THE EVENT

[86_90]

Spectacular. This is now the de facto start of each wrestling season going forward. Like the kick-off classic in football, but it's always going to be held in Iowa City at Kinnick Stadium.

As a fan of college wrestling it was GREAT ENTERTAINMENT.

For the state of Iowa, it was all about the phenomenal support and importance of college WRESTLING--unmatched and unparalleled.

And for Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling it was a resounding statement--WE ARE WRESTLING!

For potential recruits: Ask yourself if you want to be a gladiator fighting in the Roman Coliseum on a regular basis--the BIGGEST STAGE, under the brightest lights--or are you going to resign yourself and your fans to second rate support in back-water provinces? If you the answer is yes, I want to fight on the GRANDEST STAGE to showcase my talents and face the greatest challenges, you have but one TRUE CHOICE.

(If you choose to go elsewhere, there is still hope. You can hope your team gets an invited to Iowa City, and then hope your coach accepts the challenge, and is then able to work it into the your team's regularly scheduled exciting dual meet program.)

 

[255]

Agree


Look to PSU to put something together for 45k

ASU and OSU and maybe tOSU will try it too.

Iowa will always be the first.

 

[AFHawk86]

I think Penn State is the only team that could rival 42k. Maybe tOSU because of their location.

 

[Jaybird319]

Today was a bad day for recruiting for Okie. A few matches will leave a bad taste in a recruits.

 

[86_90]

I'd like Brands to come out and say, "Yeah, this is now what we plan to do to start each season. We will start each season with a dual like this. We have the passion and the fan support to drive the interest in THE EVENT and look to help reinvigorate the sport of College Wrestling."

It's a done deal.

 

[ichawk24]

If they do it annually, I doubt they get huge crowds. Every two to three years maybe.

 

[AFHawk86]

Tom said in an interview that this took a couple years to plan. When asked about doing it every year he said he didn't think that was feasible.

 

[86_90]

If they do it annually, I doubt they get huge crowds. Every two to three years maybe.

THE EVENT is something as a fan of College Wrestling I want to see every year. This was great entertainment. Brands and Company pulled it off and must do it again next year and beyond.

Great, great , great for the sport of College Wrestling.

 

[86_90]

Tom said in an interview that this took a couple years to plan. When asked about doing it every year he said he didn't think that was feasible.

He needs to strongly reconsider.

For those that watched it, how many thought it Exceeded Expectations?

I thought it far surpassed what I expected to see. Great production value.

NEXT year, I'd like to see Brands and Company incorporate live music and fire spiting girls in bikinis.

 

[ichawk24]

It turned out very well, I am happy that I got to attend. The atmosphere and delivery were good. Hats off to both head coaches for making it happen.

 

[wyldhawk9]

Agree


Look to PSU to put something together for 45k

ASU and OSU and maybe tOSU will try it too.

Iowa will always be the first.

Things will be interesting if they attempt to recreate what Iowa just did. What would be really neat and good for wrestling is if they engineer something completely different instead of trying to one-up Iowa's good idea here.

But I agree with many of the thoughts in this thread here...awesome, awesome event. Fantastic job Luke Eustice, Brands Bros, and athletic dept. to put on the most successful event in wrestling history.

 

[lookleft goright]

I watched as much as I could on a computer and it was inspiring to say the least. Very cool!!

 

[ChloeDancer]

Iowa plays Michigan in football this same weekend next year.

 

[Kdezeeuw]

I ask because I don't know...what is typical attendance at an first or early second day session at nationals?

How does this compare?

 

[HawkeyeDenny]

If they do it annually, I doubt they get huge crowds. Every two to three years maybe.

Agreed....

 

[Mountain Man Hawk]

I would love to be wrong but I think it might be tough for us to top this attendance mark. We had perfect weather and an undefeated football team creating an abnormal amount of hype around Iowa sports.

 

[Kdezeeuw]

I would love to be wrong but I think it might be tough for us to top this attendance mark. We had perfect weather and an undefeated football team creating an abnormal amount of hype around Iowa sports.

I agree, Kirk and his boys did a great job promoting this for the wrestlers.

 

[TarpHawk]

This was a flawlessly executed event. I wouldn't try to recreate it again unless/until someone else breaks the record. The fact that we were the first to do it is a big win, because if anyone else tries it: 1) They still might not break the record, which would be a fail; 2) They might get bad weather or some other event snafu that would make it a fail; 3) I have no clue. Even if someone else tries and succeeds, they'll be the second ones to do it. Who was the second person to run a 4-minute mile? I have no clue, and no one else cares either.

 

[TNTwrestle]

I ask because I don't know...what is typical attendance at an first or early second day session at nationals?

How does this compare?

Generally 14-16000 at NCAAs first few rounds.

 

[Kdezeeuw]

Generally 14-16000 at NCAAs first few rounds.

Thanks. Just amazing to me we just tripled that. What about the finals sessions?

 

[Vallholl]

I'd like to see them do it once every 3-4 years and try to match it up with OSU / Minnesota, ie the same team we play for football.

Like on Nov. 4, 2017, I'd wrestle tOSU and on Nov. 16, 2019, I'd wrestle Minney. And if somebody (PSU, tOSU, MN) else wants to do it, great! More power to them. And if another school gets the record at 45,000+, I still think we break it. I mean, we're Iowans, we've got nothing better to do.

 

[artradley]

I would love to be wrong but I think it might be tough for us to top this attendance mark. We had perfect weather and an undefeated football team creating an abnormal amount of hype around Iowa sports.

You're right, it was a perfect storm this year. But I think it also assures that nobody will ever touch this.

 

[rival_me]

i a podcast interview earlier this week or last, brands said when he asked coach smith to do this, smith was immediately on board, and brands even offered for the hawks to wrestle them at boone pickens stadium next year so okie state can try to break the record themselves...he didn't elaborate if that was what was going to happen, but, as much as I like the record to be here at iowa, it wouldn't crush me as much as penn state fitting 42,288 in happy valley...

 

[buf87]

Only problem I seen was a great number of fans were bottle necked down below and missed all of Gilman's and 1/2 of Clark's match. Atmosphere was great once that got resolved

 

[minnhawkeye]

He needs to strongly reconsider.

For those that watched it, how many thought it Exceeded Expectations?

I thought it far surpassed what I expected to see. Great production value.

NEXT year, I'd like to see Brands and Company incorporate live music and fire spiting girls in bikinis.

Agree 100% 86 was greatest show on earth today. I could not think of anything to improve this event Maybe it is just my old age..Thanks to u the fire spiting girls in bikinis dam that would be outstanding.

 

[SansSouci]

We could have it every El Niño, otherwise it's now going to go well.

 

[86_90]

The forum response to the great success of THE EVENT is generally one of two camps. The first camp thinks it was great, let do it again and in the second camp we have those that say, yes it was great but let's not do it again because it can't be as good if we try it again.

I suppose if people are afraid of success then a natural response would be to think along the lines of the second camp. They believe that if we try to repeat it again we probably won't be able to get it as right next time--perfect storm comments. Is this what I'm hearing from some in the second camp?

This was an overwhelming success, but IMO it is a starting point. Why the pessimism that this first EVENT is the best we can ever do? The Super Bowl wasn't even called the Super Bowl the first time out. The Kick-Off Classic has morphed since the first year, and on and on the list goes. UFC 1 was a circle side show on skid row compared to what was put on November 14th. Each of these now iconic events were starting points the first time they were put on, the potential was there and the insight was realized that improvements could be made to build upon the initial success. Now these events I've mentioned help to define the sports they represent--the best of the best.

The right move is to build upon success, not run from it. Even THE EVENT has obvious room for improvements. Let's see what they can do next year.

 

[WWDMHawkeye]

I like the way you think, 86. There's no doubt that certain logistical factors -- primarily the weather -- do play a significant role in an event like this, and the weather was almost mind-blowingly perfect. Seriously, I don't remember a mid-November day that perfect in many years. We were actually getting a little hot later in the meet. Crazy!

All of that said, I think the goal should be to literally fill the place some day. I want to see the mat at the 50, on a platform like what they have for the finals at Nationals. Then, I'll really be excited. Let's dream big, Hawk fans!

 

[honkey69]

• They should do it every Olympic year. Then every recruit gets to experience the event once in their Iowa career.
• 
  

Agreed....

 

[beanT]

Great event, but a little disappointed in the crowd. Really felt like they were about 30k people there who were just there to make history. Just seemed like a quieter, less engaged crowd. Maybe some educational videos on scoring, history of the teams and wrestlers. Something to get the crowd pumped up.

 

[86_90]

Maybe they should go back to starting the season with the Iowa Duals. That was exciting in it's own slow, predictable, uninspired way. Why do something that generates interest, excitement, drama and involves a real opponent with a rival that values winning?

College wrestling is obviously over-exposed to begin with and there is no reason to try anything different to help promote the sport and put on a truly entertaining product. Iowa needs to forget this whole outdoor stadium, season kick-off idea until someone else does it and breaks that attendance record everyone is so concerned about. There is no reason to consider the impact THE EVENT made or the excitement it generated, the important thing is the attendance record which is now safely back in Hawk hands.

 

[Vallholl]

Maybe they should go back to starting the season with the Iowa Duals. That was exciting in it's own slow, predictable, uninspired way. Why do something that generates interest, excitement, drama and involves a real opponent with a rival that values winning?

College wrestling is obviously over-exposed to begin with and there is no reason to try anything different to help promote the sport and put on a truly entertaining product. Iowa needs to forget this whole outdoor stadium, season kick-off idea until someone else does it and breaks that attendance record everyone is so concerned about. There is no reason to consider the impact THE EVENT made or the excitement it generated, the important thing is the attendance record which is now safely back in Hawk hands.

This is the second best thing on the internet today. If the football board didn't have an idea for sharks with lasers at the top of the goalposts, you would have won the internet.

http://iowa.forums.rivals.com/threads/koehn-missed-fg.58661/#post-1247354

 

[Krupnyakov]

Great event, but a little disappointed in the crowd. Really felt like they were about 30k people there who were just there to make history. Just seemed like a quieter, less engaged crowd. Maybe some educational videos on scoring, history of the teams and wrestlers. Something to get the crowd pumped up.

Wtf?

 

[Azchief32]

Great event, but a little disappointed in the crowd. Really felt like they were about 30k people there who were just there to make history. Just seemed like a quieter, less engaged crowd. Maybe some educational videos on scoring, history of the teams and wrestlers. Something to get the crowd pumped up.

Seemed like the crowd was into it from the computer...it was loud at the appropriate times.

 

[WWDMHawkeye]

One sign of relatively uneducated wrestling fans is a big roar on a mat return, which, of course, scores no points. It's not a bad thing, but not necessarily something that really fires up a savvy crowd. I do remember one pretty big roar when one of our guys returned his opponent to the mat and thinking that several thousand in attendance probably figured he scored big there. On the whole, I thought the crowd was about what I expected -- pretty darn loud quite a few times and quite energetic.

 

[beanT]

Maybe it was just my high expectation and the large number of clearly disinterested people in my section talking about everything but wrestling. Having been to big meets at Carver and big games at Kinnick, the energy just didn't feel quite as high. Great event, great exposure for the sport, hope the wrestlers loved it and a lot of new fans were created.

 

[ichawk24]

Don't look for this to be an annual thing. "Maybe every five years," Eustice said, "for every recruiting class coming through.

"But I don't know if we could ever duplicate this again. The fans, the match, the weather ... (trying to match Saturday's meet) would almost be a little bit of a letdown."

 

[WWDMHawkeye]

Maybe it was just my high expectation and the large number of clearly disinterested people in my section talking about everything but wrestling. Having been to big meets at Carver and big games at Kinnick, the energy just didn't feel quite as high. Great event, great exposure for the sport, hope the wrestlers loved it and a lot of new fans were created.

I think there's some truth to this. Some more casual fans in attendance, to be sure, but also the outside venue changes the dynamic a little. Carver is more intense with the crowd on top of the action and contained indoors -- more like a gladiator pit, whereas the outdoor set-up felt less intense.

 

[sloehawk]

Don't look for this to be an annual thing. "Maybe every five years," Eustice said, "for every recruiting class coming through.

"But I don't know if we could ever duplicate this again. The fans, the match, the weather ... (trying to match Saturday's meet) would almost be a little bit of a letdown."

I think we would do well to even attempt to do this every 5 years. So many factors involved, and the novelty of being the first to do it will no longer exist. I think you could expect 20-25 K with some great opponent, but I don't think you'll see this duplicated at Iowa in terms of numbers. I know personally I would be less likely to make the 5 hour drive for the "next" one, and I'm obviously well on board for Iowa Wrestling.

Many things had to come together to make this what it was, and they did. Outstanding event, which will be difficult to top, but sure some will try.

 

[WWDMHawkeye]

I actually agree that this kind of event would be tough to pull off annually. It's a huge undertaking, and the stars really do have to align for the weather to cooperate, etc. I do agree with 86, though, that there should generally be a "can do" attitude about promoting wrestling.

I think once about every 4-5 years would be a reasonable goal, trying to top the previous record each time, so guys in the program get to experience it once during their Iowa careers. Even every several years, there are bound to be some cases where it has to move into Carver. Then, again, a jam-packed Carver isn't a bad consolation prize.