Tweet
Fargodome & Fan Base
The Fargodome was the brainchild of one or two people in the city....not NDSU. They wanted a civic arena for multiple uses...and they 'used' the Bison to get it passed. It's completely out of the control of NDSU. Personally, I miss Dakota Field a lot. Many of our real fans do. It could have been upgraded easily.
When the dome opened it became the 'social' thing to do...to attend a Bison game. So we had a lot of dressed up people sitting down low in their season ticket seats....clapping and talking. The old Dakota Field fans were there for one reason. The crowd was totally into the nuances of the game...and supporting the Bison. We took out a lot of southern teams during the playoffs there in 20-30 degree weather...or worse...and you could cut the atmosphere with a knife. The ticket prices shot up when the dome opened too.
Improvements made to the Fargodome are done by the city...with a whole lot of politics involved. NDSU and the dome cooperate on some projects to improve the building for games, but it can't be easy. The turf would be a major investment that may be difficult to get done. Maybe with the Bison back in the hunt and the caliber of football that we're used to seeing returning, the political atmosphere will allow for improvement in this area. I agree with your take on the commercialism. But again...it's a city facility that the Bison use. There were a lot of Bison players and coaches that did not want to switch to the dome. It didn't feel like Bison football. We seem to have found a new formula for getting people to the dome.
I dare say that if the dome weren't there we wouldn't have had over 19,000 people at the game last Saturday. We have a new kind of fan that is blending into the fold. Those of us who have enjoyed the NDSU dynasty since the early 60s would like to turn the clock back as far as the stadium.
The NDSU Marching Band has never been strong. One advantage that SDSU has is the number of fieldshow marching bands in the area. High schools in Sioux Falls and surrounding communities get to see The Pride at marching events and games...and Jim McKinney is a DI caliber marching band director. He's a personal friend of mine from my days in Brookings. He's one dynamic dude that literally runs the music department at SDSU. He's very skilled and popular with the kids....and a great recruiter. Works his ass off in many phases. He has an electric personality. Big-time motivator that brings his band to big national events. SDSU is lucky to have him. The long-term director of bands at NDSU really didn't like marching band. He did it because he had to. He's been gone for a while, but it's been really hard to change the attitude. On the average though...high school bands in the Fargo region don't march very much...maybe a parade or two each year. A lot of South Dakota high schools spend August, September, & October totally dedicated to it. So the pool of talent, and the interest, is different. I've always felt that NDSU has needed to hire a pure Marching Band director and invest heavily in equipment and uniforms. It's a sore spot for a lot of people. The focus has always been on the football team, not the band. At SDSU people stick around at the half to watch the Pride. At NDSU it's concession and bathroom time. It hasn't been a priority. We've had the football program.
There is a difference in the two schools in that NDSU is in a small metro area. This affects the crowd. Also, I believe that the dome effects the way that the crowd responds. I agree on many of your points....but it is a totally different venue, and a totally different kind of city.
McKinney is very protective of his band...as he should be. There are jerks in every crowd. There are many high school bands that don't come to the Hobo Days Parade because of the abusive language and flying objects. The Brookings High School Band became accustomed to having damaged equipment and a few bruised attitudes. Flying rocks, cans, bottles, abusive language, bottle caps, and anything imaginable did hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars of damage some years. Guys laying on the ground looking up girls' skirts, walking down the street with their arms around girls' shoulders and making offers for later. So SDSU has its problems in that venue. I know several directors that avoid Hobo Days like the plague. Have you ever wondered why most of the bigger bands in the area don't come to Hobo Days? That's why. I have a significant amount of knowledge about this from my days at BHS. We 'always' had upset young kids after the parade. Tough gig.
Typically, bands don't get much respect in college environments. Alcohol usually has something to do with it.
Jerks are everywhere. Like I said, I would go back to the Dakota Field days in a heartbeat...but we've also found that some of our better recruits have come to NDSU 'because' of the dome. It's a catch-22 that we'll have to live with I guess.
The good news is that the Bison are back, rated number 55 in the GPI poll, ahead of many Big-12 teams, the Miami Hurricanes, and right up there with many major programs. They belong there. Bison football has returned.
I always loved going to Coughlin Alumni Stadium, but it's not exactly a state-of-the-art facility either. Lots to be desired.
The Fargodome was the brainchild of one or two people in the city....not NDSU. They wanted a civic arena for multiple uses...and they 'used' the Bison to get it passed. It's completely out of the control of NDSU. Personally, I miss Dakota Field a lot. Many of our real fans do. It could have been upgraded easily.
When the dome opened it became the 'social' thing to do...to attend a Bison game. So we had a lot of dressed up people sitting down low in their season ticket seats....clapping and talking. The old Dakota Field fans were there for one reason. The crowd was totally into the nuances of the game...and supporting the Bison. We took out a lot of southern teams during the playoffs there in 20-30 degree weather...or worse...and you could cut the atmosphere with a knife. The ticket prices shot up when the dome opened too.
Improvements made to the Fargodome are done by the city...with a whole lot of politics involved. NDSU and the dome cooperate on some projects to improve the building for games, but it can't be easy. The turf would be a major investment that may be difficult to get done. Maybe with the Bison back in the hunt and the caliber of football that we're used to seeing returning, the political atmosphere will allow for improvement in this area. I agree with your take on the commercialism. But again...it's a city facility that the Bison use. There were a lot of Bison players and coaches that did not want to switch to the dome. It didn't feel like Bison football. We seem to have found a new formula for getting people to the dome.
I dare say that if the dome weren't there we wouldn't have had over 19,000 people at the game last Saturday. We have a new kind of fan that is blending into the fold. Those of us who have enjoyed the NDSU dynasty since the early 60s would like to turn the clock back as far as the stadium.
The NDSU Marching Band has never been strong. One advantage that SDSU has is the number of fieldshow marching bands in the area. High schools in Sioux Falls and surrounding communities get to see The Pride at marching events and games...and Jim McKinney is a DI caliber marching band director. He's a personal friend of mine from my days in Brookings. He's one dynamic dude that literally runs the music department at SDSU. He's very skilled and popular with the kids....and a great recruiter. Works his ass off in many phases. He has an electric personality. Big-time motivator that brings his band to big national events. SDSU is lucky to have him. The long-term director of bands at NDSU really didn't like marching band. He did it because he had to. He's been gone for a while, but it's been really hard to change the attitude. On the average though...high school bands in the Fargo region don't march very much...maybe a parade or two each year. A lot of South Dakota high schools spend August, September, & October totally dedicated to it. So the pool of talent, and the interest, is different. I've always felt that NDSU has needed to hire a pure Marching Band director and invest heavily in equipment and uniforms. It's a sore spot for a lot of people. The focus has always been on the football team, not the band. At SDSU people stick around at the half to watch the Pride. At NDSU it's concession and bathroom time. It hasn't been a priority. We've had the football program.
There is a difference in the two schools in that NDSU is in a small metro area. This affects the crowd. Also, I believe that the dome effects the way that the crowd responds. I agree on many of your points....but it is a totally different venue, and a totally different kind of city.
McKinney is very protective of his band...as he should be. There are jerks in every crowd. There are many high school bands that don't come to the Hobo Days Parade because of the abusive language and flying objects. The Brookings High School Band became accustomed to having damaged equipment and a few bruised attitudes. Flying rocks, cans, bottles, abusive language, bottle caps, and anything imaginable did hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars of damage some years. Guys laying on the ground looking up girls' skirts, walking down the street with their arms around girls' shoulders and making offers for later. So SDSU has its problems in that venue. I know several directors that avoid Hobo Days like the plague. Have you ever wondered why most of the bigger bands in the area don't come to Hobo Days? That's why. I have a significant amount of knowledge about this from my days at BHS. We 'always' had upset young kids after the parade. Tough gig.
Typically, bands don't get much respect in college environments. Alcohol usually has something to do with it.
Jerks are everywhere. Like I said, I would go back to the Dakota Field days in a heartbeat...but we've also found that some of our better recruits have come to NDSU 'because' of the dome. It's a catch-22 that we'll have to live with I guess.
The good news is that the Bison are back, rated number 55 in the GPI poll, ahead of many Big-12 teams, the Miami Hurricanes, and right up there with many major programs. They belong there. Bison football has returned.
I always loved going to Coughlin Alumni Stadium, but it's not exactly a state-of-the-art facility either. Lots to be desired.
and the PA announcer was pumping up a Chicago selection, I had to laugh. So did 99.9% of the Jacks fans in my section. I have to say that it was prettty pathetic. If the band director would come up with some better music they might be a little more tolerable. If I am subjected to Chicago followed by the Star Wars theme then I am probably going to opt for a hotdog and a smoke at halftime. Get a new band director and some newer music with some life to it and you just might see more people sticking around at halftime. Just my 2 cents.....
. Its not that I did not know about them, its just getting a little old.
Comment