Time for a New Arena thread

[upprdeck]

I know tradition means alot.. but having just spent time at RIT who made the DIV 1 leap not too long ago, I think its time cornell got serious about lynah.  
 
this is RITs new arena RIT ice arena

it cost about 30-40 million.  about 6-7 in direct donations and the rest from their endowment, some of out being paid back thru increased revenues. Cornell has a much bigger tradition to draw on. We must have some alumni who would want in on this.

Some nice things I saw. better site lines, real seats, cup holders, a real scoreboard. full surround seating, multiple  VIP suites, a restaurant , press boxes

we built a wrestling arena, why not hockey? 4K would be perfect size , put it up at the west end of the vet school lot, parking already exists, still walkable and multiple access routes with great visibility.

[Trotsky]

I hope they're playing in Lynah in 2100.

[upprdeck]

i hear that. but then i know they are losing kids because of the facilities.  they are losing attendance because of the facilities, and they are losing income because of the facilities. if they keep losing will they have a tradition at all?

[Rosey]

i hear that. but then i know they are losing kids because of the facilities.  they are losing attendance because of the facilities, and they are losing income because of the facilities. if they keep losing will they have a tradition at all?

The condition of Lynah is not directly the reason fans are not showing up like they used to: there are lots of more likely reasons for that, one of which is this team's recent troubles on the ice. You may have a point re: recruiting, but in relation to facilities that mostly argues for better team facilities, not better seats/luxury boxes/cup holders, none of which the players experience when they're on the ice. I have no idea how nice or not the team facilities are vs. those at other schools' shiny new rinks.

Lynah is not Cornell's problem. A new rink alone is not going to magically bring the fans in if the team continues to plod along the way it has been. And I suspect the other stuff can be fixed without making any changes to the seating/eating, which makes the two issues mostly orthogonal.

[Trotsky]

but then i know they are losing kids because of the facilities

Source?

[Dafatone]

The "why is attendance down" debate can go in circles for a while, certainly.  I'd start with ticket prices, though.  Those should be lowered.

Personally, I'm not convinced that our performance is all that big a factor.  Wasn't attendance strong during other stretches of not-great hockey?  I could be mistaken on this.

And again, I'll harp on "ushers not letting anyone have any fun" as an issue.  I understand cracking down on chants involving the refs and sheep-fuckery, but the crackdown went well beyond that.

[BearLover]

The "why is attendance down" debate can go in circles for a while, certainly.  I'd start with ticket prices, though.  Those should be lowered.

Personally, I'm not convinced that our performance is all that big a factor.  Wasn't attendance strong during other stretches of not-great hockey?  I could be mistaken on this.

And again, I'll harp on "ushers not letting anyone have any fun" as an issue.  I understand cracking down on chants involving the refs and sheep-fuckery, but the crackdown went well beyond that.

Yes, I think the biggest factors are ticket prices and ushers cracking down on fun and alcohol.  

I have no idea why we'd be losing recruits due to our rink.  Lynah is the best recruiting tool we have.

[CAS]

So to fill Lynah, it's more important we can curse, than win?

[KeithK]

So to fill Lynah, it's more important we can curse, than win?

Regardless of the relative importance, one is easy to acheieve while the other is challenging.

[Dafatone]

So to fill Lynah, it's more important we can curse, than win?

Regardless of the relative importance, one is easy to acheieve while the other is challenging.

Not necessarily cursing.  In 2007, there was a big push to go after any fans who were too loud/annoying.  I know that's hard to believe, given what we think of when we think of Lynah, but a friend of mine got told to tone it down a few times, and he certainly wasn't cursing.

[KeithK]

Some nice things I saw. better site lines, real seats, cup holders, a real scoreboard. full surround seating, multiple  VIP suites, a restaurant , press boxes

What's wrong with the sight lines at Lynah?

I understand that some folks would greatly prefer seats to benches and I won't argue with that. But real seats (especially with space for cup holders) take up a hell of a lot more space.  So if you have the same capacity much of it will be a lot further from the ice.  Which means less noise and atmosphere.  Not to mention that the rake is unlikely to be as steep.

Does anyone really thing that the Cornell experience would be better if only we had a great soreboard?

I suppose VIP suites could help fund the program, assuming Ithaca could support them.  But I don't care a bit about such things.

A restaurant?  Why?

About the only thing you mention that might be a general positive is 360 degree seating.

I have never spoken to a recruit and it's been many years since I've had conversations with current players. But I doubt that they care much about things like VIP suites, cup holder or restaurants.  They probably do care about locker rooms and training facilities. The last renovations was supposed to have addressed that concern.

[KeithK]

So to fill Lynah, it's more important we can curse, than win?

Regardless of the relative importance, one is easy to acheieve while the other is challenging.

Not necessarily cursing.  In 2007, there was a big push to go after any fans who were too loud/annoying.  I know that's hard to believe, given what we think of when we think of Lynah, but a friend of mine got told to tone it down a few times, and he certainly wasn't cursing.

I was being snarky, of course, but I agree with you completely. For ushers to crack down on someone for ing loud and obnoxious is pathetic. Again, changing that policy is a lot easier than winning championships.

[imafrshmn]

Re: attendance decline and what makes lynah special, please read this thread:

Attendance at Lynah

and this one:

Important message to ice hockey ticket holders

[upprdeck]

but then i know they are losing kids because of the facilities

Source?

coach, scouts

[Swampy]

OK. Let's say we have two pressing athletic needs:
[list=1]

• A new ice arena to replace Lynah
• A full-size indoor game & practice facilty for lacrosse & football (both kinds)

You're the Development Office. Which do you prioritize?