MLax NCAAs 2009: Hofstra 8 @ Cornell 11 (final)

[billhoward]

Phew! Nice win. Too bad we have to toss another NYS team out of the tournament to advance.

[Tom Pasniewski 98]

On to Hofstra!

[ugarte]

[quote Tom Pasniewski 98]On to Hofstra![/quote]
Ha! Way to go Big Red.

[scoop85]

Solid second half, and even a few saves by Myers when the game was in doubt.  Some contribution from the 2nd midfield, and key move putting Howe in the X after Glynn was ineffective.  Pannell is a revelation.

[billhoward]

IIRC, Hofstra was the site of Cornell's very first NCAA championship. (It was somewhere on LI.) And there is that local Cornell student and alumni fan base. LGR!

[Tom Pasniewski 98]

You are correct Bill.  The 1971 championship was held at Hofstra.  Same stadium as we'll be in next weekend.

[Liz98]

What was the announced crowd? Seemed pretty slim on TV. Although several nice shots of the band!

[Cornell11]

the student turnout was embarrassing

the student sports marketing group is doing a very poor job promoting these games

were losing out on a potential home-field advantage (in lax, hockey, bball)

[scoop85]

[quote Cornell11]the student turnout was embarrassing

the student sports marketing group is doing a very poor job promoting these games

were losing out on a potential home-field advantage (in lax, hockey, bball)[/quote]

Forget about relying upon the "sports marketing group" -- the students will either show up or not.  Inexplicable to me why any sports-minded Cornell student wouldn't want to take a couple of hours to support the team in the playoffs.

[KP '06]

[quote scoop85][quote Cornell11]the student turnout was embarrassing

the student sports marketing group is doing a very poor job promoting these games

were losing out on a potential home-field advantage (in lax, hockey, bball)[/quote]

Forget about relying upon the "sports marketing group" -- the students will either show up or not.  Inexplicable to me why any sports-minded Cornell student wouldn't want to take a couple of hours to support the team in the playoffs.[/quote]

It would be pretty easy for a lot of students to miss, though, with it being finals week and the Daily Sun being over. It would have seemed to me like a no-brainer to email the hockey ticket or sports pass lists to make sure students knew about the game.

[quote Liz98]Although several nice shots of the band![/quote]

All 25 of them. Thank the NCAA for their absurd rules regarding number of instruments at a home outdoor game in a mostly-empty football stadium.

[CUontheslopes]

I was there yesterday (of course!), but a few things worked against a large  student turnout:

1. Exams

2. The weather - it was raining/lightning/etc. for the hours leading up to the game. The sun only came out about 10 minutes before the game. I think a lot of people assumed it would be raining. I know of a few people who watched it on tv (embarrassing - get out there in a poncho)

3. Cost - the NCAA games aren't free and casual fans just aren't going to pay to go to the games, even if it is only $5.

4. Tailgating restrictions - in one of the absolute dumbest restrictions ever, Cornell refuses to allow students to tailgate. Every time I go up to purchase a tailgating pass they ask me if I'm a student because they don't allow students to purchase the passes. Even though I'm a law student, I always respond that I'm an alum and they happily produce the pass. (By the way - it's not like the lot's full...300 passes for sale, I had #8)

Cornell should be encouraging students to tailgate before the games as a way of getting people to GO to the games. I've never heard of any other school that took this stance. It actively discourages people from attending. All of Cornell's best-attended games (in football and lax) have large tailgates beforehand - e,g, Homecoming, Princeton lax (the parking lot was packed). LET PEOPLE TAILGATE! You'll get more people that the game.

[jtwcornell91]

[quote KP '06][quote scoop85][quote Cornell11]the student turnout was embarrassing

the student sports marketing group is doing a very poor job promoting these games

were losing out on a potential home-field advantage (in lax, hockey, bball)[/quote]

Forget about relying upon the "sports marketing group" -- the students will either show up or not.  Inexplicable to me why any sports-minded Cornell student wouldn't want to take a couple of hours to support the team in the playoffs.[/quote]

It would be pretty easy for a lot of students to miss, though, with it being finals week and the Daily Sun being over. It would have seemed to me like a no-brainer to email the hockey ticket or sports pass lists to make sure students knew about the game.[/quote]

Or chalk the campus a few days ahead of time.

[jtwcornell91]

[quote CUontheslopes]
4. Tailgating restrictions - in one of the absolute dumbest restrictions ever, Cornell refuses to allow students to tailgate. Every time I go up to purchase a tailgating pass they ask me if I'm a student because they don't allow students to purchase the passes. Even though I'm a law student, I always respond that I'm an alum and they happily produce the pass. (By the way - it's not like the lot's full...300 passes for sale, I had #8)

Cornell should be encouraging students to tailgate before the games as a way of getting people to GO to the games. I've never heard of any other school that took this stance. It actively discourages people from attending. All of Cornell's best-attended games (in football and lax) have large tailgates beforehand - e,g, Homecoming, Princeton lax (the parking lot was packed). LET PEOPLE TAILGATE! You'll get more people that the game.[/quote]

I assume it's got to be an alcohol thing.  There were plenty of beers being enjoyed at the tailgates, and I'm sure the cops were happy not to have to be walking around carding students.

[Scersk '97]

[quote KP '06][quote Liz98]Although several nice shots of the band![/quote]

All 25 of them. Thank the NCAA for their absurd rules regarding number of instruments at a home outdoor game in a mostly-empty football stadium.[/quote]

And give an assist to Athletics for enforcing a rule that doesn't exist.

From the 2009 NCAA Lacrosse Championship Handbook:

Cheerleaders and/or spirit team members, not to exceed 12 in number, plus the mascot shall be admitted, if in uniform, via the gate list furnished to the host institution by the competing institution's director of athletics; all other institutional representatives will be admitted only on presentation of a ticket. A maximum of 12 cheerleaders and/or spirit team members shall be allowed on the sideline during the progress of the game. The cheerleaders shall be located in a designated area by the tournament manager.

Band members, not to exceed 25 in number, who are in uniform and performing at the championship will not be charged admission to the competition. Bands, or any component thereof, are allowed to play during timeouts, between games, and before and after the competition.

Why did I include the cheerleading portion?  Because the whole thing seems to be about figuring out who has to pay and who doesn't and who's on the field and who isn't.  As the cheerleading section says, "all other institutional representatives will be admitted only on presentation of a ticket."  You're in the seats?  You've got to have a ticket.

One would assume that many of those "institutional representatives" might be charged admission.  Exception:  25 members of the band, who "will not be charged admission" but would yet "be admitted only on presentation of a ticket."

The 25-free-admissions limitation is there to prevent athletic departments from giving out (or having to give out) oodles of free tickets to enormous bands, i.e., the NC$$ wants to preserve its revenues.  

I fail to see how anything in the above precludes a greater than 25-member band.

[Tom Pasniewski 98]

Announced Attendances so far:

2,921 - Villanova at Virginia
2,235 - Hofstra at Cornell
1,431 - UMBC at North Carolina
1,016 - Maryland at Notre Dame