From: jagreath@eos.ncsu.edu (JOSEPH ALAN GREATHOUSE)
Subject: Re: In Defense of the Dome
Originator: jagreath@c00373-247dan.eos.ncsu.edu
Reply-To: jagreath@eos.ncsu.edu (JOSEPH ALAN GREATHOUSE)
Organization: North Carolina State University, Project Eos
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 15:02:28 GMT


In article <9210071530.AA10140@walt.disney>, chill@walt.UUCP (Curtis Hill) writes:

|>First, the Dean Dome is an excellent basketball facility.  Certainly
|>one of the finest collegiate facilities in the country.  And when there's
|>a good game, the place does get worked into a frenzy.

No arguments here.  The Dome is a beautiful facility.  It just isn't a noisy
place day in and day out.  I was asserting in earlier posts that the Pit is
a much tougher place to play.  

|>As far as being told to "be quiet", it's never happened to me from a student.
|>Some bozo older folks sitting in the student section have asked for me
|>to sit, but it was the student section, so they had to live with it.

I wouldn't expect it to happen with a student.  I would expect it to happen in
a season ticket holder's section.

|>My opinion of the "wine and cheese" fatcats is already a matter of public
|>record.  If the bozos who coughed up mucho $$$ for tickets can't get up
|>and yell during games, they should give the tickets to folks who will.

I just wish the same thing weren't going to happen here in Raleigh. 
Unfortunately, I probably won't get my wish. :(

|>The student section, on the other hand, is very loud.  It is amazing to
|>listen to the different levels of noise generated at different points of
|>the Dome.  The quarter near the band where the lower level student seats
|>are (about 2,000) is very loud most of the game.  Any noise made by those
|>in the upper sections tends to get lost in the large open area above the
|>court.

That's what I love about the Pit, for those who care.  The Pit is a 20 foot
high building on the outside.  It is dug 56 feet into the ground on the inside.
any noise made anywhere in the arena is focused on the floor.  The students get
tix wrapping from the west sideline to the north end of the arena, and the 
opponents always get to shoot into the north end during the second half.  As
for season ticket holders, my parents have been UNM season ticket holders for
years.  I grew up in the reserved seating section in the Pit and there isn't 
a quiet place in the crowd.  

|>It's much louder during the Duke game.  The place stays about as loud as
|>a jet for nearly the entire game.  My ears ring afterwards.  If only every
|>game were like that.

I'd actually like to see the Dome that loud.  It's too big and built *up* to
hold that much noise in.  And besides, it isn't a college basketball game if
your ears don't ring afterwards :)

|>I will warn the State fans now that if y'all get a nice, new arena, you'd
|>better be ready to fight for seats.  Your athletic director was on the
|>radio a couple of weeks back, explaining how priority seating at basketball
|>would help pay for the construction cost of the new facility and support other
|>sports programs.  Money talks, boys.

Warning taken, very seriously.  The prospect of moving basketball games from
Reynolds into the "Dome II" when it is completed saddens me.  There just won't
be any substitute for the Reynolds Rowdies, the old noise meter, or the windows
at the top of the chairback sections.  I've been speaking with the President
of the NC State Student Senate about this and I am trying to get support in
Student Government so that NC State Students don't get screwed like Carolina's
did.

|>Ideally, the Dome should have had one half of the lower seating as bleachers
|>for students.  However, this was one of the first large bball facilities
|>built, and no one knew really what to expect (Iowa had the same problem).
|>I hope that other schools, such as State, Tech, and UVa (when they get
|>around to razing the atrocious UHaul), can learn from the suffering of
|>the Carolina students.

Alas hindsight is 20/20.  I hope I might be able to pass your comments on to
others who are concerned here at State.

|>Basically, I ask that you not judge the enthusiasm of the students or of
|>the average supporter of Carolina by the actions of the folks who footed
|>the bill to pay for the place.

I don't judge Carolina fans by the enthusiasm of the whine&cheesers.  I judge
them based on the fact that they wear that silly blue color...:)

|>And it's still true that it's hard to win a game at Carolina, although
|>it's not nearly as difficult as it was when Carmichael was in use (now
|>that was a hard place to play!).

Actually, it is hard to win at Carolina if you are an upper division ACC squad.
It's the (for the time being) lower division teams who give them fits there. :)

|>Curtis Hill
|>star3!walt!chill@mcnc.org


-- 
 GO WOLFPACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!         *
                                               *   *
 Joseph A. Greathouse                        *       *
                                          *  *       *  *
 jagreath@eos.ncsu.edu                    *  *       *  * *
                                      *   *    *        *   *
 Theta Chi Fraternity                 **  *      *      *
                                      * * *        *    *   *
 Delta Rho Chapter                       **  *       *  * *
                                          *  *       *  *  
 North Carolina State University             *       *  
                                               *   *
 GO WOLFPACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!         *