I'm planning on building a new home in the near future. I might need to up the dimensions of the basement a bit.
Pollard Talks JTS NEZ Remodel/Upgrade and Nutrition and Player Performance Center
- Thread starter SimpsonCyclone
- Start date
Most other major college football programs manage to generate life-long fans without having anything remotely similar. How are they able to do it?
Besides, if kids really want to run around there's always the area behind the concession stands.
The way I would like to see them keep the hillsides is by building up the backside of them to create a more closed bowl effect. Similar to how the SEZ built up the backside and the ramp heading up to either West/East concourse hugs the wall and connecting pathway around the End Zone Club. Essentially just backfill the sides of the hill that slope down towards the Jacobson/Olsen buildings and Gates 1/5, creating a similar bowl effect with the hills.
Still trying to wrap my head around implementing the Jacobson into the plan without at least modifying it a bit.
My best comparisons would be either Clemson's Death Valley and Virginia's Scott Stadium, with the built-up back side.
Or possibly an inverse Texas Tech, with two corner hillsides and maybe stands/Jacobson implemented in the center, instead of a center hillside.
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Still trying to wrap my head around implementing the Jacobson into the plan without at least modifying it a bit.
My best comparisons would be either Clemson's Death Valley and Virginia's Scott Stadium, with the built-up back side.
Or possibly an inverse Texas Tech, with two corner hillsides and maybe stands/Jacobson implemented in the center, instead of a center hillside.
The NEZ isn't that hard to picture. Take the hillsides and build them up so they're rounded off. This creates a lower bowl look. That build up should matche the current height of the East/West concourses. Then connect the two sides in a way that matches the SEZ concourse. Take the Jake and add a third story on the field side for more suites and flip the roof angle with the new addition. Not hard.
You keep the hillsides and the family atmosphere that brings because what happens if ISU slips back to 3-5 win seasons? This isn't the NFL and helping to keep those families coming are who buy season tickets in the stadium when their kids no longer want to run around but have enjoyed going to games.
You keep the hillsides and the family atmosphere that brings because what happens if ISU slips back to 3-5 win seasons? This isn't the NFL and helping to keep those families coming are who buy season tickets in the stadium when their kids no longer want to run around but have enjoyed going to games.
Being a kid through the Criner and Walden years the hillsides were huge to me. I couldn’t tell you what the final score of any games were but man we played some killer games of football. In fact our games were more competitive than most of ISUs during some of those years.
My kids enjoy the game and atmosphere and have never asked to go to the hillside. They have nostalgic value for those of us a certain age but the overall gameday experience is now much better than anything the hillsides can offer.
My kids enjoy the game and atmosphere and have never asked to go to the hillside. They have nostalgic value for those of us a certain age but the overall gameday experience is now much better than anything the hillsides can offer.
At some point the Hillsides HAVE to go, and with that there is no reason they cant create a family zone or sell family pack tickets like K-State does in the The north end zone giving kids a chance to get close to players, cheerleaders, Cy etc, for pics and high fives etc., KState just expanded this area in their last reno, family friendly areas don't have to be hillsides, if you want to play catch do that in the lot, not in the stadium, otherwise enjoy game time things inside the stadium.
The North End looks bad in part because of the Hills but also because of the Jake and the way it sounds neither of those are going away so at this point im not looking for much in the way in completing the stadium.
My guess and from what I have listened to and read, they will add onto the Berg, demolish the Olsen, then renovate the North end concourse around the Jake to connect both sides and possibly add more concessions and a new North entrance. With little to no actual changes to the Stadium proper. Leaving the Jake and the hills the same just changing the area around and behind them.
That all being said, it would be a shame spending all that money and not doing it considering Clemson's West Zone cost the same as this is projected and theirs included the complete performance center and the entire West End Zone Stands and club section of their stadium.
The North End looks bad in part because of the Hills but also because of the Jake and the way it sounds neither of those are going away so at this point im not looking for much in the way in completing the stadium.
My guess and from what I have listened to and read, they will add onto the Berg, demolish the Olsen, then renovate the North end concourse around the Jake to connect both sides and possibly add more concessions and a new North entrance. With little to no actual changes to the Stadium proper. Leaving the Jake and the hills the same just changing the area around and behind them.
That all being said, it would be a shame spending all that money and not doing it considering Clemson's West Zone cost the same as this is projected and theirs included the complete performance center and the entire West End Zone Stands and club section of their stadium.
The fact that the Player Performance Center is going to get built now, instead of the press tower identified earlier as part of the facilities plan, is just another sign of how invested Pollard is in Coach Campbell.
ISU will need a new press tower and suites at some point, but the work done on the end zones have added premium seats and accomplished that need to some degree. I always felt that talking about needing to build it to accommodate more functional media space was true, although a little disingenuous when considering it would be sitting atop a bunch of new private suites that would presumable pay for it all, and then some.
But Chris Williams could do a better job speaking to that. I've never been up in the media areas at JTS.
ISU will need a new press tower and suites at some point, but the work done on the end zones have added premium seats and accomplished that need to some degree. I always felt that talking about needing to build it to accommodate more functional media space was true, although a little disingenuous when considering it would be sitting atop a bunch of new private suites that would presumable pay for it all, and then some.
But Chris Williams could do a better job speaking to that. I've never been up in the media areas at JTS.
I expected the same thing to happen with the secondary logo...we all know what came out
The way I would like to see them keep the hillsides is by building up the backside of them to create a more closed bowl effect. Similar to how the SEZ built up the backside and the ramp heading up to either West/East concourse hugs the wall and connecting pathway around the End Zone Club. Essentially just backfill the sides of the hill that slope down towards the Jacobson/Olsen buildings and Gates 1/5, creating a similar bowl effect with the hills.
Still trying to wrap my head around implementing the Jacobson into the plan without at least modifying it a bit.
My best comparisons would be either Clemson's Death Valley and Virginia's Scott Stadium, with the built-up back side.
Or possibly an inverse Texas Tech, with two corner hillsides and maybe stands/Jacobson implemented in the center, instead of a center hillside.
Most of those hillsides areas shone here are gone already in recent renovations or will be in upcoming renovations. As I believe many of these are old pictures. Fact is those Hillsides are just areas not finished yet in stadiums, they don't "add" hillsides to stadiums, they leave them until future demand calls for added construction. The TT one was just left as a homage to the TT hill with the logo, but not as a seating area. And again if more seating in that area is ever needed it will be the first area to go.
Edit: on second look that is the East end zone at Clemson, they did the west end zone. But again when the next reno is done for added seats or clubs at Clemson or Virginia, those hills are gone, just like every other stadium that still has unfinished hills.
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To me, it’s a huge mistake to keep the Jake. To do it right, you make lower level stands at least half the height of the east and west. You can keep the hillsides, just filled in some in the corners behind the stands. Then drop the big building in right behind the middle stands butting up to the new hilllsides. You get your connected concourse....even if it goes through the building and there are tunnels for the teams to run out of. There’s enough space between the Jake and Olsen footprints to put whatever they want there.
How about a zip line from one side to the other side
I think a suspended cargo net would work too. But a zip line would be more adventurous for sure.
Maybe it's just me, but when I think of fantastic 'bowl' type stadiums, I always think of the symmetrical ones (ie Rose bowl, LA Colosseum, Notre Dame, Michigan, etc). I'd vote for leveling whatever is in the way and making the NEZ the same as the SEZ. Inside of it is a different manner. Build offices or whatever. But, in the end, make it the same.
The jake needs really dressed up or removed, I personally would prefer a seat instead of grass just like the south end zone but more affordable. More concessions, bathrooms and handicap accessibility should be considered too.
If the airplane hanger remains, it will look terrible. Do it right or don't do it at all. If you have to spend $85MM rather than $75MM to do it right, then you wait to raise additional funds and spend $85MM. Based on what I have heard to date, and ever since that secondary logo disaster, I have little faith in this design being aesthetically pleasing.
If we want to do everything like the "big time" programs and get rid of the hills we are setting ourselves up to fail.
Look at attendence numbers across college football. Now eliminate any program that has multiple national championships the last 50 years, and look at the attendence of those schools
If your plan for becomong more big time is to act like all those athletic departments with tens of thousands of empty seats by doing things like getting rid of the hills I think you will be disappointed in the results.
Pollard and the AD have very correctly identified that our strongest point for fans in the seats is the game day experience. As small as it may seem things like the hills are what create the environment you don't get sitting at home on the couch with your 70 inch HD TV.
There's a lot to being family friendly beyond growing a future generation of fans. You also allow all the current parents generation to come and have something to do with the kids. It's as important as multiple price points for different budgets. Look at the criticism Chris Hassle makes about all the old people at Carver Hawkeye. If you eliminate the parent age generation of fans by making coming to games less appealing you end up with elder quit fans and fair lower numbers of students in the down seasons.
I'd rather ISU plays in a stadium with 50K plus fans every week with a couple hills than a 75K capacity stadium with no hills and 30K empty seats. I think the AD is savy enough to see how to make that happen. Our school has continued to see fans turn out while everyone else is hemorrhaging ticket sales. Looking to mirror what they do is looking backwards to find inspiration.
Look at attendence numbers across college football. Now eliminate any program that has multiple national championships the last 50 years, and look at the attendence of those schools
If your plan for becomong more big time is to act like all those athletic departments with tens of thousands of empty seats by doing things like getting rid of the hills I think you will be disappointed in the results.
Pollard and the AD have very correctly identified that our strongest point for fans in the seats is the game day experience. As small as it may seem things like the hills are what create the environment you don't get sitting at home on the couch with your 70 inch HD TV.
There's a lot to being family friendly beyond growing a future generation of fans. You also allow all the current parents generation to come and have something to do with the kids. It's as important as multiple price points for different budgets. Look at the criticism Chris Hassle makes about all the old people at Carver Hawkeye. If you eliminate the parent age generation of fans by making coming to games less appealing you end up with elder quit fans and fair lower numbers of students in the down seasons.
I'd rather ISU plays in a stadium with 50K plus fans every week with a couple hills than a 75K capacity stadium with no hills and 30K empty seats. I think the AD is savy enough to see how to make that happen. Our school has continued to see fans turn out while everyone else is hemorrhaging ticket sales. Looking to mirror what they do is looking backwards to find inspiration.
TLDR:
Other schools suck at drawing fan attendence. Don't copy them and have the same problem here.
Absolutely. This project is a great opportunity to get several objectives accomplished at once. We can’t afford to **** this up with a Jacobson type miss.
What a troubling thought. Hopefully the mind behind the bugle logo is not behind this or we could be doubling down on the Jacobson with hillsides look.
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It would be nice if google maps satelite view was updated after the SEZ was redone.
Also, UVA Scott Stadium will not need to replace their hill with seats for a long time if ever. A much improved team this year drew very few fans and they will be slow to react. The hill is a cool feature with especially with the colonnade around the top.
Leave the hills, build stands inbetween both sets by removing Jake. If hills are not popular at a point have them set for a new function, either standard bleachers or hightop bar tables (for when beer is available in all of JTS) or... hot tubs.
Also, UVA Scott Stadium will not need to replace their hill with seats for a long time if ever. A much improved team this year drew very few fans and they will be slow to react. The hill is a cool feature with especially with the colonnade around the top.
Leave the hills, build stands inbetween both sets by removing Jake. If hills are not popular at a point have them set for a new function, either standard bleachers or hightop bar tables (for when beer is available in all of JTS) or... hot tubs.
I think all of you guys wanting the Jake torn down are missing the point. Is it ugly? Yes. Will there be political donor fallout if we bulldoze it? What do you guys think? (yes is the answer).
It is what it is. A compromise is in order, and we go from there in my opinion. After all... some of you bitchers in this thread about the Jake were ******** about losing hills on the south side when the renderings came out too.
Things don't happen in a vacuum. It takes people giving money to get anything done. If you raze their donation to the ground because it's ugly, what kink of look is that?
It is what it is. A compromise is in order, and we go from there in my opinion. After all... some of you bitchers in this thread about the Jake were ******** about losing hills on the south side when the renderings came out too.
Things don't happen in a vacuum. It takes people giving money to get anything done. If you raze their donation to the ground because it's ugly, what kink of look is that?
