FB: Virginia Tech begins roll out of 'Twenty4You' Initiative: Fan feedback to positively impact gameday experience http://t.co/KU6y2pporM— hokiesports.com (@hokiesports) August 10, 2015
Hopefully this ends up being worth it.
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Per Hokiesports....
AMEN BROTHA
As someone who walked around in the stands selling drinks last year, whenever I got assigned the water tray, I knew it wasn't going to be a productive day. People refused to buy water for $4, especially when they could get a soda for the same price.
So yay, for lower water prices
Are there water fountains where I could refill said water bottle?
Well but of course. Who wants to walk all the way down there though?
I actually emailed the stadium facilities people to find this out. No reply yet but I'll pass on the info. I've never seen any and I have looked...I'm sure it is intentional to keep you buying $4 bottles.
They're called sinks, and they are in the bathroom.
You mean those long sinks people pee in? That water tastes gross.
Look! A large bowl of lemonade.
According to the latest building code
( 2012 International Plumbing Code - Minimum Plumbing Fixtures ), the minimum requirement is 1 drinking fountain per 1000 occupants for an A4 (assembly) occupancy (which basically means coliseums and arenas). So technically, there should be 66.233 (round up to 67) drinking fountains in the stadium. Where they are, or if us regular pee-ons have access to them, remains to be seen...
Eh, tell that to some of the building officials I deal with on a day to day basis. Obviously the AHJ (authority having jurisdiction) has final say, but if they deviate from the code it is to make it more stringent, not less. Leg for the gif...
Several things I've learned while doing fire inspections: there is ALWAYS a way to get around code, codes are hardly ever retroactive, some states don't apply the latest codes, money can fix anything including legal issues with building codes.
lol yep... if you ever get a chance to visit Carter Finley in Raleigh for a game, and you walk under their luxury suites, look up... there's a decent (3-5 inch) gap between the press box/suites building and the regular grandstrand, because if they connected the two, they'd have to bring the old up to code.
Superlatives, such as ALWAYS, don't seem to work well with local AHJs who always like to throw a wrench in the plan. Unless the comment is, "the local AHJ ALWAYS misinterprets the code".
Codes, to my knowledge, are NEVER retroactive...until a modification/alteration is done, which triggers the requirement to meet the current code.
I am sure your perspective is much different than mine. I wish I could say money fixes everything and that there was ALWAYS a way around it. I have not found that to be the case from the design side of things.
yep, there's a hallway behind the boxes in the west stands that has a water fountain every 2 feet to satisfy code while keeping the free water away from the general population /s
I knew it!!
However, if you serve water, you can get around this code. We do it in office spaces all the time, if you have a fridge or filtered water at the sink, you don't need a drinking fountain. We have even had people provide proof that they will provide bottled water to get pass this code.
It's been a while since i've been in Lane, and when I was there, I wasn't looking for drinking fountains. However, if there are any, they would more than likely be near the restrooms due to keeping plumbing together
The water thing is a huge gripe of mine and I emailed Whit & staff last season about it (no reply). In the east stands people BAKE during the September games. I've seen people get heat exhaustion and worse, once vomiting because of the heat (not alcohol). The only relief is a $4 bottle of water and you need more than one to make it through. This is really criminal to hold people hostage like this. If there were water fountains accessible, it would be different, but there aren't (that I know of, and I've looked).
Here's hoping they reduce it significantly. I won't be impressed if it is only down to $3.
I remember water fountains being right at every restroom. Is my memory wrong? The water tasted terrible, though.
I looked for them last year- didn't see them. Maybe I just missed them.
Been a while since I've been in Lane, so my memory could be wrong. But I know I've found water fountains before. Maybe it should be suggested that there be more of them or that they be more clearly indicated with signs. Heat is a major issue in the early part of the season. My wife almost passed out one year at the UNC game and we had to take her to the first aid station. It took us a while to convince them that she hadn't been drinking, just not hydrated enough (we were also later than usual getting to the game, so we also bypassed food - bad move).
No, you're spot on.
Not sure which comment that talks about the apparent lack of water fountains to reply to, so this is a blanket reply...
There are water fountains outside each bathroom. They are on the wall, for obvious reasons, so it might be hard to see them with all the people walking around, but they are there. I promise!
I've been to a lot of games, almost all in East, and always thought there were plenty of water fountains. Between every other section I think, and definitely near the bathrooms. Then again, I drink a lot of water and tend to be pretty observant about these things.
It is hard to be anything but impressed with what Whit is doing here at VT. I like the risks we are taking and money we are willing to spend to get a return on investment. A nice breath of fresh air for our program. It is hard to put a dollar figure on the fan experience but I can tell you that the tens of thousands I have spent on VT football over the years is due mostly to the fact that I had some incredible game experiences when I was younger. Here's to hoping Mr. Babcock is a lifer here at VT.
It is nice to see the Athletic Department investing in the fan experience for the average folk for a change. For the longest time, the AD catered solely towards those who gave the most money, and demanded everyone else step in line. Now, it seems like the average fans are actually starting to be appreciated and the university is starting to give back a little bit. When people see that some of their money is actually going towards a cause that will actually improve their own experiences, they'll be willing to give more, and I suspect we'll see a major uptick in Hokie Club giving over the next few years.
They left out less noon games but I suspect Whit is doing the best he can with that..
At best an AD can decide the times of 1-2 games a year, and that means the game is against a really bad FCS team and VT is not expected to be good.
Unfortunately, that's up to ESPN most of the time, and they've realized they can get better ratings with VT in the noon slot than they can with an SEC team in the 3:30 slot, so they'll put a non-so-great game in the crappiest slot because it'll still draw big enough numbers (VT) and then they can put games that won't draw as big of numbers on their own in slots that will give them higher ratings (everything else up to prime time), leaving the biggest games (or SEC games) for the biggest slots - prime time. Essentially, the past few years we've been just good enough to get good ratings for ESPN, but not good enough to get bumped up to a better time slot.
No Thursday night game again this year. Again giving the people what they want. /s
There's a Thursday night game, just not at home (Georgia Tech).
On the other hand, there IS a Friday night game at Lane (NC State).
So at least there's that.
There is a Monday nighter as well. Jus' Sayin'.
Was Monday on the list?
Oh, yeah...
I HATE the Friday night deal. Thursday nights were always big nights to get recruits on campus but with Friday games, the recruits will be at their own games. It takes away a big visit event for us.
Only local recruits came to Thursday night games. They were not as big of a recruiting deal as they were a national brand recognition deal. Now you compete with the NFL on Thursdays for that spotlight so it's time to move away from Thursdays, like it or not. You want a big night for recruiting, you get the Saturday night slot.
Yep, those weeknight games don't mean much for visitors. Plus, Fridays > Thursdays in every single way possible from a fan perspective. No NFL, no work/classes the next morning, so people only have to take one day off, two if they want to start tailgating early, pretty sure we're just competing with the MAC or something as far as TV coverage goes, you get a full day of football the next day to enjoy from your couch... did I cover everything?
The night games are for fans, not recruits.
Friday nights are just as good as Thursdays as far as I'm concerned. For recruiting, fill the stands, and you do that by winning and scheduling good games.
That's on the ACC.
pssh Thursday nighters are soooooo 2000s... we're in the 2010s now, and its cool to experiment with other days.
Whit's clearly making an effort, and effort leads to results.
I wonder how security is going to be handled now that RMC doesn't have the Tech contract?
Hopefully, a bit better. Some of the section guards were on a power trip and it really detracted from the experience of enjoying the game.
I've heard a few things. First off, Tech watched the new guys do I believe a Wake basketball game and another event and came away very impressed. I've gotten the impression that it will be slightly more difficult for students to sneak into other sections, but so long as you're in the same section, you should be good. How things will change in the stadium itself, I have no idea.
Who has the contract now?
Rhino
http://www.rhino-ses.com/
As long as my Ass Pocket isn't in jeopardy...
RMC is gone? Hallelujah!
I've always wondered if Skipper could be brought within the stadium, or at least be visible- not just audible- to fans.
I know Texas A&M does this already, but it's a great tradition we've had directly for decades (Skipper since 1965) and indirectly since at least 1938 ( according to #sources). I remember it being used in the stadium during pregames when I was a student and it startled the sh*t out of me (because, really, who is ready for that pregame?), so I suppose I could see some arguments that it is really, really loud and the blackpowder smoke can take a few minutes to disperse. Could a smaller powder charge be used to make those two issues less problematic?
Perhaps someone with more knowledge on the subject or a corps background could explain why this is the current policy? Because...
They had skipper inside for the Miami game last year. And fired it off before the game, right before Enter Sandman.
Nice shot.
But it should be pointed out that this wasn't anything special. Skipper is ALWAYS in the stadium for the national anthem.
Hell I have an awesome framed picture of a game from 2013 right at the moment it goes off. You have the smoke shooting out, the HT's spelling out "VPI" and a WW2 B-25 bomber right over the stadium.
Now imagine if we'd tried.
BOOM
aerial shot of an aeroplane. duuuuuude that's some inception stuff going on there.
something about the focus/lighting/whatever of this picture made me think:
Tilt shift filter. If that's what you saw/thought, then it worked!
Yea, that's the pre-game setup. Only its usually on the west side of the endzone
I am assuming you mean during the game? I thought they always brought it in the stadium for the anthem.
They could fire tshirts from it!
Btw great avatar! Geography of Wine was the best!
1) Yes, looking back now I realize I didn't even mention that in the original post... but I for one am definitely up for seeing it in the stadium during the game. I've always thought that the walkway/platform in the gap between the West stands & SEZ looked like a pretty cozy spot for a cannon... conveniently aimed right at the opposing sideline.
2) I don't know what I liked more with Boyer- geography of wine or world regions. Both were endlessly informative, engaging, and fun as hell. Every class that guy touches turns to gold, and that guy is the MF'ing man.
Its true. I even took Geography of East Asia because he taught it.
Leg for Geography of Wine reference.
Could it be done? Yes. But it won't be because Skipper Crew is a proud bunch and they have lots of fun shooting off the big charges, and who can blame them? The other problem is they'd have to experiment a bit with smaller charges, and I doubt they'd want to risk Skipper in case something went wrong.
Not to mention risk of fan injury. I remember when the original Skipper misfired (I think it was my junior year...may have been sophomore). It was during a military ball, and they fired off skipper near the chapel, but apparently put too large a charge in, and it blew out the safety plugs on the barrel. One of them went through a third (I think) floor window at Slusher. I was in my dorm room in Vawter, and it shook the building.
edit: After re-watching the video below (it should be required for all incoming freshmen, imho), I'm pretty sure it was a spring military ball in my junior year (1982) that ended the career of Skipper I. I remember the football games the following year being strangely quiet because of the lack of artillery fire.
The cadet museum still has some of the chunks, including one from the engine block of a car that was parked, while the barrel I want to say is now over at the visitors center.
Even recently through modern Skipper has had issues. I want to say it was 2011 hen the firing pin broke off and they basically had to carefully unload the charge and then redrill the hole to be able to fire it again.
A smaller charge? I have only one question: Why?
Similar but different topic - can we have flames shoot out of the west side towers on top of the press box / suites?
Why not include a live turkey on the Tech sideline? /s
I actually see nothing wrong with this idea. They did it back in the day
Edit 1:
credit: HokieSports
Edit 2: I'll take my drink now
I'm sure it would be ok...
I was just going along with the increasing over extravagance that seems to be occuring
I think we send a crew up to Michigan to bring the one that was terrorizing their campus down here. I'm all for expanding our recruiting base, and it sounds like that turkey has a LPD mentality.
If there is one person who could successfully recruit that player, especially given the number of deflections, sacks, and turnovers it forced- it's Bud Foster.
are you being sarcastic about having one or about the fact that we did have one?
If they cannot bring back the live turkey on the sidelines, then they should at least consider the old school gobbler logo and the old T in the V logo being brought back
But what about a local boy who might be considered "slow" having the Turkey pull him a cart?
Ya know, go really authentic.
There's a reason they don't fire off Skipper in the stadium....
If you haven't watched this video, its well worth a view.
To be fair, they still fire it off in the stadium before the game so they could still fire it in the stadium during touchdowns. I am guessing is there needs to be enough room in front of the cannon for safety and they don't have that much room with the stands close to the field and all the media folks around it.
The safety plugs are on the side of the barrel, so you have to be clear in three directions.
That's a great video. I knew it was named after Kennedy, but I had no idea that they were actually bringing it back to Blacksburg the day he was killed.
I wish I could give a leg to the two guys who built Skipper. That's an awesome tradition, and like most things at Virginia Tech, was due to the determination of the students.
"pew"
This was taken in 2013 by someone who is not me and whose identity I don't know, credit to them though
In my day we just had 21 shots when we turned 21 and the game day experience was MUCH better for a short time and then MUCH worse for the rest of the day.
Ok - just a disclaimer here - I love Whit and think he has done a great job, but does anyone else think this is just lip service???
I got a little frustrated after the first "experience" was for those who have club seats. I was hoping they would roll out something pretty cool for the first one, but instead it was for a very select group of fans.
Then, today they roll out this.
I have had parking passes since '12 and they always had each game "packaged" individually? I know they are for individual games in lots 13a, 8, 9, 2, and 5 - not the season. So why is this a new "twenty4you" initiative?
All this is combined with this:
I was not notified of a "private" practice/scrimmage. Did anyone else go to one that was not public?
I am not trying to complain nor am I really upset, but I think they might be losing some credibility here. I was going to buy season tickets anyways and attend every game regardless, but I was also excited about the upcoming "changes" and "opportunities."
If the athletic department is going to make these claims, they need to follow through on them - and that includes this "twenty4you" that they are making seem so great.
So people who give thousands of dollars and spend thousands of dollars for tickets can't get things also? Tech needs big time donors to up the budget in the long run. There are going to be plenty of things for the general seats and stadium overall. As for parking a passes they are sold for the "season" not individual games.
I never said they don't deserve things. I just said that I was a little dissapointed in how things have kicked off.
And from my knowledge, the season parking passes have not changed. Like I said, in 2012, 2013, & 2014, the parking passes came in one pack, with a hang tag for each game.
Nothing has changed.
But you have to buy them for the whole season. Starting in 2015 you can buy one parking ticket for one game.
#Sauces???
Because that is not how it reads to me and others on twitter.
Edit:
You always could buy, for instance, a lot 1 for the season opener as long as you knew someone who had them for the whole season. So unless VT is selling them out of their office, nothing has changed. I don't see that below.
Per hokiesports.com's link on Twitter:
"Wednesday, August 12th:
Season Game by Game Parking Passes Available: As a benefit to those who purchase season-long parking passes, this fall we will provide game-by-game parking passes contained in a season-long parking package. This will seek to help prevent the loss of season-long parking passes and ease individual transactions amongst one another."
mea culpa, I read that COMPLETELY the wrong way.
I will put my two cents in on the water thing. It is the basis of life on earth. My 6 year old is thirsty and I have to get him a mountain dew . Bring the water only down to 7-11 prices. $2.
So this campaign just got weird.
http://www.hokiesports.com/football/twenty4you/
Gluten-free food has made its way into Lane stadium. I have the sads now.
Why? Why does this bother you? It's an option. Not a blanket replacement. And if this is a choice that you have made on how you eat (or if your body has decided this is the way it is going to be...) then this is a good thing.
Because it's a fad. It costs more money to prepare, not just the food itself but it's prep and storage. My wife is a GI doctor, people with actual celiac are rare very rare.
The stadium concessions are catering to their clientelle.
And if you don't want to eat gluten-free, then don't...
But for those that do, they have have that option now. And they will be there to root for the Hokies, in Lane.
You remember how everyone was all concerned about wifi in the stadiums, and thought that was the reason why students weren't attending games? They were wrong.
yep, it was the lack of gluten-free food options that kept students away
Actually it was clean bathrooms. And the lack of wifi was nearly last on the list.
It doesn't bother me what kind of food they serve. I'm not going in to eat. But some people do. And some people want gluten-free. They now have that option. Good on them.
(We do have the best food on-campus in the country, so there is a level uphold. You don't have to eat the gluten-free, but I imagine there are a few that will. And if it doesn't work, they won't do it next season.)
Only 1% of the US population has Celiac disease. There are some that believe they have a non-celiac gluten sensitivity, however recent studies have shown that this number is even fewer than recently believed.
A lot of people believe Gluten is bad, but that's not the case.
I agree that it's nice to have other options for people, and I don't have to eat it. But why go out of our way for 1% of the population when they can do the same? There are plenty of options at the stadium that don't have gluten, eat those.
http://www.healthline.com/health-news/is-non-celiac-gluten-sensitivity-a...
It's likely just an increase in the labeling of items that are gluten free and maybe an option or two that are new. Many items, as you said, already don't have gluten, so they will likely label them accordingly.
There are enough actual problems that it's not worth spending energy on fads.
this is how our economy works. Someone manufactures a need and industries make money meeting that need, no matter how stupid it might be.
This is all well and good, but until I know what their food prep procedures are to avoid contamination, there's no way I'm eating food from the concession stands.
Love,
your rare, very rare celiac hokie
That's my point YOU GET IT, gluten free just isn't making food without gluten, it's having no cross contamination. I laughed at someone who ordered gluten free food in a pizza place. They just don't get it.
yep. Although, to be fair, in Blacksburg, The Cellar, Mellow Mushroom, Gillies, and Chipotle all do a very good job of avoiding cross contamination. They use (or are supposed to use) different prep spaces, grills/pans, etc for gluten free options. I've never had a reaction at those places.
Domino's at least comes out and says their "gluten-free" options are all sorts of contaminated
So can we request Stick It In? Or is that already coming back?
+1 for the adorable baby hokie
Thanks, I don't think we would be able to recreate that pic ever. We have a ton of VT gear though. In fact, I think he has more than I do at this point.
We did have another cute one today, him in the bathtub with a mohawk peaking the edge.
Bath time mohawks are the best!! I'm in the process of
getting my niece new gear...she's already out grown almost
everything!
I'm going to try and wear my stick it in shirt to the OSU game.