Bobcat Stadium

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BozoneCat
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Post by BozoneCat » Wed Apr 28, 2004 5:05 pm

Most of the flags at the stadium are not on display all the time, they are taken down a lot because of what the weather would do to them. They do this everywhere, even at Wash-griz. The flags would be raised when it was appropriate. This is also not to suggest that we remove any banners from the fieldhouse, just an addition to the football stadium. I love the way all our banners hang in the fieldhouse. You can't even read the tiny little ones in Adams Center.

We have had the horseshoe discussion a hundred times over. Bottom line, it will get done, but not tomorrow. Pete Fields is committed to paying off the existing debt first before even thinking about adding on, and I think the budget situation over here in Missoula shows that he is being very smart about this, even though every single person involved in Bobcat Athletics would love to see it done. Unless someone on here has a few million dollars they want to throw MSU's way (please God, don't let that person ever be Ted Turner), then I am sure we could do it, but until then...

We should just ask Bronco what to do. He has SO many great ideas to help our flailing program, and we all know he just has MSU's best interests in mind! Since he was the first one to EVER come up with the brilliant idea to form what has become Bobcat Nation, in addition to being the sole voice of reason about Champ's outfit, we should just see what he has to say about the situation.

I'm pretty confident that idiots such as CTOWM have basically no idea what they are talking about when it comes to Bobcat Stadium. While we still have higher aspirations for it (as we should), 90%+ of all other I-AA programs would happily trade us their stadium for ours. The encouraging thing is that it is only a matter of time, because with the support our program is building, it will get done. The scoreboard does need improvement, I think they wasted their money on this one instead of saving up and getting a really nice one. The seats don't suck anywhere but in the end zone. I don't really ever use my seat, so I don't know why it matters. The seats between the 35's (or so) are very nice, and I don't believe your beloved Wash-friz has any seats at all, just bleachers, so I don't know what you are complaining about. The sound system does need improvement, for sure. Who cares about underneath at the concessions? I don't spend a lot of time there, and if you do, when it is cold, they blow a hell of a lot of hot air through the vents there to keep people warm when they have to go potty (not the same as when they have to go "potty" in Hippy-ville). The field is great, and it is obvious here that you have NO idea what you are talking about. I will take a real grass field over fake crap every day of the week. On top of that, it is a beautifully maintained field that stays in great shape. The skyboxes are indeed super nice, and a hundred times better than Missoula's. They bring in a ton of revenue, and there is no shortage of people with $100 bills growing out of their ears in Bozeman. There is a waiting list, which is quite sizable to my understanding, of people wanting to purchase boxes. Stadium renovation in the future will include a bunch more luxury boxes, you can count on that. We have a lot to work on, but getting there is half the fun and 90% of the challenge.


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Nick
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Post by Nick » Wed Apr 28, 2004 5:46 pm

As a season ticket holder at beautiful Washington-Grizzly Stadium, and a visitor to Bozeman a few times, I make the followong comments. Take them or leave them....

You all have very interesting points. I think the horse shoe would be quite cool if complete, and if those bleachers were taken out of the south endzone. Not only is it worse than a high school stadium in that endzone, imagine if there were an emergency.....

You're right about Bobcat Stadium being better than many in I-AA. Coming from Missoula it is sometimes hard to see that, but I would take your field over EWU's or even UI's Kibbie Dome (if anyone's had the "pleasure" of visiting Moscow you know what I'm talking about)

As for the growl over the PA system, if you like it keep it. Believe it or not there used to be a Grizzly growl that came across our old PA system but it sounded like Jabba the Hut getting an enema, so we took it out.

Displaying the conference banners is a great idea. I for one wish we displayed our Big Sky championships at Wash-Griz. Six straight titles is something to be proud of, and like someone on this board mentioned earlier those guys worked too hard not to be recognized with the `95 and `01 national title teams. They display a lone BSC banner at Idaho State of all places, and it's a shame that we can't hang our 12. Bobcat Stadium should display theirs, and I only hope we do as well someday.

As for traffic in and out of the area, it's about the same. Missoula's streets close to Wash.-Griz and Dahlberg (during bball games) is controlled by police, and most of the streets are one way in or out....I don't remember if it's like that in Bozeman or what.

Getting into the stadiums is something I find ironic. I know I know, homeland security but Jeezus!! It took at LEAST 20 minutes to get into Bobcat Stadium with 15,000 fans in both 2001 and 2003 during the Griz-Cat games....At Wash-Griz it takes about 5 minutes with well over 23,000 fans.....Possibly find a way to lower the "gate time" at MSU? That's my only suggestion.

As for the luxury boxes, BozoneCat, I have no idea where you are coming from on that one. Both stadiums' are very nice but the ones in Missoula are a bit nicer, not to mention the fact that I've never seen one given up....I can only imagine what the waiting list might be for them.....Besides, why would you want to watch a football game in Montana from the pressbox anyway??!?!

I don't have any complaints on your grass.....the kind on the field. When we had it in Missoula, it was alot of fun to watch playoff opponents try to get their run game going on the frozen tundra. But the SprinTurf is great in which it cuts down on injury, cuts maitenence costs, and has a MUCH nicer appearance.....Plus it's not at all like astro-turf....This stuff is just like grass. I wouldn't be surprised if MSU changed their field within the next five years, it's cool stuff. Like I said though, I really don't have a problem with the look of your field (except that the M should have an "S" and "U" behind it :shock: )....hehe

That's just a few of the things I've noticed, the only realistic problem being the south endzone bleachers and the time it takes to get people through the gate. It's not just inconvenience, it's safety.

Those are just my thoughts....
Last edited by Nick on Wed Apr 28, 2004 5:52 pm, edited 2 times in total.


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Post by ecat » Wed Apr 28, 2004 6:55 pm

If you guys are wondering what the stadium will look like when complete, go into the football office and look right above Kramer's office door. There is a nice picture of what it will look like. I think there might be one in the main athletics office as well.

The student side will have more boxes on top of it, and above that will be another level of seating. The south end zone will have a very large section, made of concrete, to replace the crappy seats there now. The picture also shows very tall (looks very steep too) endzone seating on the North side. My guess is when the stadium is done it will hold well over 30,000 fans.



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Nick
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Post by Nick » Wed Apr 28, 2004 8:01 pm

ecat wrote:If you guys are wondering what the stadium will look like when complete, go into the football office and look right above Kramer's office door. There is a nice picture of what it will look like. I think there might be one in the main athletics office as well.

The student side will have more boxes on top of it, and above that will be another level of seating. The south end zone will have a very large section, made of concrete, to replace the crappy seats there now. The picture also shows very tall (looks very steep too) endzone seating on the North side. My guess is when the stadium is done it will hold well over 30,000 fans.
Why would a program who's highest average is 12,000 fans build a stadium to support 30,000? It defeats the purpose for the "intimate" atmosphere.......


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Post by CatfaninGA » Wed Apr 28, 2004 10:10 pm

Only way they ever expand Reno H. Sales Stadium (sorry I'm old school) is with the intention to jump up to 1-A level someday, other than that there is no reason to EVER expand to more than 18-20K.


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hokeyfine
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Post by hokeyfine » Thu Apr 29, 2004 8:12 am

nick: are you for or against the school levies. the latest rumor that the ignorant people are spreading is that the school is building a million dollar football stadium....and vote for the two women to the school board, the two guys are religous wackos.



Bozgriz

Post by Bozgriz » Thu Apr 29, 2004 10:05 am

Mslacat: what's wrong with my picture? I thought the agreement here was not to make fun of people on a personal level... :wink:

A 30,000 seat stadium in Bozeman???? Just because you draw that many for a season...Remember, you don't host cat/Griz every year!
Last edited by Bozgriz on Thu Apr 29, 2004 10:08 am, edited 1 time in total.



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BozoneCat
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Post by BozoneCat » Thu Apr 29, 2004 1:25 pm

CTOWM, at the extreme risk of sounding too much like a woman (insert joke here), it wasn't necessarily what you said but how you said it. No one on here thinks Bobcat Stadium is the best thing in the world, but you make it sound like it is a piece of junk built in the early 1900's. I thought Nick had a great post. He wasn't trashing us or our stadium just because he is a griz fan and hates the Cats, he made some great points and had generally positive input.

As an aside, it will be a LONG time before Bobcat Stadium needs 30,000 seats!


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Post by Cat-theotherwhitemeat » Thu Apr 29, 2004 2:25 pm

BozoneCat wrote:CTOWM, at the extreme risk of sounding too much like a woman (insert joke here), it wasn't necessarily what you said but how you said it.
Do I have to buy you flowers now? :lol:

I really should try to be a little more civil when posting on here. It's not your fault that your a Cat fan. Sometimes even the nicest of people have bad habits. :wink:


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EWU's Stadium Renovation

Post by eagle1 » Sun May 02, 2004 2:11 pm

"You're right about Bobcat Stadium being better than many in I-AA. Coming from Missoula it is sometimes hard to see that, but I would take your field over EWU's or even UI's Kibbie Dome (if anyone's had the "pleasure" of visiting Moscow you know what I'm talking about)"

Nick-

Are you going to make the trip over to Cheney for the EWU - Montana game? We are in the process of renovating our stadium. The old press box has been demolished to make way for a new one that will contain nine donor suites. The press box will be an elevated structure that one can walk underneath. They are going to add some seating in the north endzone and will eventually add more seating on the visitors side as well as the home side. They will have the capacity to seat 11,000 for the UM game though. We have a ways to go to improve our stadium but eventually it will not be at the bottom of the conference. I personally think that Sac State's stadium is by far the worst and I am not fond of Holt Arena at ISU. I think that MSU's stadium is really nice for a I-AA but they could do some things to finish or improve the atmosphere. We all can't have nor can we afford Washington-Griz. That stadium is far better then many I-A stadiums. Go Eagles!!!



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Nick
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Post by Nick » Sun May 02, 2004 10:49 pm

hokeyfine wrote:nick: are you for or against the school levies. the latest rumor that the ignorant people are spreading is that the school is building a million dollar football stadium....and vote for the two women to the school board, the two guys are religous wackos.
hokeyfine --- Believe it or not I'm actually a student at HHS and the student body's school board representative so naturally I would be for the levies....But it doesn't really reach me on a personal note considering the fact that I'll be out of this community within the next year and a half. We've had this issue really since the new HHS was approved for and finished in 2000....Last year the mill levy passed for the first time but by a very slim margin. Alot of taxpayers feel they've been lied to or cheated, and I can't really speak for either group because I really don't know what the tax increases have been for them. Also they are planning to put a new $50,000 boiler system in the middle school, and many believe that the boiler system was included in the original $13.2 million high school pricetag. I'm not sure if renovations to the old facility were on the ballot or not, so I can't really say.

As far as I know, there are no plans to build a new football facility. I have heard rumors that we will construct a new one in the future, but no stadium of the stature in which you've been told. There is enough uproar over the HHS Booster Club (and donors) paying for a new $18,000 sign in front of the high school (with the scrolling marquee, etc) I can't imagine what kind of uproar this community would be sent in to if someone brought a 1 million dollar football stadium to the table.....The sign alone pissed people off because they saw that as boiler money (not aware that booster club is not responsible for district funding) Haynes Field is a very old facility and in need of some definite restoration, but I think there is too much tradition there for a major change. Dale Berry Court and the gym facility is by far the best of Montana's high schools, but that's about as far ahead of the pack as Hamilton will get.....We just don't have that kind of patience in the community...

In the school board elections, yes, there are two pastors running for a postition. One would be Pastor Cary Monaco.....He led a large protest last year against some of the literature being distributed in our schools.....In particular Maya Angelou's "I know Why the Caged Bird Sings" the effort to ban the book lasted quite a while, but it was thankfully rejected by the school board. If he does make it to the school board, there is an English teacher or two that will for sure be losing their job. He will not allow a "bleeding heart liberal" to "terrorize" the students with "pornography, anti-Christ literature, etc" The other pastor running for a position (name?) came straight out and stated that our English department is run by "Nazis" ......Just when one thinks our small town is growing it is sinking deeper and deeper into a modern-day Mayberry. I am not at all against the conservative individual, but I do feel that students like myself have the right to bear witness to the true American literature canon. And if there is such an outcry every time one of our students opens a copy of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, than so be it. Most of our students are thankfully wise enough to keep an open mind, and a high level of tolerance.

You may have also heard of Darby High School's passing of the "Objective Origins Policy," a ruling that will basically begin the teaching of creation in schools. No matter what your personal beliefs are, I respect them, but I believe this is suicide for the Darby School District. It is against the wishes of many of the students and the possibility of DHS losing it's accreditation is very real.....Monaco and the other pastor school board candidate are obviously in favor of this policy, and they are obviously not the only ones in this valley. I don't see this policy ever going through in Hamilton....

I do not intend to attack these two school board candidates personally, this is just a few rambling words from a junior in one soap opera of a school district. I'm well aware that this post is completely off topic and I've even forgotten that I've been writing this on Bobcat Nation, but since you asked.....I had to rant.....I'm not at all against Conservatives or the hardcore Christian believers.....I respect their opinions completely as well as I hope they respect mine. I am slightly religous myself, I just don't believe in attempting to wash-out the free-thinking minds of my fellow students.......Again, sorry for the rant if anyone read this......This community wears one out........
Last edited by Nick on Sun May 02, 2004 10:54 pm, edited 2 times in total.


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Post by hokeyfine » Mon May 03, 2004 7:43 am

nick: a very nice reply. i strongly encourage you to leave hamilton and montana after you graduate to see the "real" world. when you come back for visits things will look a lot different. a little secret for you.....i graduated from hhs in the early 80's.



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Post by theblackgecko » Mon May 03, 2004 7:52 am

eagle1, Griz fans aren't welcome over in Cheney. That is the spin I get from your AD. They will just take their money elsewhere.
I visited Reno H. Sales stadium (I still call it that too) for the scrimmage this spring. Having spent major time in Missoula, and having seen a big time Autzen stadium in Oregon, these are my comments.
Flags are good. Oregon has paintings of it Pac-10 championships, and those are rather sparse for a 100 year program. Go ahead, put up flags for whatever football championships you can find.
Look into sprintturf. I was a proponent of natural grass, before I saw the wonders of the stuff. It is a long term investment, but saves money in the long run, and prevents injury. It also allows a stadium to get way more use.
The trees in the East endzone are not cool. It is not Athens, and they do not look cool. I can't imagine they would look better after a scorching during the summer. Oh, and the bleachers need something better.
I wouldn't expand until the stadium consistently sells out. While Bozeman is growing, it will still be some time yet before the program attracts 30,000 per game. That is only 5,000 less than OSU of the Pac-10 (although they are expanding).
There is a beautiful view of the Bridgers to the east, but most cannot see it. Is there a way to make that possible? (The view)



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Post by Nick » Mon May 03, 2004 9:36 pm

hokeyfine -- Believe me, that plan has been in my mind for a long time now. It's not that I don't like this area, it's just that this place is so sheltered (some of the people included).....what class in the 80s and where might you be now? I might know of you....

eagle1 -- I enjoy going to Spokane every year for the game but I have to be honest with you, this will be my first official game at Woodward. From what I've seen though, I am glad to hear of the renovations and I realize it's gotta be hard competing with WSU, Idaho, etc.....It also seems to me that Eastern is what UM was in the 1980s.....more of a basketball following than anything else.


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Post by MSU01 » Mon May 03, 2004 10:19 pm

Since when did we have trees in the east endzone? I assume you mean the little bushes... The bushes look fine to me, although if I recall correctly, during games they're hidden behind the significantly less attractive "portable" advertising.

I think that the first priority is to replace the crappy endzone bleachers... whether it leads to an increase in capacity or not (I assume enclosing the entire end would) doesn't matter right now, but it will in the near future as the population of the area grows and the football program continues to improve. There is absolutely no need for a 30,000 seat stadium though... that would be a huge waste of money.



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