---
Edit 03/20/26: Please see my post #44 in this thread.
Post 44 (https://elf.elynah.com/index.php?topic=272999.msg283742#msg283742)
At this point I would suggest that no one else write to Dr. Moore. She has heard us.
--
It has been suggested that a letter writing campaign may help put a stop to the recorded music being played at Lynah that it seems most of us here do not like. Towards that end, I am starting this thread. I hope many of us will write letters, and either share them here, or at least let us know here that you wrote.
I contacted a couple of people I know who are close to the hockey program, to ask who would be best to write to with these thoughts. Apparently the best person really is Nicki Moore, Cornell's Director of Athletics and Physical Education. From what I was told, several people have already written to her about this.
Below is the email message I just sent her a few minutes ago. I hope many of you will join me in writing. As BearLover suggested, perhaps if enough of us write, Cornell will listen.
Thanks!
---
Nicki Moore
Director of Athletics and Physical Education
Cornell University
CornellAD@cornell.edu
Dear Ms. Moore,
With such a fantastic weekend of Cornell Hockey just concluded, I thought this would be a good time to write to you about something that has been bothering me for quite a while. I feel strongly that the piped in (recorded) music being played at Lynah during stoppages in play and between periods is actually detracting from the incredible atmosphere Lynah is famous for. I know many long-time fans feel the same way.
I have been attending games at Lynah Rink since 1982, which was the fall of my freshman year on The Hill. I have had season tickets every year since 1983, with the exception of the four years I was out of Ithaca immediately after I graduated. I moved back to Ithaca in 1990 and have loved spending winter nights at Lynah, supporting the hockey team, every season since then. I have been a Cornell hockey "booster" / Association (CHA) member since 1990, and have even kicked my membership up to the Coach's Club level the last several years. All this to say I think I have spent enough time at Lynah to talk about the incredible atmosphere and what makes Lynah so special.
In my opinion, the recorded music is not helping and should be eliminated. The Cornell pep band (and any visiting bands that still make the trip) are more than capable of providing fun music during the stoppages in play and during the intermissions. The pep band and the voices of the incredible Lynah Faithful are all that is needed. Other sports venues may require the piped in music to create an atmosphere of excitement. Lynah doesn't.
I don't know whether or not you are familiar with the television show, "The West Wing." In one episode, during a time in which President Bartlet was softening his approach to things to try to appeal to a broader audience, his Chief of Staff, Leo McGarry, comes to the realization that that strategy isn't working, and also isn't fair to President Bartlet. It just wasn't who the man was. Leo comes up with a new strategy: "Let Bartlet Be Bartlet." That essentially boiled down to letting President Bartlet be himself, play to his strengths, and if there were a few that didn't like it because it wasn't mainstream enough, so be it. I will steal from "The West Wing" and conclude with, "Let Lynah Be Lynah!"
Thank you.
Disagree with your characterization of that episode of "The West Wing." Softening his approach to appeal to a broader audience was what Toby referred to as the "Uncle Fluffy" problem as they approached Bartlet's reelection campaign a few years in. "Let Bartlet Be Bartlet" was more about Bartlet staying true to his liberalism rather than moving to the political center in the hopes of avoiding controversy and remaining popular.
Y'know, 'cause that's the important thing to focus on here.
Quote from: Beeeej on March 16, 2026, 02:38:59 PMDisagree with your characterization of that episode of "The West Wing." Softening his approach to appeal to a broader audience was what Toby referred to as the "Uncle Fluffy" problem as they approached Bartlet's reelection campaign a few years in. "Let Bartlet Be Bartlet" was more about Bartlet staying true to his liberalism rather than moving to the political center in the hopes of avoiding controversy and remaining popular.
Y'know, 'cause that's the important thing to focus on here.
I'm sure you're right, Beeeej. It's been a few years since I've re-watched the entire series, so I probably conflated things a bit. Even so, I think this way makes my point better, so consider it poetic license.
Well written. As an "old" (in every sense of the word) editor, drop the last paragraph. End the letter with "Let Lynah be Lynah" and send it. That's what I plan to do - updating the dates of my letter to 1966...I was at Ithaca High School and adjust the dates to have never left Ithaca.
Quote from: andyw2100 on March 16, 2026, 02:42:05 PMQuote from: Beeeej on March 16, 2026, 02:38:59 PMDisagree with your characterization of that episode of "The West Wing." Softening his approach to appeal to a broader audience was what Toby referred to as the "Uncle Fluffy" problem as they approached Bartlet's reelection campaign a few years in. "Let Bartlet Be Bartlet" was more about Bartlet staying true to his liberalism rather than moving to the political center in the hopes of avoiding controversy and remaining popular.
Y'know, 'cause that's the important thing to focus on here.
I'm sure you're right, Beeeej. It's been a few years since I've re-watched the entire series, so I probably conflated things a bit. Even so, I think this way makes my point better, so consider it poetic license.
dss28 and I have rewatched it so many times that we literally use "West Winging the sh*t out of [show name]" to refer to binging another show.
Quote from: Larry72 on March 16, 2026, 05:34:05 PMWell written. As an "old" (in every sense of the word) editor, drop the last paragraph. End the letter with "Let Lynah be Lynah" and send it. That's what I plan to do - updating the dates of my letter to 1966...I was at Ithaca High School and adjust the dates to have never left Ithaca.
Thank you, Larry!
I had sent it before posting it here.
I had actually considered leaving out the "Thank you" at the end, so that it would have concluded with "Let Lynah Be Lynah", but I thought that sounded a little demanding and impolite, so I added the "Thank you." You are probably right that it may have been stronger without it.
Pretty apropos for a site that still features John Spencer Is Dead as a topline forum.
Quote from: BMac on March 16, 2026, 06:49:14 PMPretty apropos for a site that still features John Spencer Is Dead as a topline forum.
Damnit, I can't make a "he died before I was born" joke. "He died before Caton Ryan was born" doesn't quite have the same ring to it, sadly.
Quote from: stereax on March 16, 2026, 07:00:53 PMQuote from: BMac on March 16, 2026, 06:49:14 PMPretty apropos for a site that still features John Spencer Is Dead as a topline forum.
Damnit, I can't make a "he died before I was born" joke. "He died before Caton Ryan was born" doesn't quite have the same ring to it, sadly.
Alexis Cournoyer was 3 days old when John Spencer died. If EliteProspects is right. They often aren't.
A few words of advice (from the guy who reads all the marketing shit):
1. It's Doctor Moore.
2. Keep it brief and to the point. She's got a lot on her plate.
3. The only language Cornell understands is $$. Explain the impact their decision will have on your purchase of season tickets, your annual contributions, your bequests to the Athletic Department.
Y'all are the people who wouldn't believe a 10-second video clip online could be seen as "too long."
Times change. Most people get used to the piped-in music as long
as recorded-music playback does not step over the music the pep band plays.
First worry about:
- Why the rink lighting is dim and has varied hot spots and dim spots. And is hard to get color fidelity for those shooting stills. I believe the A.D. is aware of at least the lighting concerns.
- Why the video board is so dim, low-res and obscured by the netting (that may be necessary in its current location) if there's no protective clear shield.
- Why the arena audio is hard to discern. The man at the mic has a golden voice; it's not him.
Y'all have heard me mention before how the camera angles are suboptimal for the video broadcasts and I believe we can improve them. At least versus 5 years ago our video guys are tracking the puck.
[Drifting:] From time to time medical doctors get uppity when academics want to be addressed as Doctor ("Dachtah" if from Long Island) and have to be reminded that the academic honorific came before the medical one.
Quote from: billhoward on March 17, 2026, 03:39:50 PMFirst worry about:
- Why the rink lighting is dim and has varied hot spots and dim spots. And is hard to get color fidelity for those shooting stills. I believe the A.D. is aware of at least the lighting concerns.
- Why the video board is so dim, low-res and obscured by the netting (that may be necessary in its current location) if there's no protective clear shield.
- Why the arena audio is hard to discern. The man at the mic has a golden voice; it's not him.
Forgive me for not putting still photographers first. I also don't care about the video board, understand why it exists, but don't need to like it (and the pregame hype video has the opposite effect). The rink audio is not an issue. I could hear ACM as well as the DJ all weekend. Bad PA audio is Yale (before and after they upgraded the speakers).
Yes, most people "get used to" piped in music. People get used to lots of things.
The piped music creates competition with the band and the organic energy in the building. It seemed that if the conductor wasn't ready to go immediately at a whistle, there was a real risk of random noise being pumped in. The Saturday conductor was faster than Sunday and we got more band Saturday than Sunday. There are also times when the band shouldn't play because the student section is up to something and that should breathe too. If the loudmouths are chirping Charette after a whistle, the band might be wise to give it space. But in today's Lynah, that space will be an invitation to the DJ, who will drown it all out. The volume is also so loud that it makes otherwise loud cheering seem like not much.
And don't get me started about the warmup tape and the complete death of pregame heckling....
It's all a slippery slope to the SHU/Q experience where fans are mostly passive and every break has video production or pumped music with one or two breaks for the band each period and poor ACM is telling us about the East Hill Car Wash Penalty Box brought to you by Wegman's and the final minute of play will be sponsored by Cayuga Medical Center and RC Holmes.
I'm going to go back to shaking my fist at the clouds now.
Quote from: ACM on March 17, 2026, 03:25:55 PMA few words of advice (from the guy who reads all the marketing shit):
1. It's Doctor Moore.
2. Keep it brief and to the point. She's got a lot on her plate.
3. The only language Cornell understands is $$. Explain the impact their decision will have on your purchase of season tickets, your annual contributions, your bequests to the Athletic Department.
Thanks, Arthur. I somehow missed the fact that I should have addressed our AD as Doctor Moore. That's an embarrassing mistake.
I personally didn't want to make empty or weak threats with respect to some of what you suggest above, but if others are comfortable doing that, I'm all for it.
I'm just hoping many of us will take the time to write, and that if enough of us do we may get the change we desire.
Quote from: billhoward on March 17, 2026, 03:39:50 PMY'all are the people who wouldn't believe a 10-second video clip online could be seen as "too long."
Times change. Most people get used to the piped-in music as long as recorded-music playback does not step over the music the pep band plays.
First worry about:
- Why the rink lighting is dim and has varied hot spots and dim spots. And is hard to get color fidelity for those shooting stills. I believe the A.D. is aware of at least the lighting concerns.
- Why the video board is so dim, low-res and obscured by the netting (that may be necessary in its current location) if there's no protective clear shield.
- Why the arena audio is hard to discern. The man at the mic has a golden voice; it's not him.
Y'all have heard me mention before how the camera angles are suboptimal for the video broadcasts and I believe we can improve them. At least versus 5 years ago our video guys are tracking the puck.
All of your concerns are valid, Bill. The point of this thread was to attempt to get one small (and free) thing back the way we want it. Saying "first worry about..." misses that point.
Sure, better lighting would be great. It also costs money. I think sending the AD a laundry list of things we want changed or improved at Lynah would dilute the message quite a bit. I am attempting to keep it simple.
You, and others, of course, are free to write the AD about anything you like. For now, I'm focusing on the piped in music, which would cost the administration nothing to stop.
Quote from: billhoward on March 17, 2026, 03:39:50 PMY'all are the people who wouldn't believe a 10-second video clip online could be seen as "too long."
Times change. Most people get used to the piped-in music as long as recorded-music playback does not step over the music the pep band plays.
First worry about:
- Why the rink lighting is dim and has varied hot spots and dim spots. And is hard to get color fidelity for those shooting stills. I believe the A.D. is aware of at least the lighting concerns.
.........
- Why the arena audio is hard to discern. The man at the mic has a golden voice; it's not him.
Y'all have heard me mention before how the camera angles are suboptimal for the video broadcasts and I believe we can improve them. At least versus 5 years ago our video guys are tracking the puck.
Casey mentioned that he is advocating for improvements in both the lighting and camera issues - though his first priority is better refrigeration.
As to the audio, wait until you visit the gambling mecca of Schenectady. Union's architects have designed a space with too narrow seating, poor lines of sight and an unintelligible audio system. Many will find this refreshing as the homer announcer at Achilles was insufferable. He was missing at the Cornell game and the noise from his milquetoast replacement couldn't be deciphered. (It did make me nostalgic for the late '70's CTA El announcements.)
Quote from: billhoward on March 17, 2026, 03:49:17 PM[Drifting:] From time to time medical doctors get uppity when academics want to be addressed as Doctor ("Dachtah" if from Long Island) and have to be reminded that the academic honorific came before the medical one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BCXJ3yC65o
No true PhD ever insists on being referred to as "Doctor." It's tacky. That's an affection for the people whose companies buy them mail order degrees from the Kennedy School of Public Administration.
My favorite story about this is my wife's ancient emeritus history faculty advisor walking into the office she shared in grad school with a newly minted PhD adjunct professor. He looked at the guy's degree on the wall and said, "well, I assumed." :P He took it down that night. Lesson learned.
Quote from: Trotsky on March 17, 2026, 07:07:33 PMNo true PhD ever insists on being referred to as "Doctor." It's tacky. That's an affection for the people whose companies buy them mail order degrees from the Kennedy School of Public Administration.
My favorite story about this is my wife's ancient emeritus history faculty advisor walking into the office she shared in grad school with a newly minted PhD adjunct professor. He looked at the guy's degree on the wall and said, "well, I assumed." :P He took it down that night. Lesson learned.
That should have been renamed the Trump-Kennedy School of Public Administration.
Quote from: ursusminor on March 18, 2026, 01:03:36 AMQuote from: Trotsky on March 17, 2026, 07:07:33 PMNo true PhD ever insists on being referred to as "Doctor." It's tacky. That's an affection for the people whose companies buy them mail order degrees from the Kennedy School of Public Administration.
My favorite story about this is my wife's ancient emeritus history faculty advisor walking into the office she shared in grad school with a newly minted PhD adjunct professor. He looked at the guy's degree on the wall and said, "well, I assumed." :P He took it down that night. Lesson learned.
That should have been renamed the Trump-Kennedy School of Public Administration.
Only if they promise to scrape the bastard's name off it once he dies.
A humble request to all: This is a Cornell hockey focused forum. Let's leave politics out of it so it doesn't devolve into another "social" space on the internet ruined by political fights.
Quote from: JasonN95 on March 18, 2026, 12:31:54 PMA humble request to all: This is a Cornell hockey focused forum. Let's leave politics out of it so it doesn't devolve into another "social" space on the internet ruined by political fights.
I can't discuss DeSantis's radical new forecheck policy? ;)
Bravo, Adam. And sign me up for the Day Hall takeover.
Just for the hell of it, really.
Quote from: Trotsky on March 17, 2026, 07:07:33 PMNo true PhD ever insists on being referred to as "Doctor." It's tacky. That's an affection for the people whose companies buy them mail order degrees from the Kennedy School of Public Administration.
I think it's a German thing, to be called "Herr Doktor Professor." But we don't do that in America or the ice hockey rink.
Responders should post their class years, show how old are the attendees who are outraged (everyone with a complaint these days is "totally outraged," not just unhappy or concerned). And the people on eLynah may not be the mainstream of Lynah attendee opinion.
Peppy music is here to stay. Even in its distorted current incarnation because the speaker system just isn't up to the task.
I'd put my efforts into alcohol-everywhere at Lynah not just for a few sections. In the hands of those 21 and over, or who have great fake ID. Boy, it made the @Arizona State games more fun with alcohol available. Even if I stopped after one beer.
I'm hearing that Doctor Moore is aware of the 1970s town rink quality lighting at Lynah Rink. Larry Baum has been shooting photos at Lynah since the 1960s, me since the 1970s. Praise the lord for Accufine (turbocharged film developer) that let you push VietnAm era ISO 400 Tri-XPan to ISO 1600 (read: effectively quadrupling the perceived lighting) to get passable shooting speeds. Half a century later there are more footcandles of light on the ice but it's uneven. It makes the broadcast/webcast video look bad as well as making photos uneven. All this costs money to fix but Cornell knows the importance of better webcasts for fans, for player parents, for prospective players.
Others note it takes no money or effort to pull the plug on canned music. But: This battle against music all the time the players aren't playing sort of ended around Y2K. This fan-friendly quote-unquote stuff goes hand in hand with sled pulling at intermission and shooting pucks from center ice at intermission.
Oh, also this: Women who watch games in person at Lynah are more pissed about the bathroom wait times at the inside-Lynah restrooms than they are about the 80-cents-on-the-dollar thing. When they're at Lynah. Yes, there are more women's bathrooms at Newman, outside Lynah, but that's an extra 5-8 minutes walk out and back. Using the inside-Lynah bathrooms, men are in and in out in less than 5 minutes, tops, even at period breaks.
Quote from: Chris '03 on March 17, 2026, 04:20:06 PMForgive me for not putting still photographers first.
...
It's all a slippery slope to the SHU/Q experience where fans are mostly passive and every break has video production or pumped music with one or two breaks for the band each period and poor ACM is telling us about the East Hill Car Wash Penalty Box brought to you by Wegman's and the final minute of play will be sponsored by Cayuga Medical Center and RC Holmes.
Okay, we're on common ground here, the disdain for everything being sponsored and announced: "And nowwwwww for the Waffle Houssssssse starting lineups [cue SFX]."
My love for still photography is that my spending 8th through 12th grade doing the Malcolm Gladwell
Outliers 10,000 hours of practice/learning (to get to the HS version of world-class good) shooting at sporting events and in the darkroom, also writing for the HS paper / yearbook got me a NYS HS state photographer of the year award and a job writing HS/college sports junior-sernior years for the 150,000-circ (back then) Rochester Democrat & Chronicle; that CV made Cornell look more at the extracurriculars and less at the HS GPA. Today I'd be just one more teenage Tik Tokker. Still photography has been eclipsed by video. If you have to have one, it's video. Video is better for showing hockey, auto racing, and airstrikes; stills are fine for showing the bodies. Video of Cornell hockey streaming video beats radio hands-down, although twice this winter-spring I have talked with long-time Ithaca area residents and they asked me, Do you miss the radio broadcasts? I say to the acquaintance, "Oh, yes we all miss it, there's nothing like being on a drive home [within range of the WHCU transmitter] or going somewhere or just driving around and having the [football hockey basketball] game on and it's almost like being there." Actually: That ship has sailed.
What is the disdain for hockey rinks with legroom, chairback seats, sightlines (you can see into all four corners) and up in the balcony in the corner, a section with booze as at Sacred Heart? Two, three years back we went to the at-Arizona State games and Gwen & I took our non-hockey-centric hosts to the ASU special section with tables up top and food (good food, not just hot dogs), wine, beer, available alcohol plus seats near center ice, all for a mere $150 a ticket. I'd do that once a year but not every game; nice to have that option.
Quote from: billhoward on March 18, 2026, 11:14:04 PMI'd put my efforts into alcohol-everywhere at Lynah not just for a few sections. In the hands of those 21 and over, or who have great fake ID. Boy, it made the @Arizona State games more fun with alcohol available. Even if I stopped after one beer.
I'm pretty sure at some point this season they did make alcohol available everywhere. They are using wristbands to indicate people are of age.
Quote from: billhoward on March 18, 2026, 11:35:14 PMBut: This battle against music all the time the players aren't playing sort of ended around Y2K. This fan-friendly quote-unquote stuff goes hand in hand with sled pulling at intermission and shooting pucks from center ice at intermission.
The sled-pulling and puck shooting at intermission isn't detracting from the atmosphere during play. I can live with the piped in music then too, though I think it's unnecessary.
Quote from: andyw2100 on March 19, 2026, 09:33:15 AMQuote from: billhoward on March 18, 2026, 11:35:14 PMBut: This battle against music all the time the players aren't playing sort of ended around Y2K. This fan-friendly quote-unquote stuff goes hand in hand with sled pulling at intermission and shooting pucks from center ice at intermission.
The sled-pulling and puck shooting at intermission isn't detracting from the atmosphere during play. I can live with the piped in music then too, though I think it's unnecessary.
Would love to see the Skating Bear(s) again, sometime.
Quote from: The Rancor on March 19, 2026, 10:11:07 AMQuote from: andyw2100 on March 19, 2026, 09:33:15 AMQuote from: billhoward on March 18, 2026, 11:35:14 PMBut: This battle against music all the time the players aren't playing sort of ended around Y2K. This fan-friendly quote-unquote stuff goes hand in hand with sled pulling at intermission and shooting pucks from center ice at intermission.
The sled-pulling and puck shooting at intermission isn't detracting from the atmosphere during play. I can live with the piped in music then too, though I think it's unnecessary.
Would love to see the Skating Bear(s) again, sometime.
Especially the senior year bears during the second intermission on Senior Night.
I would love to see the skating bears back. Sad that they're gone.
Can someone comment on how the alcohol process works at Lynah? I wonder if they read my post about increasing attendance a couple months ago in which I recommended opening up alcohol sales to the full rink ???
Do they sell to students? Do they let students bring beer back into the student sections?
Quote from: BearLover on March 19, 2026, 10:22:31 AMI would love to see the skating bears back. Sad that they're gone.
Can someone comment on how the alcohol process works at Lynah? I wonder if they read my post about increasing attendance a couple months ago in which I recommended opening up alcohol sales to the full rink ???
Do they sell to students? Do they let students bring beer back into the student sections?
Would also love to see the skating bears back. I wonder what the issue is there.
Hoping Stereax or someone else who is closer to the students will answer the question about selling to students.
From what I've seen, I'm not sure how they could exclude the students, unless they are using an age older than 21 as the minimum (which I'm not sure would even be legal.) They probably could prevent the students from bringing alcohol into the student sections I guess.
Quote from: andyw2100 on March 19, 2026, 10:35:11 AMQuote from: BearLover on March 19, 2026, 10:22:31 AMI would love to see the skating bears back. Sad that they're gone.
Can someone comment on how the alcohol process works at Lynah? I wonder if they read my post about increasing attendance a couple months ago in which I recommended opening up alcohol sales to the full rink ???
Do they sell to students? Do they let students bring beer back into the student sections?
Would also love to see the skating bears back. I wonder what the issue is there.
Hoping Stereax or someone else who is closer to the students will answer the question about selling to students.
From what I've seen, I'm not sure how they could exclude the students, unless they are using an age older than 21 as the minimum (which I'm not sure would even be legal.) They probably could prevent the students from bringing alcohol into the student sections I guess.
There are skating bears... but they're usually the little kids during women's game intermissions. I dunno if that's what you're talking about? And fwiw I don't mind having little intermission games/piped in music either - gives the band a chance to breathe and keeps the energy buzzing between periods.
Yes, they sell alcohol to students. The guys next to me during the playoffs had wristbands and beers, and that's inside the student section. They check your ID once, then give you a wristband to make it easier. I think they're trying to only do it for certain games (Harvard, etc) just because it's a pain in the ass to ask 19-year-old service staff to ID check people.
Quote from: stereax on March 19, 2026, 11:51:14 AMThere are skating bears... but they're usually the little kids during women's game intermissions. I dunno if that's what you're talking about?
The skating bears we old-timers are referring to were students usually dressed at least partially in Cornell hockey garb, and in big bear costumes. They would skate around and entertain the crowd between periods.
Attached is an image from October 2019.
(https://i.ibb.co/whPSzL13/Screenshot-20260319-120339-Photos.jpg)
Quote from: andyw2100 on March 19, 2026, 12:02:06 PMQuote from: stereax on March 19, 2026, 11:51:14 AMThere are skating bears... but they're usually the little kids during women's game intermissions. I dunno if that's what you're talking about?
The skating bears we old-timers are referring to were students usually dressed at least partially in Cornell hockey garb, and in big bear costumes. They would skate around and entertain the crowd between periods.
Ah... then no. Never seen that, sadly.
Apropos the bear discussion and this time of year...
The attached photo is my daughter, Bevi, now 32, Class of 2016, in 1996 on the Lake Placid ice with both bears.
We had developed a relationship with Margot P. (the student in the bear outfit) during the season at Lynah. We would bring Bevi down to the glass and Margot would skate over to entertain her and the other young kids. I remember Margot was always careful to cover her mouth, so the bear's teeth wouldn't scare the little kids.
At Lake Placid Margot suggested taking Bevi out on the ice with her between periods.
In spite of the look on her face in this picture, Bevi loved it! When she came off the ice she strung more words together than she ever had before: "Bear - Out on ice - people clap."
(https://i.ibb.co/4wvnf6TP/Screenshot-20260319-122641-Facebook.jpg)
Quote from: andyw2100 on March 19, 2026, 12:02:06 PMQuote from: stereax on March 19, 2026, 11:51:14 AMThere are skating bears... but they're usually the little kids during women's game intermissions. I dunno if that's what you're talking about?
The skating bears we old-timers are referring to were students usually dressed at least partially in Cornell hockey garb, and in big bear costumes.
Some of the old-timers are the same people as said skating bears. ;-) (not me)
Quote from: Old Red on March 18, 2026, 10:14:48 PMQuote from: Trotsky on March 17, 2026, 07:07:33 PMNo true PhD ever insists on being referred to as "Doctor." It's tacky. That's an affection for the people whose companies buy them mail order degrees from the Kennedy School of Public Administration.
I think it's a German thing, to be called "Herr Doktor Professor." But we don't do that in America or the ice hockey rink.
Most US-based academics (especially women) would be annoyed to be called Mr. or Ms. in a professional context. Heck, when I was a grad student I was miffed that a seminar announcement referred to an undergraduate presenter as "Miss" rather than "Ms."
Quote from: jtwcornell91 on March 19, 2026, 02:24:53 PMQuote from: andyw2100 on March 19, 2026, 12:02:06 PMQuote from: stereax on March 19, 2026, 11:51:14 AMThere are skating bears... but they're usually the little kids during women's game intermissions. I dunno if that's what you're talking about?
The skating bears we old-timers are referring to were students usually dressed at least partially in Cornell hockey garb, and in big bear costumes.
Some of the old-timers are the same people as said skating bears. ;-) (not me)
And, if I'm not mistaken, posting in this thread.
Quote from: andyw2100 on March 19, 2026, 02:34:44 PMQuote from: jtwcornell91 on March 19, 2026, 02:24:53 PMQuote from: andyw2100 on March 19, 2026, 12:02:06 PMQuote from: stereax on March 19, 2026, 11:51:14 AMThere are skating bears... but they're usually the little kids during women's game intermissions. I dunno if that's what you're talking about?
The skating bears we old-timers are referring to were students usually dressed at least partially in Cornell hockey garb, and in big bear costumes.
Some of the old-timers are the same people as said skating bears. ;-) (not me)
And, if I'm not mistaken, posting in this thread.
I don't know anything, I just drove a cab.
Quote from: jtwcornell91 on March 19, 2026, 02:27:49 PMQuote from: Old Red on March 18, 2026, 10:14:48 PMQuote from: Trotsky on March 17, 2026, 07:07:33 PMNo true PhD ever insists on being referred to as "Doctor." It's tacky. That's an affection for the people whose companies buy them mail order degrees from the Kennedy School of Public Administration.
I think it's a German thing, to be called "Herr Doktor Professor." But we don't do that in America or the ice hockey rink.
Most US-based academics (especially women) would be annoyed to be called Mr. or Ms. in a professional context. Heck, when I was a grad student I was miffed that a seminar announcement referred to an undergraduate presenter as "Miss" rather than "Ms."
Correct. I serve on a committee with a woman who is a tenured and chaired professor at Harvard Business School...the first. She is Dr. H. Insists on it. Rightly so. Tough slog for a woman to achieve that back in the day.
Quote from: billhoward on March 19, 2026, 06:28:34 AMWhat is the disdain for hockey rinks with legroom, chairback seats, sightlines (you can see into all four corners)
I've never heard any of them being called as "having great atmosphere."
While I've heard over and over, players and others saying how great it is in Lynah.
Do you think the students would stand on the seats to watch the game?
No, they'd be sitting, where it's much easier to drift to your phone.
Besides I can't imagine me trying to move around sections with seats to distribute newspapers.
No, as old as I am, I'd rather take atmosphere over convenience any day, at least until I'm dead.
And by the way, as mentioned on another thread, the great new Union rink has worse sight lines than Lynah.
I am only here to say fie to Bill Howard and his defeatist attitude. Piped-in music is a scourge and must be eliminated.
I've exchanged a few email messages with Dr. Moore in the past few days. Then tonight in Lake Placid I introduced myself to her between periods 2 and 3, and we chatted about the atmosphere at Lynah for close to ten minutes.
She is definitely open to trying to improve things. I mentioned that many of us on eLynah feel similarly, and that she may be hearing from more people. She said that she understands our concerns, and doesn't really need to hear from a lot more people. She was very warm and quite interested. I was trying not to monopolize her time or take advantage of the chance meeting, but she stayed and even asked questions after I had given her the chance to leave by thanking her.
One of the things I said in a follow up email was that perhaps next year they could try a game with no piped in music, as an experiment. I suggested that the Clarkson game, if Clarkson was bringing their band, would be an excellent choice. She was very open to the idea in email, and then tonight it sounded like she'll actually do that. (No promises of course, but I think it will happen.)
So at this point I think there's probably no need for anyone else to write, as she gets it.
Late in the conversation I said something about Lynah never getting back to exactly the way it was in the mid-80s, and that I understand that some things are just gone and not coming back, like the pounding on the glass. She basically said she liked the pounding on the glass, and actually encouraged it when she was at Colgate! I said if she wanted to allow that at Lynah all she'd have to do is stop having the ushers enforce the prohibition against glass pounding and then let a few of the students in the front of sections B, C, and D know, and glass pounding could again be a thing at Lynah. So that could happen too.
I really got the feeling that she was listening and that she cared and wants what we want. Let's see what happens next year.
And about 30 seconds after she left, the band was going to start the alma mater but then the stupid "Freebird Cam" came on. You've never seen an atmosphere SUCK the life out of the building so fast.
I normally don't truly understand a bunch of the complaints y'all have, because my first games were last year when that was the standard, but. Man. I get it now.
Quote from: andyw2100 on March 20, 2026, 10:56:08 PMI've exchanged a few email messages with Dr. Moore in the past few days. Then tonight in Lake Placid I introduced myself to her between periods 2 and 3, and we chatted about the atmosphere at Lynah for close to ten minutes.
She is definitely open to trying to improve things. I mentioned that many of us on eLynah feel similarly, and that she may be hearing from more people. She said that she understands our concerns, and doesn't really need to hear from a lot more people. She was very warm and quite interested. I was trying not to monopolize her time or take advantage of the chance meeting, but she stayed and even asked questions after I had given her the chance to leave by thanking her.
One of the things I said in a follow up email was that perhaps next year they could try a game with no piped in music, as an experiment. I suggested that the Clarkson game, if Clarkson was bringing their band, would be an excellent choice. She was very open to the idea in email, and then tonight it sounded like she'll actually do that. (No promises of course, but I think it will happen.)
So at this point I think there's probably no need for anyone else to write, as she gets it.
Late in the conversation I said something about Lynah never getting back to exactly the way it was in the mid-80s, and that I understand that some things are just gone and not coming back, like the pounding on the glass. She basically said she liked the pounding on the glass, and actually encouraged it when she was at Colgate! I said if she wanted to allow that at Lynah all she'd have to do is stop having the ushers enforce the prohibition against glass pounding and then let a few of the students in the front of sections B, C, and D know, and glass pounding could again be a thing at Lynah. So that could happen too.
I really got the feeling that she was listening and that she cared and wants what we want. Let's see what happens next year.
That conversation was going awesome until the glass pounding part. That is a scourge on society which I wish was punishable by torture. Cornell fans can do better.
The biggest point is giving the power to the people - the fans themselves. How many here have watched Lynah Faithful chants & cheers on YouTube? At their best, the student sections are just entertaining on their own, with the band serving as support. It's fun that you can't capture anywhere else.
You blast tunes through a speaker or you play unending video content, and you take that power away. It's not just competition for the senses, it overwhelms any effort to have that atmosphere be forthcoming.
Quote from: RichH on March 21, 2026, 03:29:27 PMThe biggest point is giving the power to the people - the fans themselves. How many here have watched Lynah Faithful chants & cheers on YouTube? At their best, the student sections are just entertaining on their own, with the band serving as support. It's fun that you can't capture anywhere else.
You blast tunes through a speaker or you play unending video content, and you take that power away. It's not just competition for the senses, it overwhelms any effort to have that atmosphere be forthcoming.
And eventually, any desire to make that effort.
Quote from: adamw on March 21, 2026, 03:15:08 PMThat conversation was going awesome until the glass pounding part. That is a scourge on society which I wish was punishable by torture. Cornell fans can do better.
If you pound on the glass after the age of 8 seek the care of a licensed physician.
Quote from: Trotsky on March 24, 2026, 05:26:17 AMQuote from: adamw on March 21, 2026, 03:15:08 PMThat conversation was going awesome until the glass pounding part. That is a scourge on society which I wish was punishable by torture. Cornell fans can do better.
If you pound on the glass after the age of 8 seek the care of a licensed physician.
I pounded on the glass after the OT win in 2003 vs BC. For a minute or two I felt as if I were an undergrad again. When a student there wasn't much glass at Lynah to pound.