Quinnipiac's new rink

[KeithK]

Just for the record, my reference to Cheel in post #6 was NOT to slam Clarkson.  I was just using Cheel (specifically as I remember from the mid to late 90's) as an example of what you often get when you build a new rink.

[Josh '99]

[quote Hillel Hoffmann]Cheel is not awesome. Cheel is the physical manifestation of a lack of respect for tradition, which is the last thing one should expect from Clarkson. "Antiseptic" doesn't capture the lameness of the place. Those vast, empty interior walls (and their pastel hospital-wallpaper-green color) make Cheel feel like an East German senior citizen rehab center.[/quote]There you go, now you're going to have RichS angry at you for comparing Cheel to East Germany, and JTW angry at you for comparing East Germany to Cheel.  ::panic::

[DFORD '94]

I would submit as a reason to not renovate Lynah two other examples.  Snively Rink at UNH was a great old barn where the students were right on top of the action.  Now in the new Whitemore Center Arena, oh wait excuse me Towse Rink at the Whitemore Center, the students are stuck in the ends of the rink behind the netting at either end.  Not only divided but also on the ends makes them a total non-factor in the arena.  I go to a lot of games there and it can get loud but nothing like a packed house at Lively Snively.  In addition, they have an Olympic sized ice sheet so you are farther away to start, there are luxery boxes at one end, piped in music with no band and advertisements everywhere.  Every time I walk in I long for Lynah and the Faithful.

The second example was the renovation to Starr Rink after the run to the national final by Colgate in 1989(?).  They took out the entire student section, put in arm back chairs and moved them to a tiny section across the rink.  No wonder they don't show up until mid way through the second period if at all.  OK maybe that is a bad example but I have never been to Cheel.

I guess the point is Cornell has THE environment for college hockey in the Northeast.  Nothing matches it except maybe Alfond Arena.  Let's not mess it up...we have a good thing going here.

[Rich S]

[quote Josh '99][quote Hillel Hoffmann]Cheel is not awesome. Cheel is the physical manifestation of a lack of respect for tradition, which is the last thing one should expect from Clarkson. "Antiseptic" doesn't capture the lameness of the place. Those vast, empty interior walls (and their pastel hospital-wallpaper-green color) make Cheel feel like an East German senior citizen rehab center.[/quote]There you go, now you're going to have RichS angry at you for comparing Cheel to East Germany, and JTW angry at you for comparing East Germany to Cheel.  ::panic::[/quote]

nah, that's priceless!  :-D

[Josh '99]

[quote DFORD '94]The second example was the renovation to Starr Rink after the run to the national final by Colgate in 1989(?).  They took out the entire student section, put in arm back chairs and moved them to a tiny section across the rink.  No wonder they don't show up until mid way through the second period if at all.  OK maybe that is a bad example but I have never been to Cheel.[/quote]I agree with you in general, but I don't really think the rink renovation is why the drunk Colgate assholes don't show up until the second period.  I mean, Princeton's rink still has a nice old barn kind of a feel, and their drunk asshole students don't show up until the THIRD period.

[Beeeej]

[quote DFORD '94]The second example was the renovation to Starr Rink after the run to the national final by Colgate in 1989(?).[/quote]

1990 is when Colgate lost to Wisconsin.  1989 was Hahvahd's year over Minnesota.

[RichH]

[quote Hillel Hoffmann]The dollars donated by Clarkson friends and alumni could have been used so much better. There are plenty of fabulous modern barns that accomplish so much more. I like Quinnipiac's renderings, for example. Their planned new rink also shares a wall with another facility.[/quote]

You can have a modern facility and still maintain intimacy.  I'll make a parallel with baseball stadiums of the early '90s.  Compare Skydome (now Rodgers Centre) and New Comiskey (now US Cellular) with Camden Yards, and Coors Field.  Some did things right, others didn't.  Some thought to showcase the architecture, others thought to give the fans an experience.

Cheel is tough for me.  I want to like it, really.  It's been a couple years since the last time I've been, and the improvements they made between '93-'00 were already quite good.  The entire Cheel Center is a terrific addition to the campus, and I can't say enough about Club 99.  One of my biggest complaints, as a former visiting bandie was that the nature of the room just seemed to suck sound.  It was HARD to fill that space with noise as a band.  

Now I'm no architect, but there are some rinks, and Cheel is one of them, where the building seems to try to hide the crowd.  Cheel, Starr, and Bright all give me that feeling.  I'll tell you a new, modern arena that I'm itching to go see...Agganis Arena.  Every photo I see, I believe more and more that this is a wonderful atmosphere for BU.  Compare the photos.  At Agganis, it looks like the players are playing for people.  At Cheel and Starr, it looks like the players are playing for walls and ceilings.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Inside_Agganis_Arena.jpg
http://members.aol.com/cmhockey2/photos/cheel.inside.gif
http://athletics.colgate.edu/facilities/fac-starr.htm
http://www.chtg.net/schools/images/harvard_arena.jpg

At the Harvard @ Lynah game 2 weeks ago, I was impressed with the student sections.  They were there early, everyone was wearing Red and White, and it was as loud as all get-out...but I think the most striking thing was what the expanded seating has done (besides give the top row some rafters to avoid): the student sections look more like a wall of people.  I'll probably always miss the open concourse, where you can walk around without losing sight of the ice, but man...just having an entire bank of screaming people running from the glass to the ceiling is pretty neat.

[billhoward]

[quote Rich S]They also point out, fwiw, that IC overlooks the Hill that overlooks Cayuga's waters.[/quote]
Totally heavy, man. Now pass the joint.

Maybe Hoboken can adapt the line.

[Rich S]

Cool.

I lived in Hoboken for nine years.  Then I went and got married and messed it up and had to move. :-}

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

[quote Josh '99][quote Hillel Hoffmann]Cheel is not awesome. Cheel is the physical manifestation of a lack of respect for tradition, which is the last thing one should expect from Clarkson. "Antiseptic" doesn't capture the lameness of the place. Those vast, empty interior walls (and their pastel hospital-wallpaper-green color) make Cheel feel like an East German senior citizen rehab center.[/quote]There you go, now you're going to have RichS angry at you for comparing Cheel to East Germany, and JTW angry at you for comparing East Germany to Cheel.  ::panic::[/quote]

Have you ever been to East Germany?  OK, so the industrial areas were terribly polluted, and the people were enemies of the state, but it has beautiful countryside and lots of historical sites (like Buchenwald)!  

Just kidding.  :-P

[Rich S]

[quote Jeff Hopkins '82][quote Josh '99][quote Hillel Hoffmann]Cheel is not awesome. Cheel is the physical manifestation of a lack of respect for tradition, which is the last thing one should expect from Clarkson. "Antiseptic" doesn't capture the lameness of the place. Those vast, empty interior walls (and their pastel hospital-wallpaper-green color) make Cheel feel like an East German senior citizen rehab center.[/quote]There you go, now you're going to have RichS angry at you for comparing Cheel to East Germany, and JTW angry at you for comparing East Germany to Cheel.  ::panic::[/quote]

 but it has beautiful countryside and lots of historical sites
 :-P[/quote]

Like both Potsdam and Ithaca!

[Josh '99]

[quote RichH]Now I'm no architect, but there are some rinks, and Cheel is one of them, where the building seems to try to hide the crowd.  Bright [gives] me that feeling. [/quote]What crowd?

[Josh '99]

[quote Jeff Hopkins '82]Have you ever been to East Germany? [/quote]Actually, yes, in August.  :-P

[RichH]

[quote Josh '99][quote RichH]Now I'm no architect, but there are some rinks, and Cheel is one of them, where the building seems to try to hide the crowd.  Bright [gives] me that feeling. [/quote]What crowd?[/quote]

You know...us.

[Rich S]

Keep in mind that the Clarkson and greater Potsdam community are both much smaller than their counterparts in Ithaca.  Plus the hockey fans in the surrounding area can opt for a game at Slu just ten miles down the road on virtually every night there's a game at Cheel.

Attendance and noise levels at Cheel are up since last year began so that bodes well for Tech as well as for your visit.