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Post by 78crusader on Feb 19, 2011 20:41:34 GMT -5
I hope it's ok if I share a couple thoughts on my first visit to the ARC (the last VU game I saw was in 1978, in the old gym, when we hosted Indiana State and Larry Bird -- I remember it took him 4 seconds to score a basket. I also remember my wife, who went with me to the game today and who was my girlfriend back in 1978, didn't want to go see Larry Bird): 1. Our pep band is really good; and our school fight song is very underrated, one of the best I've heard; 2. Now that I've seen the ARC in person, I really don't think we need a new arena -- maybe enclosing one or both ends would add some extra seats and create a "bowl" effect that seems to be in vogue these days. Enclosing the end with the concession stand would have the added benefit of getting rid of the concession stand, which I don't like having in the arena itself; 3. Sitting in the absolute upper reaches of Section BB, I can say that our view of the scoreboard was obstructed. We relied on our neighbors, and they relied on us, in keeping track of the VU score; 4. The many comments in the past about the sound system being bad are absolutely, positively right on the money. My wife and I couldn't hear anything the PA guy was saying; 5. This event was very nicely staged. The cheerleaders coming out toward the end with the flags spelling out "Valpo" is an especially nice touch. 6. The new floor is very classy. 7. Those who in the past have noted that the ARC has a cozy, intimate feel are correct, I think. Even though we were sitting a row or two from the top, it was noisy and, we felt, a very good atmosphere for a college basketball game. Go VU! Paul
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Post by jbowker on Feb 19, 2011 21:02:01 GMT -5
Hey Paul... thanks for the comments... I was at the same Indiana State game with my then Girlfriend... now married for 31 years... and I have only missed 8 home games in 25 years... hope you'll come back for many more!
OH, I'm the PA Guy.. GO CLASS OF '78!
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Post by 78crusader on Feb 19, 2011 21:10:15 GMT -5
John, I'm sure you do a fine job as the PA guy...we just couldn't hear you! Oh, and one more comment: I think the new mascot is pretty cool! (I realize I might be in the minority on this.) And the inflatable mascot is pretty neat, too -- adds to the school spirit, I think. Paul
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Post by vuweathernerd on Feb 19, 2011 22:17:05 GMT -5
not to ruin the vibes or anything, but the pep band is only as good as their size. when they can get a large number of participants to show up, they're not half bad (though they still have musical issues). but go to a "normal" game, and what you'll hear is pathetic at best most of the time.
a friend actually had a good idea - offer credit for it, which in turn mandates attendance. i know more goes into it than that (and that the faculty senate bureaucracy is a royal hassle from the experiences that we had trying to deal with rotc credit issues), but it may be beneficial for the pep band as a whole.
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Post by lowposter on Feb 19, 2011 23:08:16 GMT -5
I actually sat in the last row also. Section EE, Row ZZ, end seat, the furthestmost seat in the house, on the west end (Missouri State end) of the court. Actually, it was a great seat, much like sitting in the upper section at the Chicago Black Hawks/United Center. One gets a great overall view of the game, yet it is close enough to see enough detail. My history at the ARC was as a season tix holder from 1985 thru 2010, with 7th row seats, so one could say it was quite an extreme moving to the end of the line. It was a very electric crowd today. Thanks to ESPN/DV we had an energized crowd...and they saw a great performance. Too bad we cannot get these types for "non event" games. I agree with you...we do not need a new arena, particularly when we draw 3-4000 on most nights. Do some enclosing on the east end and it will be quite a facility for VU. I didnt have a problem with the scoreboard, but the sightline required a bit of ducking to see the entire scoreboard. Yes, it was cozy, intimate, and loud. All in all, a very good and memorable day for VU basketball. Plus, the boys played quite well. lowposter
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Post by valporun on Feb 19, 2011 23:09:57 GMT -5
not to ruin the vibes or anything, but the pep band is only as good as their size. when they can get a large number of participants to show up, they're not half bad (though they still have musical issues). but go to a "normal" game, and what you'll hear is pathetic at best most of the time. a friend actually had a good idea - offer credit for it, which in turn mandates attendance. i know more goes into it than that (and that the faculty senate bureaucracy is a royal hassle from the experiences that we had trying to deal with rotc credit issues), but it may be beneficial for the pep band as a whole. The biggest problem with making pep band a "credit" situation is getting a member of the music faculty to want to be in charge of it. None of them want to be in charge of it. Also, when the band was reconfigured in the mid-'90s, it was started by students, and most schools of our size have student-led pep bands, though in most of those cases, the band is led by a music ed major, not just a general student interested in leading a band like this. It would be nice to have an auditioned pep band, but it becomes a major hassle with the requirements and academics that Valpo makes a student endure, with all the studying, homework, projects, meetings, and such. It was always found to be a better option to keep attendance open, and not credited.
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Post by vuweathernerd on Feb 19, 2011 23:35:49 GMT -5
not to ruin the vibes or anything, but the pep band is only as good as their size. when they can get a large number of participants to show up, they're not half bad (though they still have musical issues). but go to a "normal" game, and what you'll hear is pathetic at best most of the time. a friend actually had a good idea - offer credit for it, which in turn mandates attendance. i know more goes into it than that (and that the faculty senate bureaucracy is a royal hassle from the experiences that we had trying to deal with rotc credit issues), but it may be beneficial for the pep band as a whole. The biggest problem with making pep band a "credit" situation is getting a member of the music faculty to want to be in charge of it. None of them want to be in charge of it. Also, when the band was reconfigured in the mid-'90s, it was started by students, and most schools of our size have student-led pep bands, though in most of those cases, the band is led by a music ed major, not just a general student interested in leading a band like this. It would be nice to have an auditioned pep band, but it becomes a major hassle with the requirements and academics that Valpo makes a student endure, with all the studying, homework, projects, meetings, and such. It was always found to be a better option to keep attendance open, and not credited. i do understand this, but i feel that most of the time, the quality of our pep band suffers as a result.
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Post by agibson on Feb 19, 2011 23:44:55 GMT -5
It was my second game of the year at the ARC. A fantastic atmosphere, a terrific performance, and a terrific result. Great time. I hope that the guys can channel it into the next few games.
The atmosphere at the ARC today definitely gave me some hope for how powerful home court advantage could be for the conference tournament (too bad the students will be away!).
I was in section B, not far from the Valpo bench. The players families were out in _force_! More than I remembered from the other game I attended this season (Purdue North Central). Rowdy's, Howard's, Brandon's, Rogers' families, all representing - maybe others. I loved the jerseys, (e.g. #32 "Mom") and they were terrific, energetic fans.
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Post by aussiecrusadermum on Feb 20, 2011 1:05:23 GMT -5
I had a few fans come over and say hello and introduce themselves to me at the game today. Thanks agibson and all the others that took the time it was great putting faces to names and meeting you all. Your kind words about Ryan were much appreciated. He loves playing for Valpo and we could not ask for a better place for him to be. Hope to chat with more of you at the next game. Go Valpo!!
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valpo95
Bench Warmer
Crusader Fund Contributor
Posts: 160
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Post by valpo95 on Feb 20, 2011 8:51:41 GMT -5
not to ruin the vibes or anything, but the pep band is only as good as their size. when they can get a large number of participants to show up, they're not half bad (though they still have musical issues). but go to a "normal" game, and what you'll hear is pathetic at best most of the time. a friend actually had a good idea - offer credit for it, which in turn mandates attendance. i know more goes into it than that (and that the faculty senate bureaucracy is a royal hassle from the experiences that we had trying to deal with rotc credit issues), but it may be beneficial for the pep band as a whole. The biggest problem with making pep band a "credit" situation is getting a member of the music faculty to want to be in charge of it. None of them want to be in charge of it. Also, when the band was reconfigured in the mid-'90s, it was started by students, and most schools of our size have student-led pep bands, though in most of those cases, the band is led by a music ed major, not just a general student interested in leading a band like this. It would be nice to have an auditioned pep band, but it becomes a major hassle with the requirements and academics that Valpo makes a student endure, with all the studying, homework, projects, meetings, and such. It was always found to be a better option to keep attendance open, and not credited. Not to turn this into a thread entirely about the pep band, but I can add some additional facts here. I was in the pep band in 1990-91 when it was a 0.5 credit minor ensemble, then as a student player for the remainder of my years at Valpo. In 90-91, there was a hired outside director (Dr Estridge) who was a local band director who had rehearsals and, more importantly, a budget. At least in 1990-91, the pep band budget came out of the athetic department, not in the music department (though I don't know for sure about the faculty director.) However, prior to that, some VU music faculty worked hard to dismantle the band. At least at the time, if you were a music major, you had to participate in at least one major ensemble to remain in good standing. So the first thing that happened was that the pep band was moved to be a minor ensemble. The next thing that happend was that the rehearsal times scheduled for the pep band were moved coincide with one of the other major ensembles, so that you couldn't be at both places. Even today, I suspect that one of the issues is that games sometimes overlap when there is a jazz band, orchestra or concert band rehearsal or some other group music event happening. The third thing is that in 1991-92, the budget for the director was cut and it became student run, student led. I hear many of the same songs that were played in my day still played, in part because the budget for new music and the specific support for rehearsals is limited when it is all volunteer. Lastly, a substantial amount of pep band equipment was "reaquired" by the music department in 1991-92. For example, there was a relatively nice black drum kit that was better than what the VU jazz band had at the time. Jeff Brown (jazz faculty) took that drum kit from the pep band and passed off an old piece of junk. In 1990-91, there were two amplifiers and a new keyboard purchased for the pep band -- at least the keyboard and one of the amplifiers were taken back by the music department in the same way. In truth, the music department probably needed funds for better equipment as well, but I say all this to show the limited support from the VU music department for the band. With that as a backdrop, know that many of the band members and their leaders have done a good job keeping things going. I was there and watched it happen.
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Post by valpo89 on Feb 20, 2011 9:25:22 GMT -5
Why wouldn't the music dept. support a pep band? Wouldn't the exposure of playing at a basketball game in front of a large audience and TV once in a while be a good thing?
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Post by ml on Feb 20, 2011 11:01:18 GMT -5
Over the summer Athletics and Music created a partnership to manage the pep band. Athletics provided funding and the Music Department recruited a music professional to serve as director. Dan Zeigler, a Valpo grad and local music teacher/band director now leads the pep band. He has done a very nice job of improving the quality and the organization of the group.
The group is asked to do a lot for Athletics. They play at all home football, volleyball, men's and women's basketball games. This year they marched in the Popcorn Festival parade for the first time ever. They also developed the drum line intro we used yesterday.
They are a hard working group and you will see them continue to improve. They add a lot to the games.
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Post by valpo89 on Feb 20, 2011 11:31:14 GMT -5
I thought the pre-game introduction was awesome yesterday. I loved all the drummers. It's nice to know the two departments are working together.
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Post by redheadbed on Feb 20, 2011 11:56:44 GMT -5
Is there still an indoor track above the upper level of the BB court?
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Post by vuweathernerd on Feb 20, 2011 12:03:28 GMT -5
Is there still an indoor track above the upper level of the BB court? its actually around the lower level, separating the mezzanine from the lower bowl.
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