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UAA `16-17 Let's end this thing with a BANG

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D2D said:
Alaska hockey programs in peril
http://www.startribune.com/alaska-hockey-programs-in-peril/391237071/
Click to expand...

Lancelot: We were in the nick of time. You were in great peril.
Galahad: I don't think I was.
Lancelot: Yes, you were. You were in terrible peril.
Galahad: Look, let me go back in there and face the peril.
Lancelot: No, it's far too perilous.
Galahad: Look, it's my duty as a knight to sample as much peril as I can.
Lancelot: No, we've got to find the Holy Grail. Come on.
Galahad: Oh, let me have just a little bit of peril?
Lancelot: No. It's unhealthy.
 
Re: UAA `16-17 Let's end this thing with a BANG

The exhibition game is in Palmer this year. Sweet. I assume it will be at the MTA Events Center?? If so, I hope they put UAA in the locker room with the huge Seawolf logo painted on one wall. :) Hey, maybe I'll even try to take the granddaughter to this one and see how she does.
 
Re: UAA `16-17 Let's end this thing with a BANG

There is a meeting tomorrow evening 5:30 to 7:00pm at the 49th State Brewing Co. (the old Snow Goose) at 717 West 3rd Ave.
Anyone interested in keeping Seawolves hockey should attend as a show of community support for the program.
Everyone in the community is invited and encouraged to attend. Yes we would also love to have our UA_ friends there also.
See you there!
 
Re: UAA `16-17 Let's end this thing with a BANG

Seawolf Fan said:
There is a meeting tomorrow evening 5:30 to 7:00pm at the 49th State Brewing Co. (the old Snow Goose) at 717 West 3rd Ave.
Anyone interested in keeping Seawolves hockey should attend as a show of community support for the program.
Everyone in the community is invited and encouraged to attend. Yes we would also love to have our UA_ friends there also.
See you there!
Click to expand...

Where did you hear about this? If we depend on this forum to get the word out, there won't be many people there. This is the first I have heard of it. Edit, I just read it in my email. It was sent to all season ticket holders.
 
Seawolf Fan said:
There is a meeting tomorrow evening 5:30 to 7:00pm at the 49th State Brewing Co. (the old Snow Goose) at 717 West 3rd Ave.
Anyone interested in keeping Seawolves hockey should attend as a show of community support for the program.
Everyone in the community is invited and encouraged to attend. Yes we would also love to have our UA_ friends there also.
See you there!
Click to expand...

Wish I could make it but our employee picnic is tonight.

(And yes, I do care about Seawolf hockey surviving. I have many UAA friends. Also, how else will we get to 10 straight Gov Cup wins?)
 
Re: UAA `16-17 Let's end this thing with a BANG

I attended the UAA Alumni Meeting at 49th State Brew Co.....take away message; They need to increase revenue or hockey is doomed. The best way anyone can help is to buy season tickets...when you buy $10 tickets at the door, it only results in $4 revenue for the hockey program. Almost all of the season tickets revenue go directly toward the hockey bottomline...makes the bean counters happy! Alumni donations to the program do not count as revenue. If you want to help out/donate, call up Chris and buy season tickets in the upper bowl. Yes...they are opening the upper bowl and selling season tickets for $150. That's less than $10/game. They are in the process of figuring out how to distribute dontated season tickets to select groups in the community.

My response to this entire fiasco...with three kids--16, 14 and 9 all of which have contributed annually to the UA College Savings Plan since birth, we have over $30,000 currently invested in UA College Savings 529 Plan. If UA continues to devalue college athletics, our investments will certainly be reallocated to another state's 529 plan. Just as you politician's have choices, we also have choices and will choose to attend college in a state that values and funds education and athletics. We have 50 billion in the bank, everyone crying that we are broke, and those Juneau bozo's refuse to come up with alternative revenue source... UAA athletics is currently 3% of the overall budget. Nationwide, athletics averages 6% of a universities budget. Yet, we are demanding more cost cutting and eventually want the athletic programs to be 100% self-funded. We will soon have the two largest community colleges in the United States.
 
Re: UAA `16-17 Let's end this thing with a BANG

What is Alaska's unfunded pension liability? You have to get that down to a reasonable number.

What about other fixed costs? labor, utilities, materials? transfer payments???

Not all of the loose change can go to fund athletics. In fact, I'm guessing UA athletics is pretty low in the pecking order.

Sucks.
 
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Re: UAA `16-17 Let's end this thing with a BANG

joecct said:
What is Alaska's unfunded pension liability? You have to get that down to a reasonable number.

What about other fixed costs? labor, utilities, materials? transfer payments???

Not all of the loose change can go to fund athletics. In fact, I'm guessing UA athletics is pretty low in the pecking order.

Sucks.
Click to expand...

One of the things that is killing the program is the high cost of renting out the Sullivan Arena. I was told it costs $24,000 to rent it for a series. If UAA hockey goes away, that is a huge revenue loss for the city - the alumni association and the University should put pressure on getting those fees reduced, IMO. I believe Fairbanks pays a similar amount to rent the Carlson.

And yes, athletics is only 3% of the budget.
 
Re: UAA `16-17 Let's end this thing with a BANG

Suze said:
One of the things that is killing the program is the high cost of renting out the Sullivan Arena. I was told it costs $24,000 to rent it for a series. If UAA hockey goes away, that is a huge revenue loss for the city - the alumni association and the University should put pressure on getting those fees reduced, IMO. I believe Fairbanks pays a similar amount to rent the Carlson.

And yes, athletics is only 3% of the budget.
Click to expand...

Of course the check of 15 plus grand we hand over to each visiting team in the league is not going away . ......it's going up if we are still around.
 
Re: UAA `16-17 Let's end this thing with a BANG

Coach Thomas said that the rent for the Sullivan was $10,000 per game. Josh provided some stats that showed renting the Sully has become much more affordable over the last 15 years. They didn't seem too concerned about the Sully. The plan is to focus on selling out the "upper bowl". If they can do this, they feel the numbers will help support/justify keeping the program. They need to focus on the potential upside the team could offer in revenue, if/when they turn things around. The WCHA's new home playoff format provides the opportunity to get up to three playoff home series...pack the barn and numbers will all work out.

Interesting stat...despite the low revenue numbers over the years, the hockey program reportedly still brings in more revenue than the women's and men's basketball. They put a decent team on the ice that competes, the fans and revenue will bounce back.
 
Re: UAA `16-17 Let's end this thing with a BANG

You cannot cover the $1.9M budget with $150 season tickets. Let's say there are currently 1000 season ticket holders and that they paid $400 for their tickets. Then you sell 4000 more season tickets at $150 each. Yes, I know I left about 1000 tickets out of the equation ...

That's $1M in revenue and I haven't taken any costs from that.

If you could possibly cover the budget with revenue then maybe you can stick your tongue out at the budget cutters. Filling the joint every night at a discounted rate ain't gonna do anything to impress anyone when it doesn't make it to $1.9M.

Sorry, I just dont see how this Alumni idea is going to fix anything.
 
hockeytownak said:
Coach Thomas said that the rent for the Sullivan was $10,000 per game. Josh provided some stats that showed renting the Sully has become much more affordable over the last 15 years. They didn't seem too concerned about the Sully. The plan is to focus on selling out the "upper bowl". If they can do this, they feel the numbers will help support/justify keeping the program. They need to focus on the potential upside the team could offer in revenue, if/when they turn things around. The WCHA's new home playoff format provides the opportunity to get up to three playoff home series...pack the barn and numbers will all work out.

Interesting stat...despite the low revenue numbers over the years, the hockey program reportedly still brings in more revenue than the women's and men's basketball. They put a decent team on the ice that competes, the fans and revenue will bounce back.
Click to expand...

I got the numbers on the cost of the Sully from both Hackett and McDiffet. I believe the high cost of hiring people to run the fancy schmancy scoreboard is included in the $24,000.

What part of the upper bowl are they talking about? We are in the balcony and our tickets are a lot more than 150!
 
Re: UAA `16-17 Let's end this thing with a BANG

Tentatively when will the final decision be made and what year will it impact? Will any decision impact next season 2017 / 2018? NCAA schedules may potentially be affected and i would think lead time would be required as it impacts the entire conference in some way. Maybe it will take even longer depending on how everything plays out, but i would suspect 2017 / 2018 would be the earliest with 2018 / 2019 more likely. Thoughts?
 
Re: UAA `16-17 Let's end this thing with a BANG

Well, I am glad that the muni is helping this situation with only charging 10K a night for the Sully instead of 24K. I wish those with deep pockets (maybe some Alaska NHL players) could get together to help save the programs. Now the AZ State is not joining the NCHC, it would be fun to watch UAA play AZ State on a WCHA playing field (Assuming they join the WCHA).
 
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