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Team State Debacle


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Here is a list of things that did NOT bother me about Team State:

 

*I live in Evansville. Those that came on Friday spent two nights in a hotel at at cost of $250. Those that traveled Saturday morning were required to leave their home at 3:15 am (time change), but cut their hotel cost in half.

*I was also not bothered by putting 600 miles on my vehicle

*The $75 I spent on tickets for my family of five? No problem.

*i attempted to use the restroom once. They were overwhelmed, underserviced and the odor rivaled any zoo I have experienced. No problem; we used our hotel's facilities.

*We are not fancy eaters, so we were able to pare the cost of two dinners, two breakfasts and snacks from home to about $125.

*i did not mind being blasted by the air conditioning and shivering until noon.

*I did not mind that the semifinal round was listed to start at five. It started early and I missed the first match!

*Jacked up concession prices did not draw a bead of sweat.

*The facility was jam packed. Twice, we, as others, were required to set in a section that was not in front of our mat. It was distracting as fans were cheering at cross-purposes and constantly blocking one another's view. When it is all said and done, I am also over that.

 

So, what did bother me?

 

100% of the seats in the building had at least a partially obstructed view point. Not some of the seats. Not most of the seats. EVERY seat in the house.

 

Think about this.

 

The most basic function of a spectator sport is to provide viewing. I defy anyone to produce a facility in the state where ZERO SEATS have an unimpeded vantage point. The decision to choose this facility is mind-boggling. How and why could any person, who has ever attended a wrestling match, think this building even met the bare minimum requirements?

 

Some seats were much worse than others. During one of the duals, we sat on the fourth row. This was the worst, as during crucial exchanges the teams would rise, and one could see nothing. Ridiculous and outrageous.

 

There is always talk of expanding the sport. A great place to start is by NOT alienating your base. By a wide margin, this was the worst spectator experience I have ever had.

 

Before you talk about the volunteers and all of their donated time, save it. The decision to choose this facility was made by senior leadership.

 

This choice was a dismal failure. You should be embarrassed.

 

I was super impressed by the intensity and enthusiasm of the Prairie Heights and Brownsburg teams and fans. Unfortunately, the misery of the facility ruined a great day of wrestling.

 

My sting of 10 consecutive pilgrimages to team state ended this year. I will not be back.

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Y2 you've been around the world watching tournaments, would it be better to have the score tables and wrestlers in the middle? For the most part at a team tournament your main focus is the team in front of you.

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It might be better to have blocks of 4 mats with teams sitting in the middle so the fans have an unobstructed view. However it would seem that they would need to open another expo center for that to happen. By no means is this something that CANNOT be done, with 2,300 fans at $15 a pop, it's only about an extra $1k for another expo.

 

There aren't many facilities in the state that can handle an event like this. There were well over 3000 people there(2300 fans and 700 wrestlers and coaches), which makes it very difficult to secure the right type of venue. There will be speed bumps along the way, but this year was finally a step in the right direction. I certainly hope they aren't thinking of expanding the number of teams quite yet until they get other things figured out.

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I was in the bleachers all day. Hard to see, people had to stand and lots of complaining. From the bleachers you could hardly watch the 1 mat your team was on let alone 12 mats. Every time the announcer would tell people to get closer together without opening all the seats in the bleachers the fans got more upset. Many people asked for their money back. I was at Ball State last year and it was much easier to watch our team. I am not complaining, love the event. Just reporting facts. 

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I was in the bleachers all day. Hard to see, people had to stand and lots of complaining. From the bleachers you could hardly watch the 1 mat your team was on let alone 12 mats. Every time the announcer would tell people to get closer together without opening all the seats in the bleachers the fans got more upset. Many people asked for their money back. I was at Ball State last year and it was much easier to watch our team. I am not complaining, love the event. Just reporting facts. 

You also had half as many people at Ball State.

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It was a disaster no doubt. No upper level seating was a huge mistake. I get that the arena cannot hold 12 mats and that the Mad Ants were playing. Was also surprised they didn't have teams and scoring in the middle as mentioned above. It should have been no surprise that more people would attend in Ft Wayne than Muncie. It is closer for the northern schools without a doubt. AC and Bellmont fans definitely will bring a large following at both venues but probably more at the Coliseum. Hate to say we should subtract the number of teams, but I'd like an 8 team per class format. Where you have 2 pools of 4 teams as it would be easier record wise to place teams instead of using 1-1 records and criteria.

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What facility would be one that could hold 12 mats with great seating? 

Several High schools, but mats would not all be on one floor. Easier to watch your team. WC and Avon host big events. Seating is better at Avon. Those are just 2 examples. I am sure there are plenty of others. The 12 mats together should not be a priority. Fans being able to see should be. Wrestlers will wrestle on any mat, any where. 

It was a disaster no doubt. No upper level seating was a huge mistake. I get that the arena cannot hold 12 mats and that the Mad Ants were playing. Was also surprised they didn't have teams and scoring in the middle as mentioned above. It should have been no surprise that more people would attend in Ft Wayne than Muncie. It is closer for the northern schools without a doubt. AC and Bellmont fans definitely will bring a large following at both venues but probably more at the Coliseum. Hate to say we should subtract the number of teams, but I'd like an 8 team per class format. Where you have 2 pools of 4 teams as it would be easier record wise to place teams instead of using 1-1 records and criteria.

12 is working. Avon who finished 7th was a vote in. They would not have made it in with 8. To get a real 8 you would have to eliminate the automatic qualifiers from each SS. That would be tough on teams like FWC in 3A. 12 is working. 

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Several High schools, but mats would not all be on one floor. Easier to watch your team. WC and Avon host big events. Seating is better at Avon. Those are just 2 examples. I am sure there are plenty of others. The 12 mats together should not be a priority. Fans being able to see should be. Wrestlers will wrestle on any mat, any where. 

It was more than cramped at Westfield and that was with half as many people there. There is no way they would have been able to accommodate 3000 people. 

 

Avon probably gets around 1500 total...using split sessions for freestyle state. Double that and see how cramped it gets.

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It was more than cramped at Westfield and that was with half as many people there. There is no way they would have been able to accommodate 3000 people. 

 

Avon probably gets around 1500 total...using split sessions for freestyle state. Double that and see how cramped it gets.

Ok, so Westfield can't. does that eliminate all other schools in the state? 

Ok, so Westfield can't. does that eliminate all other schools in the state? 

Schools Avon size in the state have way better seating than the Coliseum. Even with 3K

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Wasn't there but it seems like if a few things are done then most complaints will be addressed.

 

1. Use an extra expo hall.

2. Bring in more seating.

3. Change the mat configuration.

 

I have faith in the event organizers, that these changes will be made. It just seems that they were blind sided by the large number of fans (growing pains). Again, unfortunately I was not there but, I have been a part of running big events. It is very hard to predict shortfalls. Y2 seems to be open to suggestions. He also seems to be a fairly sharp guy. I am sure that things will improve.

 

Lastly, senior leadership or newbies they still give of themselves and should be respected for their efforts. Nobody intentionally gave people a bad experience. I know for a fact that people missed family holiday functions and days of work to run this event.

Edited by Mattyb
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Ok, so Westfield can't. does that eliminate all other schools in the state? 

Schools Avon size in the state have way better seating than the Coliseum. Even with 3K

If it has to stay in Ft. Wayne, fix the seating. The fans can't see. If it staying the same you will have a riot on your hands next year. People were mad. 

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Ok, so Westfield can't. does that eliminate all other schools in the state? 

Schools Avon size in the state have way better seating than the Coliseum. Even with 3K

Avon's fieldhouse is smaller than Westfield's. 

 

 

If it has to stay in Ft. Wayne, fix the seating. The fans can't see. If it staying the same you will have a riot on your hands next year. People were mad. 

The configuration can be fixed. If they opened a few more rows up top I think it would have lessened the issues, but I'm sure there was some issue with space from the walls and such. I have faith that the IHSWCA will make adjustments for next year.

 

Last year's attendance was also low due to a snow storm that kept a lot of fans home. I believe the attendance in the three previous years has hovered around 1000. You can expect growth, but doubling in size is something that is hard to plan for.

I am sure cost would be a factor but what about the convention center downtown Indy.

Cost is a HUGE factor there. I can't remember the numbers, but Fort Wayne was probably HALF as much.

 

Here are the rates for Fort Wayne

 http://www.memorialcoliseum.com/data/uploads/2016%20Space%20Rental%20Rates%20Web.pdf

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Hey Matt- how about Seymour HS?

Due to the gyms layout we can get about 6 mats on our main floor, and that doesn't leave much room after for scoreboard and teams. Though that would cause some slight viewing obstruction if the wrestling moved into the 1/3 of the mat closest to those in the upper stands by them. Not sure what the top level seating is where everyone would have to be but it should be decent. Then we have room for about two mats in our auxiliary gym with seating being limited. So as much as I'd like to see the event in my backyard, honestly Seymours gym would be stretched passed its limits mat wise for a 36 team event. Unless someone want to pitch so the school will finally build a larger sports complex to take the place of the small auxiliary gym they put in. Plus you would have to convince the school to stop scheduling some type of basketball event in any open date or space the school has. Edited by MattM
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