats may abuse their pledge classes by making pledges claim tickets every Wednesday AM.

Thoughts?



Post Edited (09-15-03 21:10)

Suggestion 1:
To prevent against cutting, set up some of that bright orange snow fencing along the line. Can't really hop over that easily. Put an opening in it every couple hundred feet so people inside can get out for bathroom breaks, but station an official at these breaks so people can't get in unless they were already in line. Collect ID cards if people leave the line, and return them when they get back.

But I think the orange snow fencing is the way to go for that.

Suggestion 2:
Forget season tickets altogether. Duke bball only allows tenting 2 games per year, the rest are done through wristbands. Give out blocks of wristbands Friday morning starting at 8 AM, or if you don't want to interfere with classes, Thursday at 4:45. Or any other day and time. Allow people into lynah based on wristband color. If you only have a couple hundred of each color, you can allow a controled general admission environment, ie, there is no mad rush when 1500 people try to go for section B. Again, this would be crazy for the first couple games, but it would settle down, and I think the only big campout would occur for Hahvahd. But this way, everyone in the CU community has an opportunity to get at least one game.

Interesting system, John. My comments:

Attendence at 8:30 sections on Wednesday increase as people are up anyway.

That made me seriously laugh out loud.

People with 8a lecture on Wednesday will never get the best seats.

Oh yeah, like people really go to their 8AM lectures anyway. Okay, I guess some of us do. I did my freshman year...stupid writing seminar...

You may not end up in exactly the same seat every week, although getting up early on Wed. may help with this.

Personally, I like the idea of a seat that is 'mine' (or, when I'm with my friends, a section that is 'ours'), but this proposal definitely gives the hardcore fans a better deal, that is, if they stay hardcore all the way to February/March.

Frats may abuse their pledge classes by making pledges claim tickets every Wednesday AM.

Indeed, this can be a problem, but that's what pledges are for, right? I'd be more worried about linecutting by people (fratboys/pledges?) at this point, actually. And it'd be done weekly, too, instead of just once in September like a few days ago.



Post Edited (09-15-03 22:00)

Melissa, I hope you're getting all of this



Post Edited (09-15-03 22:26)

john,
a brilliant idea, though i don't like it.
there is something to be said for continuity throughout a season, as each section develops its own traditions, taunts, and feeling of community among the faithful. the point of massive coordination at the beginning of the year is to organize yourself with your group of friends. that's why we obsessed over the line-- so that we ended up with a 50 person block in A, at line number 38 etc. you'd never get that if you had to organize it every week.

i like the orange snow fencing and the guards/id check.

mike, 04

to be honest, thats a terrible idea.
lynah seats are not meant to be egalitarian. If you don't wanna spend the time for them, you do not deserve them. It is the duty of all the lynah faithful to bring friends so that new people may experiance a game, but the most devoted should get the seats first and for the entire season. visiting teams should be afraid of those in the stands, and this only happens when serious fans know how to really swear and sing 'far above cayuga's waters'.

also, if i ordered a bunch of shirts that had "lynah faithful" and crossed hockey sticks on the front & "go back to long island, facetimer" on the back, would people be interested in them?

-ben rocky

Status quo ante 1983. Ever since, it's been a slide straight to crazytown.

I think the line should start whenever the first people get there. If there are people willing to wait out a few days, then so be it. If they are willing to wait that long, they deserve to have first shot at tickets. I was confused as to how 3000 people were just going to casually get on line all at the same time. It is better to have just an open start, that way people's arrivals will be staggered. Again, no official line start. Just start lining up whenever you want.

In addition, maybe it is time more seats were added to Lynah. I've heard there are already tentative plans to renovate Lynah. More seats would certainly help though. One ticket per person instead of two would be better too.

Mike, I agree. There's something comforting about the Dancing Guy in the same spot all year.

Not a bad idea John. I like the fact that it requires continous effort on the part of fans (well, a little bit at least). You missed one pro for the school. Unclaimed vouchers can mean additional revenue if they get resold.

Of course, the school wouldn't go for your idea because it would involve distributing tickets every week. This would become a major headache since each fan would have to choose a section/seat.

The plan doesn't address one of my fan complaints - people arriving late and missing the opening faceoff (let alone warmups). GA or GA by section would help that situation.

Things could be worse. In Troy there seems to be little need for a line!


Wait gets shorter, by days, in RPI hockey line
Troy -- Sport still popular, but few are willing to spend as long camped out waiting for tickets

By ALAN WECHSLER, Staff writer (Albany Times Union)
First published: Sunday, September 14, 2003

The brothers of Tau Epsilon Phi wanted to make sure they could get good season tickets for the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute hockey season. So they decided to be first in line.
Fourteen days early.

Years ago, this was a common sight at RPI. Days before tickets went on sale for the Engineers, the line would stretch all the way around the Student Union.

Today, while hockey is still a popular sport on campus, waiting in line is not. Most students simply show up the night before or, even more common, the morning that tickets go on sale for students.

TEP is the exception. Members of the 30-man fraternity take turns sitting in front of the Student Union, maintaining a 24-hour presence since last week. They will continue until 9 a.m. Tuesday, when the college starts selling blocks of discounted tickets for students (the general public can buy them at the Houston Field House box office).

"It's not totally about buying tickets," said Allan Libby, a senior who has spent most of his free time in the past week here. "It's more about keeping the tradition alive and showing school spirit."

Indeed, Libby plans to buy six season tickets for fellow students -- the limit one person can buy -- but none for himself.

"I'm just sitting out here because it's a lot of fun," he said.

Hockey Line is a vestige of a different time, a time when college sports were an integral part of most students' lives. Today, the various media vying for a young person's attention seem endless. With lightning-fast Internet connections, two ESPN channels and the MSG network on cable TV, and enough high-quality video games to conduct a virtual Olympics in a dorm room, there's a lot of competition against live sports. And that doesn't even take into account the part-time jobs, late-night partying and -- when there's time -- studying.

"The numbers have been dwindling over the last 15 years," said Ken Ralph, RPI athletic director. "You can see it with all the sports teams in the region."

Indeed, other schools have been contending with this problem for years. At the University at Albany, where football matches often lack crowds, the school has tried giving out T-shirts and visors, pizza, even lotteries that could win a student a free semester's tuition or first choice at next year's dorm room.

Last year's RPI hockey games drew an average of 3,100 fans, a number that's down slightly from previous years, Ralph said. The Houston Field House has 5,280 seats.

One afternoon this week, Libby and fraternity brother Brandon Lyon stretched out on plastic lawn chairs. Behind them was a rubber couch -- purchased years ago from a mental hospital -- and a stack of foam futons. In front of them was a wood-paneled television and a stack of more than 100 video game cartridges for such antiques as the original Nintendo and the Atari 2600.

Even recent TEP alumni take part. Mark Pesce, who graduated last year, showed up on Thursday afternoon to join the gang.

The line dates to a time before the rink was renovated in 1983. Before that, many rink seats were blocked by support beams, and there was a strong incentive to get there early in order to avoid sitting behind an iron girder.

Even after the beams were removed, the tradition continued, bolstered by RPI's 1985-86 season, when the Engineers won the national championship. That year, one student set a record for waiting in line -- 177 days, according to students and staff -- a feat that started well before final exams and lasted all summer long.



Post Edited (09-16-03 05:44)

thanks guys! there are a lot of great ideas and valid concerns you address here! would anyone be against me including their whole proposed idea? i'm assuming not since you posted it here ... but i don't want to step on any toes ...

if you have anything else please feel free to post. i'll be working on the letter tonite (and probably tomorrow as well due to lack of free time). i will post the final copy when i'm done. if, after reading it, anyone else would like to put their name on the bottom then they'll be welcome to do so (the more people behind it the better!). have a great day all!

melissa

Hey Melissa....I might suggest hitting them where it hurts (in the pocket book). Maybe point out that pissed off students become alums who don't give a cent back to the old alma mater. It's important to speak in the language of the Atheletic Department....and that language, from past experience, appears to be Economics.

Not a good idea, Adam. The idea is to give them ideas to improve the distribution, not threaten like petulant children. They can make their own fundraising decisions and I am sure they are aware of the ramifications of a bad undergraduate experience.

I was a part of the student hockey line 1976-1979. Cutting was an issue then, but there was little tolerance of it. I am not saying that nobody successfully cut in, but nothing like the numbers mentioned in this thread.

Why was this such a problem this year? Have attitudes to cutting changed that much?

Chris

Chris Moberg wrote:

I was a part of the student hockey line 1976-1979. Cutting was an issue then, but there was little tolerance of it. I am not saying that nobody successfully cut in, but nothing like the numbers mentioned in this thread.

Why was this such a problem this year? Have attitudes to cutting changed that much?

Chris

Blame freshmen and facetimers and certain writers for the Sun. That's what I'm doing.

big red apple, I've learned to never assume anything. It's important to spell things out to people; especially in these sorts of letters. What good are suggestions without tying inaction to ramifications? A department which is blind enough to promote the same lame and toothless line system every year is not necessarily of the sound judgement to fully understand the (especially longterm) economic impacts of their decisions.

I'm not saying that this has to be done in a childish way at all. To the contrary, such a charge will add weight to a letter which otherwise might be all too easily ignored by the recipients.

Back when I were a lad...

There were separate days for seniors, juniors and sophomores, and freshman. A certain amount of tickets were allocated for each. That way, freshman who weren't mature enough to follow the rules, didn't get the best seats (at that time section C).

One other twist was that in most fraternities, the sophs would stay in line on senior day. The seniors would show up in the morning, and buy a ticket for themselves as well as the underclassman who stayed in line. This was an accepted practice.

The line itself was pretty amicable (actually it was a pretty neat party) and for the most part policed itself. There was no mad dash to the ticket office once the windows were opened. We spent 24 hours in line, so you got to know the people who were around you. Everybody was aware who was one or two people in front of them and one or two in back. Cutting just wasn't allowed. That said, I do remember one group showed up with a baseball bat - just in case.

JH

Why the Sun?

Bill '94 wrote:

Why the Sun?

Link: [www.cornelldailysun.com]

The authors of this article effectively admit to cutting in line, shamelessly I might add.

suggestion: sell tickets during fall break. the most hardcore fans will come back a few days early, or not leave at all over the break. it usually falls a few weeks before the season starts, so i think it could work.

What a couple of assholes! If that's what the line is like these days, you guys are in serious trouble.

JH

OK, but I also got the impression that some people feel the Sun did something wrong last week. Did they encourage cutting, lining up early, etc.?

Jeff Hopkins '82 wrote:What a couple of assholes! If that's what the line is like these days, you guys are in serious trouble.

I agree, Jeff. That article is the roughly analagous to the urban legend of the guys who robbed a house, leaving behind only a camera and the toothbrushes.

They should have their tickets revoked for publicly bragging about cutting the line.

i agree with adding seats to lynah. might be costly but could the locker rooms be moved to under the stairs/under the walkway between lynah and the soccer fields? or is the syncotron too close - i figured i was deep underground. then build seats where the current scoreboard is and have it go all the way around. have a little opening where the zamboni comes in...

There's always tar and feathers. . .wait, no.

Wow. There used to be care and concern about "doing the right thing" and being nice to our own in the Lynah community. Now, judging from the article, it's more of a "yeah, I did this...what are YOU gonna do about it, nerd?" attitude. I used to have a bit of respect for the Sun writers, since I saw them often on roadtrips. Now if I see them, I'm not gonna let them forget what pricks they were from this hockey line story.

Rich H '96 wrote:

I used to have a bit of respect for the Sun writers, since I saw them often on roadtrips. Now if I see them, I'm not gonna let them forget what pricks they were from this hockey line story.

Well, be fair. As far as we know, only Mike Pandolfini and Jon Auerbach are guilty of this. We don't have any direct proof of other Sun writers partaking in this. At least, not yet. Of course, one could reason that the editor(s) is/are pricks for printing the article as well.

One of the guys who got revenge on Volonnino wrote:

Well, be fair. As far as we know, only Mike Pandolfini and Jon Auerbach are guilty of this.

True enough. It's still seems to be a representative mindset of a larger percentage of the hockey line (and therefore the Lynah crowd) than I've been used to.

Rich H '96 wrote:

True enough. It's still seems to be a representative mindset of a larger percentage of the hockey line (and therefore the Lynah crowd) than I've been used to.

Then join us in wearing "Go back to Long Island, facetimer" shirts to the games this year.

John,

You're basically proposing the system that UVM uses, except that the tickets they pick up on Wednesdays are general admission, so they still have to get to the games ON TIME (what a concept) to get a good seat - sort of combining your idea with Keith's. Also that way, you don't have to line up early on Wednesday - just pick up your tickets any time before close of business, and the lining-up doesn't occur until Friday (for unclaimed tickets and then to get into the rink).

On the down side, during the Perrin/St. Louis years, the line for unclaimed tickets would start ~5 am on Friday. Cornell certainly wouldn't want to have to police the line each home weekend, since they can't even figure out how to do a once-a-year line! Still, I do like the idea. There's no reason it would have to be general admission, either. Your voucher could be for a particular seat, but you still have to show up on Wed to claim it. That gives continuity for those who make it to all the games, while allowing Cornell to re-sell the unclaimed tickets, thus ensuring that all the seats are filled every weekend.

My only suggestion for Melissa's letter is to tell the athletic department to get off the students' backs, let them set their own priorities, and have an open line with and OFFICIAL LIST MAINTAINED BY ATHLETICS PERSONNEL WITH RANDOM LINE CHECKS. If *they* maintain the list, there would be no need to provide security, because there would be no cutting - much cheaper than trying to police an undocumented line.

To all who read our article:

Please realize that we did not cut the line in any way, shape or form. Jon and I both switched out with people who had taken our place hours beforehand. The article was supposed to give a perspective on how ludicrous the whole pre-line line system was, and to make the Cornell administration understand that the system remains imperfect. I have been a dedicated fan since 2001 when I matriculated, and was a proud member of the Lynah faithful last year. So, on that note, don't blame our editors, as our article had nothing to do with the Sun directly (although they did remove some of the more hilarious but offensive parts). Additionally, I'm not interested in any pornographic listservs. Thanks and let's go Red.

Sincerely,
Mike Pandolfini '05

[Q] I used to have a bit of respect for the Sun writers, since I saw them often on roadtrips. Now if I see them, I'm not gonna let them forget what pricks they were from this hockey line story. [/Q]

As a former Sun Assistant Sports Editor, I've followed the comments on this forum for a long time, but after seeing this, I feel compelled to defend the writers as a whole. I certainly am not condoning cutting at all, and I am neither happy nor proud to see our writers representing the Sports section the way they did.

However, I also would like to point out a few things. First, their narrative, disappointing as it may have been, could be used for good - namely, giving the ticket office a blow-by-blow example of what went wrong with the line procedure.
Also, a similar article was written last year about the ticket line experience in which the writers followed all the rules and ended up with their tickets. Speaking for myself, as a senior last year, I had a press box seat but still waited in line for tickets just because you can't cheer in the press box and there were some games where I wasn't going to deal with that restriction.
The Sun writers whom you are seeing on road trips are extremely dedicated. If I recall correctly, the only games last season at which the Sun was not represented were the North Country games over winter break and the game at Yale, due to Sun elections that day. I believe that they deserve your respect, as does the rest of the sports staff. If you're unhappy with the two writers who effectively admitted to cutting in line, then feel free to e-mail them or e-mail the Sports department (sports@cornelldailysun.com) and let them know about it. However, the Sun's Sports section not only provides the most coverage of Cornell hockey that I know of, it is also one of the best and most dedicated Sports sections in the Ivy League, and should be recognized as such.

-Alex Fineman '03

Dear eLynah Forum members:

Let me respond to accusations concering the "line cutting" mentioned in my article today in the Daily Sun. I do not think that we "bragged" about cutting the line in the article at all. In fact, we already had people waiting on line and we simply switched places with them. When most people went home on Friday night, we were among the few who stayed over in the Ramin Room

I have had season tickets since I was a freshmen. Two years ago, we slept overnight in front of Bartels Hall. When the doors were opened early in the morning, we lost several hundred spots in line because we were not awake yet. While we did not have the best seats, we went to every game and were probably the loudest fans in section E. Mike in fact got kicked out of the 2002 Harvard game for cursing loudly at Harvard's Kenny Smith.

I have been to nearly every home game the past two years, and went to Buffalo for the Frozen Four in April. My mom camped out for tickets when she was a student at Cornell, so I already knew about the passion that Cornellians have for hockey before I even applied.

Don't accuse me of being a "facetimer" just because you think I "cut" the line. I don't appreciate being insulted and threatened.

I'm sorry if some of you didn't get tickets this season. Hopefully the Athletic Department will be able to remedy the situation before next year's line.

Sincerely,

Jon Auerbach '05

Let's see, the authors call anybody who tried to police the line "idiots" or "nerds". They make fun of the methods used by people who are tired of cheaters and point out incidents where they get humiliated by the crowd. I know that satire is often lost on the people being satirized, but even after re-reading the article, I still thought the message that the article was sending was "You have to be an idiot to be in the line."

Nowhere in the article did it say, "the system doesn't work" or "Athletics need to fix this problem." I'll bet the admin staff are having a good laugh over your piece. I'm not sure they see what happened as a problem other than one of campus order.

If you want to get the message that the system is broken to the administration, I suggest an editorial, not a satire.

JH

First off, my reference to the "nerds" on line for 24 hours refer to MY GROUP on the line - The grand troupe of adventurers (or nerds with nothing better to do than sit on a hockey line for 24 hours) finally made its way into the Ramin Room in the late afternoon. After taking advantage of the large amount of space available because we had the early line numbers 50-54, we nearly incited several brouhahas when things...

The reference to someone being an "idiot" is referring to one of Jon's friends who was yelled at by said idiot despite being legitimately on the line.

I'm not going to respond to the problems with this article all day. They are many and easy to find. You are wasting valuable time on a worthless article that had only the purpose of entertaining.

As far as the people "policing" the line are concerned...they WERE idiots...

It was plain to see that the very people who were trying to "police" the line, were also the ones letting in friend after friend in the front of the line. The front of the line doubled in width after people succumbed to these guys' speeches. I noticed it, my friends noticed it, but what were we to do. They had already brainwashed most of the crowd. If there is one set of people to blame for everyone moving back about 150 spots in line from 2:00-4:00, its them.

(This is not to say that the athletic department is not the most to blame, just that these guys clearly had a plan.)

To me, it was refreshing to see someone finally make fun of them for their ridiculous speeches. I really wanted to respond on friday but I didn't want to start a riot.

Either way, I got section D when I probably should have had section B, but ticket purchasing is over, and I am looking forwared to a fun, exciting season at Lynah.

LETS GO RED!!!

One of the guys who got revenge on Volonnino wrote:

Then join us in wearing "Go back to Long Island, facetimer" shirts to the games this year.

I would, but I see 2 problems with the slogan. First, not all "facetimers" are from Long Island. Also, by association, not all Long Islanders are "facetimers." Some of the most dedicated fans I know happen to be from there. Second, almost nobody would admit to being a "facetimer." Should you accuse anyone of such a heinous activity, I'm sure you'd be met with "no way, man I've been a real fan since my pre-frosh days!" So while I'm hesitant to use that f-word, I don't hesitate to yell at people who show up 5 minutes into the 1st period, yak on their cellphones, make out with their date during action, or aren't even facing the ice during play.

I'm also glad that the Sun writers saw fit to post here. I'd just like to reiterate that I wasn't "threatening" them. I knew the Sun sports writers personally in my undergrad days, and have seen some of the writers at most of the road games I've attended the past few years. They don't know me, I don't really know them, but I've seen them enough to recognize them. I do respect their travel dedication, that's for sure...but this piece just rubbed me the wrong way, that's all.

Rich H '96 wrote:

I would, but I see 2 problems with the slogan. First, not all "facetimers" are from Long Island. Also, by association, not all Long Islanders are "facetimers." Some of the most dedicated fans I know happen to be from there. Second, almost nobody would admit to being a "facetimer." Should you accuse anyone of such a heinous activity, I'm sure you'd be met with "no way, man I've been a real fan since my pre-frosh days!" So while I'm hesitant to use that f-word, I don't hesitate to yell at people who show up 5 minutes into the 1st period, yak on their cellphones, make out with their date during action, or aren't even facing the ice during play.

LOL...indeed, it is true that not all facetimers are from LI or vice versa. The whole idea was started by a Cornell student who is also an Ithaca native and has been a hockey fan since he was young. It's a joke, really, not meant to be taken seriously. Of course, we could just have the shirts say "Go back to Long Island, freshman" and it will actually apply to a fair number of people... Just kidding.

While nobody will admit to being a facetimer, it's fairly easy to identify one--they don't know what 'facetimer' means.

Ari's point about the open-ended start time was the best process I have also been able to come up with. The only question is whether the wait will get obscenely longer because of a few people who go way early and scare others to show up...it could stretch for a week, if that happened too many times. But if that's the worst of it, it's an excellent idea. It would have to be a given that athletics or cupd or whomever prevented cutting. This would "official-ize" the process. In essence, the official line starts whenever the first guy shows up and claims a number. People will judge when to show, based on the AD's assertion that "ticket sales will be held Sunday Sept XX." That gives the first person alot of leaway to show, and once you're there, no leaving. It's only fair. Do you agree, Ari?

I also like the point about fall break ticket sales. It's an interesting twist on the dedicated fan idea.

-Mike '04

Mike wrote:
I also like the point about fall break ticket sales. It's an interesting twist on the dedicated fan idea.

But it does penalize people who are
1. Dedicated enough to follow the football team on a road trip for Fall Break
2. Camping out for the Friends of the Library booksale.
I guess people in category #2 could just join the hockey ticket line Saturday afternoon after then get back from the booksale, and people in category #1 could come back Sunday morning to line up, though.

Dear Mike Pandolfini and Jon Auerbach:

I'm glad you had people in front of the line holding your spaces. However, you certainly could have made your point much clearer in your article. Please examine this quote from your article[Q]Luckily, my friend Will and his brother Charles are near the front of the line. I stumble down to them; the people around me don't appear happy that I am joining the line in front of them.[/Q]To my eyes this is most easily interpreted as cutting, why else would everyone there be upset if you two came and two others left. If they were holding your place, and there was no list, then it's only a fine line to not call that cutting.

The main point is that the AD s**ks when trying to deal with these types of issues, but as a reporter, you also need to be sure your writting is unambiguous.

Jim Hyla '67 and a subscriber to the Sun for almost every year since then.

1. Are there any road tripping Cornell football fans?

2. Huh? I'm sure there are thousands of these people...

"almost every year" Jim? What years did you slag off and why?

Keith K '93 wrote:
1. Are there any road tripping Cornell football fans?

My senior year my girlfriend and I made all three Ivy roadtrips (and no, we weren''t in the band); the only games we missed were two at Patriot League schools. One was during the GREs, and the other was at Colgate, which I almost talked her into.

2. Huh? I'm sure there are thousands of these people...

IIRC, the fire code only allowed 200 people at a time into the warehouse where the booksale was held in my day, and you had to be there over an hour before the doors opened to ensure you were in the first wave into the sale. So there were at least <em>hundreds</em> of us.

Does this make me a geek among geeks?



Post Edited (09-17-03 10:15)

[Q]Does this make me a geek among geeks?[/Q]

No, but it might make you an Ithacan.

I know some ex-Ithacans who used to go back every year for the library book sale.

I think people who say "we were standing IN line" should get preference over people saying "we were standing ON line" . Huh? What? You were on the internet?

Rich said:[Q]"almost every year" Jim? What years did you slag off and why? [/Q]Well, I think it has been every year, but not being able to prove that I elected to hedge.

ok. i don't think anyone is eagerly anticipating my letter, but just in case, i wanted to let you all know that it is taking longer than anticipated (partly because it is turning into more of a report than a letter and partly because work has been crazy this week and i haven't had much free time). i'll have it finished at some point this week-end and post it as soon as it is complete.

Anyone who is proud to be from long island is likely a facetimer anyways. If you are a real lynah faithful and are offended, get real! Your stupid sandbard sucks. Honestly, who is proud of being from there anyway? My only friends from Long Island instead brag about their family's Queens or Bronx roots.
I stand by my "go back to long island, facetimer"

email me if interested

-ben rocky '04

anyone who knows me knows i hate the sun. that said, the sun's sports section is the only part i read. more all out big red sports fans write for the last page then there are real lynah faithful in section B.
they do an great job reporting our victories and it is nice to know they actually camped out for tickets instead of begging for free ones.

-ben rocky 04

Ben Rocky '04 wrote:

Anyone who is proud to be from long island is likely a facetimer anyways. If you are a real lynah faithful and are offended, get real! Your stupid sandbard sucks. Honestly, who is proud of being from there anyway? My only friends from Long Island instead brag about their family's Queens or Bronx roots.

Um, hate to tell you this, but Queens (like Brooklyn) is on the same "sandbard".

JTW, whose parents grew up in East Islip

Yes, yes they are. But on the other side of a line most pretend marks the beginning of real long island vs. NYC.

[Q]Anyone who is proud to be from long island is likely a facetimer anyways. If you are a real lynah faithful and are offended, get real! Your stupid sandbard sucks. Honestly, who is proud of being from there anyway? My only friends from Long Island instead brag about their family's Queens or Bronx roots.
I stand by my "go back to long island, facetimer"[/Q]

I'm sure Ryan Vesce will be grateful for your support.

Big talk from someone who, from what I can tell (Big Red fan since early childhood) chose to live with Mom during college, Ben Rocky. If someone told you to "go home" you could just walk.

(Who the hell brags about Queens, anyway? I'm from Queens and am fairly sure that I and all of my Queens brethren just told people we were from "New York City".)

Edit: I don't know how I did it, but this is definitely tagged on to the wrong Ben Rocky message. Gonna get some coffee now.



Post Edited (09-19-03 11:14)

Anyone who is proud to be from long island is likely a facetimer anyways. If you are a real lynah faithful and are offended, get real! Your stupid sandbard sucks. Honestly, who is proud of being from there anyway? My only friends from Long Island instead brag about their family's Queens or Bronx roots. I stand by my "go back to long island, facetimer"

Looks like admissions requirements are dropping again...

Best suggestion on how to handle ticket sales next year: Fight to the death.

At least thats what's winning in Age's poll

It may a bit bloody for the AD to implement though.....you know, getting the stains off Bartels would cost some serious money.....

Dan '01 wrote:

It may a bit bloody for the AD to implement though.....you know, getting the stains off Bartels would cost some serious money.....

Do it in the middle of the Alumni Field. Blood is biodegradable, right?