KCRG just teased- Wrestling at Kinnick

[HAWKMANN]

More than anything, I'm skeptical it will work. A lot of my skepticism comes from the disappoint that the student body hasn't really supported this team the last couple of years, at least in terms of showing up to dual meets. I don't see this getting a lot of traction unless it's PSU and Cael. You need to entertain, and I don't think ISU or UNI provides that right now and quite frankly even though they've been good, the Hawkeyes themselves haven't been real entertaining to watch. I also don't think ISU or UNI pulls people from their tailgates for a Minnesota game. If it was a football game against Minny, maybe. Cael, I think pulls the casual fan, just because he's "hated" around here.

I do think we break the record, but I'm guessing around 20-22K show up to watch. Hope I'm wrong.

You're wrong about the student body BTW. Most students who attend wrestling meets don't sit in the student section for a number of reasons but they are definitely there. I never missed a dual meet in the 5 years I attended Iowa but don't think I ever once sat in the student section. Many students who attend wrestling meets sit with their parents or just find better free open seats. I bet if the athletic department released there figures for how many IDs are scanned at each meet you would see at least 300 which is pretty damn good for a non revenue sport.

When Iowa went for the sell out against ISU the students did their part and used all of their allotted tickets. The student support for the wrestling team is the best in the nation, bar none.

 

[icu81222]

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Won't be UNI. My guess is Oklahoma State...early enough for their fans to shoot over to Ames for the Iowa State game.

That will be PERFECT. OSU plays at ISU in football that day. Their time is TBA. If they play at 7pm, it would make it work out just right for everyone.

 

[theIowaHawk]

I will be there, probably 5 of us total. Yes we will be cold, I'll wear a hat.

I'm more concerned about how much booze I need to bring in...how to keep it going for 6 hours?

 

[pumpdog20]

You're wrong about the student body BTW. Most students who attend wrestling meets don't sit in the student section for a number of reasons but they are definitely there. I never missed a dual meet in the 5 years I attended Iowa but don't think I ever once sat in the student section. Many students who attend wrestling meets sit with their parents or just find better free open seats. I bet if the athletic department released there figures for how many IDs are scanned at each meet you would see at least 300 which is pretty damn good for a non revenue sport.

When Iowa went for the sell out against ISU the students did their part and used all of their allotted tickets. The student support for the wrestling team is the best in the nation, bar none.

I'm not going to take your word for it just because you say so. The thing I know is that the center of CHA (on both sides of the mat) are usually pretty well full and there's a massive hole where the students sit. I'm not sure where they're finding better free seats.

You're right that the students in the past have done their "job" supporting the team. The last couple of years, they haven't.

 

[pumpdog20]

What would everyone consider a great turnout for this? Personally in order for me to consider it successful would be between 40k and 50K fans. 30K in a large football stadium wouldn't feel as good as 10-15K in Carver.

 

[icu81222]

40,000 would be awesome. I don't know how realistic that is or not though.

If ISU game is at 7pm, OSU will get a good chunk of fans if it is promoted early and really well. Minnesota will have some fans come too and then I would think Iowa would have an excellent showing as well.

 

[theIowaHawk]

What would everyone consider a great turnout for this? Personally in order for me to consider it successful would be between 40k and 50K fans. 30K in a large football stadium wouldn't feel as good as 10-15K in Carver.

Wow. I think even 25k would be great. I get the issues with the stadium being huge, but is there some other facility that can fit that amount otherwise?

 

[theIowaHawk]

40,000 would be awesome. I don't know how realistic that is or not though.

If ISU game is at 7pm, OSU will get a good chunk of fans if it is promoted early and really well. Minnesota will have some fans come too and then I would think Iowa would have an excellent showing as well.

See, I really don't agree with this logic. Football fans =/= wrestling fans. Some are, and a lot of wrestling fans are football fans, but they are not one/same. I have a hard time seeing Ok St football fans putting much importance on going to Ames at all, and if they do, not stopping by Kinnick. I certainly see Ok State wrestling fans traveling for it, and then hitting up the football game, but that is a very different demographic. Instead of talking about, say, ~30k football fans (extremely high) wanting to go to the football game, we are talking about ~8k wrestling fans maybe wanting to combine the two.

But, hell, if Ok State brings 5k that would be a good showing. That is a 5 hour drive, with much of the hotels already booked in I.C., so then staying in Ames?

Same with Minnesota. Their football fans =/= their wrestling fans, so those hoping that the possibly 10k football fans coming for the game would automatically go for wrestling I think are crossing their fingers quite hard.

I'm hopeful, I will definitely be there, I think it will be awesome. If somehow it got to 40k, that would be insane. Maybe they would make it like a spring game, anyone can wander in/out, and they will just count total attendance. That would allow tailgaters who want to check it out to stop by, but also be able to leave and grab their brew.

Logistically I'm intrigued. Kinnick has the fans close to the field, but it is still a football field with a 30' circle in the middle of it. Maybe put it in a corner so that there is some wrap-around? Even the closest seats in the stands could be 100' away?

 

[LutherAce]

Just throwing this out there...11.14.15 is the same weekend as Luther Open was last year (11.15.14)...I love the fact that everyone is clamoring for Okie State and top dogs...but if history is any indicator...our lineup isn't even set at this time of year.

I could see this being some sort of exhibition with someone...maybe the wrestle offs will be in Carver, but to come right out of the gate with UNI, Okie State, etc...that's just crazy talk...

 

[HAWKMANN]

I'm not going to take your word for it just because you say so. The thing I know is that the center of CHA (on both sides of the mat) are usually pretty well full and there's a massive hole where the students sit. I'm not sure where they're finding better free seats.

You're right that the students in the past have done their "job" supporting the team. The last couple of years, they haven't.

1) Supporting Iowa wrestling isn't their job.

2) You do realize how easy it is for one or two people to sneak into a row is right? When I was in undergrad I would sit down in the first 4 rows with the padded chairs with my friends for pretty much every meet outside the big ones (I graduated in 2012). The student section is usually filled up about the first 10-13 rows of it and there is a decent number down in the chairs on the floor that they have been setting up.

What number would you like to see per dual? 500? 1000?

 

[GG121AND2]

It's really going to depend on how it's marketed. A "Hey, you're going to the football game, anyway." approach will doom it to relative failure. You're giving the fan a choice of the warm confines of The Vine (and alcohol) or, perhaps, a chilly Kinnick and a sport with which they have so far demonstrated little affinity. In this scenario, I would consider 20,000 a good turnout.

"Be part of the biggest event in the 2,500-year history of wrestling. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity." will work far better. Then market it all over the world as the biggest wrestlin lead-in to the 2016 Olympics. Heck - market it in Iran.

(Shameless plug coming) - Oh, and help me give away a bunch of tickets.

 

[pumpdog20]

1) Supporting Iowa wrestling isn't their job.

2) You do realize how easy it is for one or two people to sneak into a row is right? When I was in undergrad I would sit down in the first 4 rows with the padded chairs with my friends for pretty much every meet outside the big ones (I graduated in 2012). The student section is usually filled up about the first 10-13 rows of it and there is a decent number down in the chairs on the floor that they have been setting up.

What number would you like to see per dual? 500? 1000?

Like I said, this has not been happening the last couple of years.

 

[pumpdog20]

See, I really don't agree with this logic. Football fans =/= wrestling fans. Some are, and a lot of wrestling fans are football fans, but they are not one/same. I have a hard time seeing Ok St football fans putting much importance on going to Ames at all, and if they do, not stopping by Kinnick. I certainly see Ok State wrestling fans traveling for it, and then hitting up the football game, but that is a very different demographic. Instead of talking about, say, ~30k football fans (extremely high) wanting to go to the football game, we are talking about ~8k wrestling fans maybe wanting to combine the two.

But, hell, if Ok State brings 5k that would be a good showing. That is a 5 hour drive, with much of the hotels already booked in I.C., so then staying in Ames?

Same with Minnesota. Their football fans =/= their wrestling fans, so those hoping that the possibly 10k football fans coming for the game would automatically go for wrestling I think are crossing their fingers quite hard.

I'm hopeful, I will definitely be there, I think it will be awesome. If somehow it got to 40k, that would be insane. Maybe they would make it like a spring game, anyone can wander in/out, and they will just count total attendance. That would allow tailgaters who want to check it out to stop by, but also be able to leave and grab their brew.

Logistically I'm intrigued. Kinnick has the fans close to the field, but it is still a football field with a 30' circle in the middle of it. Maybe put it in a corner so that there is some wrap-around? Even the closest seats in the stands could be 100' away?

I agree with this which is why I don't think that alone would get a lot of people in. Having a big name opponent, like Cael, could intrigue the casual fan.

They are doing it in Kinnick because the want to destroy the attendance record. At 20k people, that record stands for a year when Penn State decides to do it in Beaver stadium. We really need to get a big number, and I think 40-50K is that number. In order to do that, you need a big time opponent that's either going to draw a big amount of your own fans or get help from the opponent's fans.

I think the administration knows this, and that's why I think it's going to be either Iowa State or Penn State. I'm not sure Ohio State is there yet, and honestly neither is Oky State (but maybe they are).

 

[WWDMHawkeye]

I'm not going to take your word for it just because you say so. The thing I know is that the center of CHA (on both sides of the mat) are usually pretty well full and there's a massive hole where the students sit. I'm not sure where they're finding better free seats.

You're right that the students in the past have done their "job" supporting the team. The last couple of years, they haven't.

I agree with this line of thinking. I have no doubt that some students sit outside the official student section, but that section has been absolutely empty for most meets in recent years, which is pathetic. I don't think there's any debating that the students have supported wrestling poorly the past couple of years, regardless of whether some sit outside the student section. If 300 students sat in the official student section, it would still be largely vacant.

And wrestling at Iowa is far from your typical non-revenue sport. It's akin to something like hockey at Minnesota, which isn't a primary sport but still has a rich tradition and draws good crowds. Iowa wrestling is one of the greatest collegiate athletic programs in the past 4 decades, for crying out loud. They deserve strong student support, and that hasn't been there the last couple of years, whether or not some have been sitting with their families at wrestling meets. It's not as though students suddenly started sitting with their families. That's surely happened all along, and the student section has been conspicuously empty of late.

 

[ferentzin04]

I would LOVE for it to be Okie State, but I wouldn't count on them bringing thousands of fans, even if they are in Ames that weekend. Like some have said, football fans don't necessarily equal wrestling fans, and more importantly, they don't have that great of attendance at their home meets. I don't see them bringing any large number of fans to Kinnick.

Hopefully they get the opportunity to prove me wrong.

 

[WWDMHawkeye]

It's really going to depend on how it's marketed. A "Hey, you're going to the football game, anyway." approach will doom it to relative failure. You're giving the fan a choice of the warm confines of The Vine (and alcohol) or, perhaps, a chilly Kinnick and a sport with which they have so far demonstrated little affinity. In this scenario, I would consider 20,000 a good turnout.

"Be part of the biggest event in the 2,500-year history of wrestling. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity." will work far better. Then market it all over the world as the biggest wrestlin lead-in to the 2016 Olympics. Heck - market it in Iran.

(Shameless plug coming) - Oh, and help me give away a bunch of tickets.

Agree 100%. I do think a number of fans coming for the football game would attend the wrestling meet, too, because they're right there, anyway, and it would be a novelty. I can see it now: Tailgate from 8:00 a.m. until the wrestling meet. . . . Head into Kinnick for the wrestling meet. . . . Tailgate until the football game. . . . Back into Kinnick for the game. I see quite a few fans doing just that, and making a fun day (and night) of it.

That said, to really pack the place, the concept of blowing away the attendance record needs to be played up in a big way. Make fans feel like it's the place to be, it will be an experience they'll never forget, etc. I think it makes sense to wrestle Minnesota, with the plan to kick their butts on the mat and then on the field, all in the same day. Play up the rivalry. That's the angle I'd take. And what Iowa fan wouldn't want to kick Minnesota's butts twice on the same day, in different sports? Granted, the football team may have trouble keeping their end of the bargain, but it would still be a fun day of Iowa-Minnesota rivalry action.

 

[icu81222]

Minnesota wrestles out east somewhere the following day. Their coach already commented on it saying he thought it was a great idea but they wouldn't be the opponent

 

[TS568]

I agree with this line of thinking. I have no doubt that some students sit outside the official student section, but that section has been absolutely empty for most meets in recent years, which is pathetic. I don't think there's any debating that the students have supported wrestling poorly the past couple of years, regardless of whether some sit outside the student section. If 300 students sat in the official student section, it would still be largely vacant.

And wrestling at Iowa is far from your typical non-revenue sport. It's akin to something like hockey at Minnesota, which isn't a primary sport but still has a rich tradition and draws good crowds. Iowa wrestling is one of the greatest collegiate athletic programs in the past 4 decades, for crying out loud. They deserve strong student support, and that hasn't been there the last couple of years, whether or not some have been sitting with their families at wrestling meets. It's not as though students suddenly started sitting with their families. That's surely happened all along, and the student section has been conspicuously empty of late.

You obviously have to earn student support by having an exciting brand of wrestling to watch, and some in our line-up haven't kept their end of the bargain. I don't think the casual student appreciates the "heavy hands" offense. They want to see our guys trying to kick someone's ass and put them on their back. Also, I wouldn't want Iowa State anywhere near this dual with KJ's history of forfeiting matches, even though that would get you back to the tailgate sooner.

 

[ISUChip]

I think the administration knows this, and that's why I think it's going to be either Iowa State or Penn State.

Pretty sure ISU isn't going to give up a home dual.

 

[theIowaHawk]

Pretty sure ISU isn't going to give up a home dual.

ISU doesn't generate near the fans it used to, been disappointed at the last few Iowa/ISU meets.

I think Ok St is a great one.

 

[SansSouci]

I have four boys that wrestle all year. We go to tournaments in football stadiums a couple times a year. They put ropes around the mat and you can watch from there. Do you think they would let fans on the field? Obviously that only works for viewing up close. I'd pay for that though. The overflow sits in the stands and the viewing is fine from there too. It will be a success just for the novelty and because of the Iowa fans either way.

I don't care if we wrestle Maryland, we would have the record easily. We'll have at least forty coming if not more.

 

[86_90]

This could be a big thing. It has been done in other sports, notably within the NHL in recent years. Because of it's success, the NHL Stadium Series has become an annual event and is very much a must see event in the cities where they are held.

As far as attendance, the last outdoor hockey game within the Stadium Series was held in Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. It featured the San Jose Sharks and LA Kings--neither team made the NHL playoffs last year. The attendance was just over 70,000 for the outdoor game. The teams regularly drew 17,000 and 18,000 respectively for regular season games during the season.

I think 40,000 should be the goal for the Kinnick event, with an outside chance at 50-60k. Perhaps invite all living NCAA Champions from the respective programs that will compete and have a meet and greet/ceremony before or during the event. It would be a nice way to pay respect to the past and make it a "must see event." I would also think by turning some of the Marketing over to the Business College good things would happen. Let them get creative with it and see where it leads.

 

[icu81222]

Would it be best to plop the mat in the middle of the field or would it be best to put it at one end or on one side?

 

[caseyballzz]

Because Pumpdog thinks that all things holy start with CAEL, lets just forget about it. Guess what Pumpdog, wrestling has been relevant in Iowa for 50 years. At PSU it has been 5. That's all I have to say.

 

[Azchief32]

Because Pumpdog thinks that all things holy start with CAEL, lets just forget about it. Guess what Pumpdog, wrestling has been relevant in Iowa for 50 years. At PSU it has been 5. That's all I have to say.

Friendly fire, over.

 

[HawkTitan]

Would it be best to plop the mat in the middle of the field or would it be best to put it at one end or on one side?

There's no way they could do it at one end because of the goal posts. And while I think they could remove the benches on the sideline, I'd say it's unlikely they'd do anything that could potentially affect the football game. My best guess is the mat will be right in the center of the field with temporary bleachers and/or SRO on the field and then the normal Kinnick seating.

 

[icu81222]

There's no way they could do it at one end because of the goal posts. And while I think they could remove the benches on the sideline, I'd say it's unlikely they'd do anything that could potentially affect the football game. My best guess is the mat will be right in the center of the field with temporary bleachers and/or SRO on the field and then the normal Kinnick seating.

Couple things. The goal posts are removable.

How would that work with temporary seating and all that goes into installing and removing with a football game (along with walk through etc) being played that day.

Could be too much to try and do.

 

[pumpdog20]

Because Pumpdog thinks that all things holy start with CAEL, lets just forget about it. Guess what Pumpdog, wrestling has been relevant in Iowa for 50 years. At PSU it has been 5. That's all I have to say.

Thanks for the history lesson. I'm interested in who you think could help pull in 40-50K fans currently.

 

[WWDMHawkeye]

One other idea would be to put the mat on a raised platform and allow fans to stand on the field and sit in the lower levels along the sides. I guess it goes without saying that the action would be shown on the big screens, too.

I suspect they'll probably put the mat on some kind of raised platform, in any case, but the simplest thing, IMO, would be to just have the fans pack the stands as much as possible and put the action on the big screens for those who are farther up and have any trouble seeing.

If it were put in one end, I'd just allow fans to stand on the field along the side opposite the end zone, using a raised platform. Would be a nice view from field level. Make everything first-come, first-served. No need for temporary stands. But if you're really serious about blowing away the attendance record, your goal needs to fill Kinnick as much as possible. Putting the action at one end of the field pretty much defeats the purpose, IMO. The idea is to try and get a full stadium. If you put it on one end, you're not really shooting for much more than a Carver-Hawkeye crowd sitting out in the cold.

 

[whejoe]

If they wrestle the pokes, the mat should be the size of the football field........

 

[bman546]

pumppdog20: "this is cool, but picking a fight with a school that has a 100K stadium, this record won't last long."

Uh no... PSU may have a massive football stadium, but when they have to resort to ultra cheap tickets, two for one deals etc. just to get 15,996 to attend, getting 70k plus may be a stretch. Iowa gets 14-15k without extra promotion or price reductions, or two for one deals etc. My confidence is high Iowa wrestling could fill Kinnick, while PSU would struggle to get 70k plus even with their free or $3 tickets. However, if PSU wants to try for 100k in attendance at a meet, go nuts. If they succeed, it is still great for the promotion of the sport. The more the merrier.

 

[pumpdog20]

pumppdog20: "this is cool, but picking a fight with a school that has a 100K stadium, this record won't last long."

Uh no... PSU may have a massive football stadium, but when they have to resort to ultra cheap tickets, two for one deals etc. just to get 15,996 to attend, getting 70k plus may be a stretch. Iowa gets 14-15k without extra promotion or price reductions, or two for one deals etc. My confidence is high Iowa wrestling could fill Kinnick, while PSU would struggle to get 70k plus even with their free or $3 tickets. However, if PSU wants to try for 100k in attendance at a meet, go nuts. If they succeed, it is still great for the promotion of the sport. The more the merrier.

Yeah, I get you're into hyperbole but all I'm saying is that if people expect 20K to be a record that lasts, it won't.

 

[caseyballzz]

pumppdog20: "this is cool, but picking a fight with a school that has a 100K stadium, this record won't last long."

Uh no... PSU may have a massive football stadium, but when they have to resort to ultra cheap tickets, two for one deals etc. just to get 15,996 to attend, getting 70k plus may be a stretch. Iowa gets 14-15k without extra promotion or price reductions, or two for one deals etc. My confidence is high Iowa wrestling could fill Kinnick, while PSU would struggle to get 70k plus even with their free or $3 tickets. However, if PSU wants to try for 100k in attendance at a meet, go nuts. If they succeed, it is still great for the promotion of the sport. The more the merrier.

You cannot fill the stadium without CAEL!

signed Pumpdog

Just poking fun Pdog

 

[WWDMHawkeye]

Yeah, I get you're into hyperbole but all I'm saying is that if people expect 20K to be a record that lasts, it won't.

How is anything bman546 said hyperbole?

I don't see anyone saying 20,000 would be a record that lasts. I suppose some posters on my ignore list could be saying such things. I see people talking about 40,000+, or maybe even filling Kinnick. Considering all of the football fans who will be in town for the game that evening, 50,000+ seems quite feasible with the proper kind of promotion.

 

[moosemonster]

There's no way no how they are letting fans on the field the day of a football game. And they will need to assemble some kind of staging for the mat since the field has a surprising amount of drainage slope.

 

[WWDMHawkeye]

I can't imagine they'd let fans on the field, either. Just thinking outside the box a little.

 

[Ihawkd9times]

My guess is they would stage it in the southwest endzone. Maybe south east and put bleachers on the field side of the mat. That's what they do for basketball in a football dome. But I really don't know. Regardless can't wait. This is great for Iowa and for the sport o wrestling. If I was a recruit I would want to wrestle on the is big stage. Might as well do it every year.

 

[SPOONER]

One other idea would be to put the mat on a raised platform and allow fans to stand on the field and sit in the lower levels along the sides. I guess it goes without saying that the action would be shown on the big screens, too.

I suspect they'll probably put the mat on some kind of raised platform, in any case, but the simplest thing, IMO, would be to just have the fans pack the stands as much as possible and put the action on the big screens for those who are farther up and have any trouble seeing.

If it were put in one end, I'd just allow fans to stand on the field along the side opposite the end zone, using a raised platform. Would be a nice view from field level. Make everything first-come, first-served. No need for temporary stands. But if you're really serious about blowing away the attendance record, your goal needs to fill Kinnick as much as possible. Putting the action at one end of the field pretty much defeats the purpose, IMO. The idea is to try and get a full stadium. If you put it on one end, you're not really shooting for much more than a Carver-Hawkeye crowd sitting out in the cold.

Why would someone want to stand and try to watch a wrestling event on a raised platform? Would be an awful angle. Wouldn't even be able to see the mat. To say nothing about how bad it would be to be stuck behind tall people.

 

[sloehawk]

One other idea would be to put the mat on a raised platform and allow fans to stand on the field and sit in the lower levels along the sides. I guess it goes without saying that the action would be shown on the big screens, too.

I suspect they'll probably put the mat on some kind of raised platform, in any case, but the simplest thing, IMO, would be to just have the fans pack the stands as much as possible and put the action on the big screens for those who are farther up and have any trouble seeing.

If it were put in one end, I'd just allow fans to stand on the field along the side opposite the end zone, using a raised platform. Would be a nice view from field level. Make everything first-come, first-served. No need for temporary stands. But if you're really serious about blowing away the attendance record, your goal needs to fill Kinnick as much as possible. Putting the action at one end of the field pretty much defeats the purpose, IMO. The idea is to try and get a full stadium. If you put it on one end, you're not really shooting for much more than a Carver-Hawkeye crowd sitting out in the cold.

I went to an MMA show at the Target Center when Brock "The Rock" Lesnar was still in the game, and we had some mid upper level seats that definitely made it a "little shaky" to see the action in the cage. Fortunately they either had or installed some "smaller" big screens in the upper deck, that was certainly helpful. You still get the atmosphere, and if need be can take a peak at the big screen every now and again to see better.

 

[Ihawkd9times]

I didn't get a chance to listen to takedown radio this sat. What was Tony's hint on the opponent?