Contact Gary Barta
- Thread starter MARION_HAWK
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We would need 4-5 million as pre pledged leverage. We need to do whatever Tom and Terry want us to do at this point. Most likely these funds would be coming from major donors who are also contributing to the foundation so there will need to be some negotiations involved...not sure of the politcal ramification at this point...at least not yet.
Specifically, I mean what is lacking in facilities? You say why the upgrade is important, I'm wanting to know what upgrades.
I can't imagine it is an arena, so weight room? saunas and ice baths? Lounge? Study rooms? Big screens? Hyperbaric chambers?
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My understanding is that the university can't fund post-collegiate athletes. Those funds have to come from other sources.
I havn't checked to see if the vertual viewing of Ohio states planned new facilities is on line and really have never gone to the PSU site to see if their facilitis are shown but seeing them would certainly answer your question, I can't talk specifics because at this point you would have to ask the coaches. However, most or all of the things you mentioned plus a bigger and better locker room would be a good assumption.
But they can allow other things that would help a postgraduate club as other schools do.
Do you have any pictures of all the facilities so we can compare on what Iowa has compared to what tOSU and PS has? And is it truly the facilities or just the locations of the recruiting areas?
It's too early for models, etc. Very early in the process. But I'm highly optimistic that we'll get there sooner than we might think. Rest assured -- as developments happen, Hawk fans will be updated as quickly as humanly possible.
I don't quite follow your last question. If you can clarify a little, I'll do my best to answer.
Sounds like, solely from posters here, it is an arms race for arms race sake. They have, we compete, therefore we need. I'm surprised by that in wrestling.
Not arguing against it or complaining, just surprised. I figured there would be very specific wants.
Not arguing against it or complaining, just surprised. I figured there would be very specific wants.
<<I can't imagine it is an arena, so weight room? saunas and ice baths? Lounge? Study rooms? Big screens? Hyperbaric chambers?>>
Let me just give some examples--- Our office area is tiny-- we dont have near enough room-- multiple people crammed in offices, we share a reception area and Secretary with Volleyball.. cell phones barely work in the current location, you have to cross our wrestling mats to get to our weight room which is undersized, If a coach is trying to talk and people are lifting weights it can be hard to hear.
We need a conf room.. no where to have a mtg for more then 3/4 people currently. We need a study lounge, We need bigger locker rooms, We need a training area for Jesse to treat our athletes --right now it is right out in open in wrestling room.
More room for Aerobic equpit... Bigger Sauna/Steam room.
Can we get by with what we got--yes. But other schools have this stuff and it blows away recruits. Is our facility horrible?? Gosh no-- but it isnt state of the art, other facilities for some other sports at Iowa are much better.
Recruits have told our staff so much. If it is an arms race--with our history, our importance in the State of Iowa-- we should win easily.
Heck part of our staff has to plug parking meters all day or park a mile away...
Iowa Wrestling outperforms every other sport as far as finishing at or near the top in NCAA competitions. We lead the nation in attendance--If our coaches feel that we need one of the top facilities in the nation then we should do it!
Let me just give some examples--- Our office area is tiny-- we dont have near enough room-- multiple people crammed in offices, we share a reception area and Secretary with Volleyball.. cell phones barely work in the current location, you have to cross our wrestling mats to get to our weight room which is undersized, If a coach is trying to talk and people are lifting weights it can be hard to hear.
We need a conf room.. no where to have a mtg for more then 3/4 people currently. We need a study lounge, We need bigger locker rooms, We need a training area for Jesse to treat our athletes --right now it is right out in open in wrestling room.
More room for Aerobic equpit... Bigger Sauna/Steam room.
Can we get by with what we got--yes. But other schools have this stuff and it blows away recruits. Is our facility horrible?? Gosh no-- but it isnt state of the art, other facilities for some other sports at Iowa are much better.
Recruits have told our staff so much. If it is an arms race--with our history, our importance in the State of Iowa-- we should win easily.
Heck part of our staff has to plug parking meters all day or park a mile away...
Iowa Wrestling outperforms every other sport as far as finishing at or near the top in NCAA competitions. We lead the nation in attendance--If our coaches feel that we need one of the top facilities in the nation then we should do it!
The recruits telling our staff about it says all we need to know. Kids these days take in the big picture and want good things. Guess we all do if possible.
Thanks for this post. We fans certainly need to know this kind of information because raising funds is easier if donors identify specific needs.
Also, some of us could help with specific deficiencies. I'm not great with cell phone reception issues, but years ago I uprooted and stole a parking meter in Iowa City. Let me know if I can help.
Glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read that -- would have come out my nose, for sure.
Pablow's always good for a one-liner! Strong work, my friend.
I might make a good donation for one of those 2-headed parking meters if you're looking for work......
@CCShoulder appears to be taking care of the problem, saying "Your move Iowa"......
A couple thoughts. Why would TnT want an upgraded facility? Is it because eh can't hold a quality practice in our current room? Absolutely not, as it is a great facility and very functional. Or is it because of what the top high school kids want? Do we have a very competitive facility? Yes, but is it what will absolutely woo a top recruit when he is on the fence? No, it won't.
Now regarding emailing Barta. I don't think there is ever a bad time to reach out to the AD to let him know of ones support for a program. It's comes with the job.
Now regarding emailing Barta. I don't think there is ever a bad time to reach out to the AD to let him know of ones support for a program. It's comes with the job.
Thank you, much appreciated.
I'm frankly quite surprised by there being no meeting room for more than 3/4 people at a time. Now, of course meetings could take place on the mats, but shouldn't it be common the wrestlers are all together in a meeting? Or at least the coaches? Wasn't that entire area just rebuilt? Did basketball get all the space?
First time I read "training area" I read tanning area, especially since you point out we are competing with tOSU.
But the question wasn't whether it was needed, the question was what was needed. It appears a lot of us were, are, quite ignorant about what is expected these days and what is missing.
For example, the Rutgers tweet above shows the room with equipment on the side and then a reception area - their "upgrades" could just be coming up to par with what Iowa already has. I'm wondering where Iowa needs to be - I presume it ain't Rutgers. I'm guessing a stand-alone facility is a long shot, but if space and parking are a current complaint I would think plopping it out by the hall of fame would work, and the same people who visit the hall of fame may wish to check out Iowa's most fabled program next door. Since Iowa checks off the most expensive need already - arena, I wouldn't think a stand-alone facility would be that expensive, probably similar to the $7M that Ohio State was looking at. But knowing the priorities for other programs, it would likely need to come entirely from donors.
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There are bleachers that Coaches have the wrestlers sit on for group mtgs... But no conference room... Need a place staff can have mtgs, where he can meet with parents and recruits etc.
The offices they have now are like large closets.
The offices they have now are like large closets.
That surprises the hell out of me, as I thought that entire extension of Carver was for offices and shit like this.
Part of the expansion was for offices it is just who got them. And who got the oversized conference cneter, and, and ......It was a basketball engineered expansion and a lot of admin offices and facilities were enhanced. As far as where the wrestling facility could or would go there is actually room to connect it to Carver Hawkeye. What should surprise you the most is not that the wrestling program was not a top priority during the Carver upgrade or that the facilities are not top of the line but that although it's the only program that consistently is in contention for high national honors Barta has it way down the athletic departments priority list.
That doesn't surprise me at all. Iowa wrestling won championships recently (oh so long ago, it feels) and competes for a title every year.
Baseball needed improvements in order to compete, I presume many others do as well.
I get that wrestling "deserves it" based on pedigree, results, and likelihood of success, but there are other needs - needs that have been prioritized, and frankly I don't even disagree with it. Best case scenario with wrestling is that it gets everything it wants and goes from 4th to 1st, which would be fantastic - but that baseball plateaus even after recent success, and every other program stagnates or gets worse. They don't have a strict likelihood of improvement without upgrades. Iowa, we all hope, will get back to the top regardless.
There are rules about post grads working out with Collegiate wrestlers during practice, there are rules about which coaches can work out with the collegiates at official practices.
I'm not in tune with the exact rules.. but I can find out and report back.
I'm not in tune with the exact rules.. but I can find out and report back.
Well said.
Also, anyone complaining about basketball getting preferential treatment should sit this one out.
I'm not saying that the facilities shouldn't be state of the art. If the funds could be raised or allocated by the powers that be, it would be a beautiful thing. But great teams can overcome mediocre facilities. My daughter is a junior squash player -- a sport that has some parallels with wrestling in terms of aerobic conditioning many times making the difference in a long match. The first game often belongs to the player with the better, more refined shots; the last game goes to the player in the best shape who can push through fatigue. Anyway, since 1998, the best men's team (and often the best women's team) has been Trinity, which has won 15 national titles, including 13 in a row from 1998 to 2002. Their facilities are borderline decrepit, in courts above a swimming pool. They play squash with the smell of chlorine in the air. It's almost a point of pride for the team that they practice and play in a glorified firetrap, and still take home the big trophy each year. And recruits want to play in those spartan conditions, b/c of the team and the culture. Believe me, I'd opt for beautiful facilities every time (cellphone reception in the weight room sounds like a headache), but you can make everyone forget the quality of the facilities, if you kick behind every year.
I dont put down any other sport or their needs--but if wrestling fans are aware their is a need, and the Admin supports the need--Our fans will step up and fund this thing...In record time.
I can't speak for the upgrades needed for all the programs, however....we never had wrestling in my HS I'm a baseball basketball player and I can tell you the baseball field with the lights is excellent.The basketball facilities just got a MAJOR ugrade and next to basketball and football wrestling brings in the most revenue...including women's sports. That doesn't even take into account national recognition which leads to financial contributions to the foundation and the athletic dept. as well.
I'm just full of questions now since the HWC has become the focus of the last few big threads.
What would be the wish list for the HWC? Stand alone coach beside Terry? Who? (I'm sure most would say Metcalf).
Who would be on the short list of wrestlers to sign up? Dieringer? Snyder? Taylor? Burroughs?
What would be the wish list for the HWC? Stand alone coach beside Terry? Who? (I'm sure most would say Metcalf).
Who would be on the short list of wrestlers to sign up? Dieringer? Snyder? Taylor? Burroughs?
Can't speak for either tom or terry but possibly the first thing on the wish list would be to bring in and fund the best possible post graduate westlers with bringing in a top coach next in line.
Times have changed. Top recruits are looking closely at facilities and comparing them from one program to the next. They make a difference in recruiting these days, and recruiting is the name of the game.
To expand on this, wrestling is an individual sport. Coaching aside, facilities and having top flight wrestlers to roll with are paramount in recruits' decisions. While we the fans focus on team titles, it's the individual performances in their totality that wins team titles.
I doubt we would get names ahead of time. Tom has said he wants more resources for elite HWC athletes and and potentially coaches.
Who he would have in mind, that I can't guess.
But I know he believes the better the HWC athletes, the more it helps our collegiates.
Who he would have in mind, that I can't guess.
But I know he believes the better the HWC athletes, the more it helps our collegiates.
You're asking questions that I doubt can be answered in this forum. Follow up meetings will get certain answers I'm sure.
I'm sure the coaches have a wish list for filling the HWC, but without adequate funding it's just a wish list.
We need to be the best we can be in every area. Different things will matter to different recruits, but we still need to be as strong as we can be in every area. If our facilities are falling behind, that needs to be addressed.
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If this was taken as wanting an "official" response, I apologize, I'm wanting to know what the fans on here want, not what the guys in charge want.
Thanks for the responses novak, I in no way want to know what secrets Terry holds regarding who he might be seeking.
Exactly. Adequate funding is the key, for the HWC and for a new facility. Without the funding, we lack the resources necessary to attract top-notch post-graduate wrestlers and, potentially, additional coaches for the club. Without the funding, the facility project doesn't get off the ground -- at least not as soon as we'd all like, due to low priority.
We all know we have a world-class coaching staff. However, they need the tools at their disposal to bring in the elite recruits and international competitors. Funding is critical to providing those tools.
