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Post by ilalum92 on Oct 2, 2023 22:57:07 GMT -5
This was my question exactly! Who was there and were they OH’s? please let it be outsides! and a sprinkle of middles. We don’t need any more middles we have 2,357 on roster and in the coming classes.
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Post by volleyaudience on Oct 3, 2023 0:42:19 GMT -5
Looking for some Illinois can do, won't quit?
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Post by inpaign on Oct 3, 2023 9:26:49 GMT -5
Looking for some Illinois can do, won't quit? The difference between how coordinated and fluid that illini team looked compared to this year has me feeling sad and reminiscing on the good ole' times :/
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Post by bops68 on Oct 3, 2023 9:29:57 GMT -5
The empty seats look terrible when watching on television. They do and we sit right behind the players families, previous years it was always the opposing teams family seating but changed this year. Well the section right next to it which is behind the south side bench was completely empty for the Iowa game. Now this is season ticket holder seating but it was completely empty almost. There was a bunch of students sitting there and the usher came up and filed them all up top. Then more and more students would come to sit there because it was a HUGE section that was empty and she got all hot and shoveled them up to the top. She eventually stood guard over the empty section to prevent people from sitting there. We were well into the first set and later so who cares if we actually get some students close to the court because the season tickets holders were obviously not coming! There was plenty of space there anyway!! I will add some of the students she ended up moving where players from the women's basketball team. Definitely not a good look in my opinion and not a good way to get students to come to a volleyball game especially when the attendance already has not been very good for matches. I man dressed in Illini gear and he had some sort of badge on later came up to talk to her but nothing changed.
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Post by ilalum92 on Oct 3, 2023 12:34:40 GMT -5
Looking for some Illinois can do, won't quit? The difference between how coordinated and fluid that illini team looked compared to this year has me feeling sad and reminiscing on the good ole' times :/ with our current team, that rally would have ended early.
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Post by oldmanvb on Oct 3, 2023 12:50:04 GMT -5
I live 90 minutes from Huff. One of the reasons I rarely attend games in person is because the non-season ticket holder seats are so terrible. I would be willing to pay a premium to sit in one of the empty season ticket holder seats. I recall a discussion I once had with a woman usher not unlike the one described. Not a pleasant experience. She doesn’t limit her rudeness to easily bullied students. I won’t go back until Huff dynamics somehow change. Until then I am limited to spring and exhibition matches, all of which I attend.
As I have said before, Huff is great for the season ticket holders. Not so much for anyone else. The greatly trumpeted “Huff advantage” won’t mean much when there are so many empty seats near the court.
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Post by gurnee50 on Oct 3, 2023 13:01:40 GMT -5
Poor behavior by athletic department employees towards fans has been a staple of Illini events in Champaign since I was a student in the '70s. Maybe it's something in the water. From the people selling tickets to the ushers, it was like they were annoyed if any fans bought tickets or even made it to the game - because then they had to work. Josh finally hired an outside firm to run the home football games this year, that's how screwed up the "fan experience" was at Memorial Stadium. What does that tell you about our athletic department?
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c
Freshman
Posts: 90
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Post by c on Oct 3, 2023 14:02:21 GMT -5
Love it
Dating myself, but the matches were at Kenney Gym when I was an undergrad.
Later, I took my kids to matches in Huff, and loved the interaction with the team and fans. My older son played in high school and practiced in a t-shirt signed by the whole Illini team years earlier.
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Post by northwoods on Oct 3, 2023 14:09:53 GMT -5
Poor behavior by athletic department employees towards fans has been a staple of Illini events in Champaign since I was a student in the '70s. Maybe it's something in the water. From the people selling tickets to the ushers, it was like they were annoyed if any fans bought tickets or even made it to the game - because then they had to work. Josh finally hired an outside firm to run the home football games this year, that's how screwed up the "fan experience" was at Memorial Stadium. What does that tell you about our athletic department? They are all Illinois state employees…..I have come to expect the old Department of Motor Vehicles experience at Illini events. Last time at Huff I had a match long stare-off scowl-fest with some usher who had been appointed mask Czar for our section.
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Post by exit237a on Oct 3, 2023 21:59:14 GMT -5
I'm among the people that hate the reserved seat enforcement policy but the folks working the events as ushers are just doing their job. They've got a crappy policy someone way higher up came up with and the superiors probably make enforcing it a major point of emphasis for the ushers. That aspect of their job probably sucks, having to engage in confrontations every shift or even just the anticipation of potential confrontations.
Maybe we need to circulate a petition among people that have reserved seats to get the policy changed. I personally think any open seat after the first set should be open for GA folks to occupy. If the person whose seat it is arrives sometime after the first set they can still bounce the GA squatter from the seat. I'd think that's a fine deal for everyone involved including the players. Have to imagine it's more exciting playing with a full lower bowl with everyone so close to the action.
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Post by Hawk Attack on Oct 3, 2023 23:56:06 GMT -5
Looking for some Illinois can do, won't quit? This is my favorite Illinois point of all time.
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Post by pointillinois on Oct 4, 2023 5:55:44 GMT -5
I'm among the people that hate the reserved seat enforcement policy but the folks working the events as ushers are just doing their job. They've got a crappy policy someone way higher up came up with and the superiors probably make enforcing it a major point of emphasis for the ushers. That aspect of their job probably sucks, having to engage in confrontations every shift or even just the anticipation of potential confrontations.
Maybe we need to circulate a petition among people that have reserved seats to get the policy changed. I personally think any open seat after the first set should be open for GA folks to occupy. If the person whose seat it is arrives sometime after the first set they can still bounce the GA squatter from the seat. I'd think that's a fine deal for everyone involved including the players. Have to imagine it's more exciting playing with a full lower bowl with everyone so close to the action.
I think your policy of opening seats after set 1 is a really good idea. I'm a season ticket holder in the reserved area, so I've witnessed everything that's been said. I'll note, one of the perks of paying for and having an assigned seat is not having to get there super early like folks in General Admission. Yes, the sections look empty 30 minutes before the match, but in general, the seats fill-in, at least in our section. However, I agree that if the people aren't there by the end of the first set, they usually are not coming to the match.
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Post by inpaign on Oct 4, 2023 8:31:43 GMT -5
I've been going to Illini vball games for quite awhile and have never had a problem with the ushers...until this year. We have pretty good seats - very close to the court, but at a game a few weeks ago a friend was higher up in the reserved seating area, right below the general admission. There were TONS of open seats around her, the section was probably 30-40% full and I just wanted to sit by her for a set (the third set!) and catch up. We sat, an usher approached us and told us we had to move. After explaining to her my reasoning, she told us we were fine for a bit especially since no one was sitting there. 3 minutes later she came back and told us we had to go and we were forced to move. I totally get she was doing her job but I was shocked that even the empty seats are being protected that late into a match. They need to allow fans to come closer and fill in seats closer to the court for a greater home court advantage! Just my two cents
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Post by pointillinois on Oct 4, 2023 9:04:20 GMT -5
I've been going to Illini vball games for quite awhile and have never had a problem with the ushers...until this year. We have pretty good seats - very close to the court, but at a game a few weeks ago a friend was higher up in the reserved seating area, right below the general admission. There were TONS of open seats around her, the section was probably 30-40% full and I just wanted to sit by her for a set (the third set!) and catch up. We sat, an usher approached us and told us we had to move. After explaining to her my reasoning, she told us we were fine for a bit especially since no one was sitting there. 3 minutes later she came back and told us we had to go and we were forced to move. I totally get she was doing her job but I was shocked that even the empty seats are being protected that late into a match. They need to allow fans to come closer and fill in seats closer to the court for a greater home court advantage! Just my two cents The 3rd set!?!? Yeah, at that point why bother enforcing seating. Our section attendant is pretty militant up to the start of the match, but seems to settle down once things are going.
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Post by oldmanvb on Oct 4, 2023 13:30:52 GMT -5
How about some sort of a “clearing house” for season ticket holders who aren’t going to use their seats. Let them inform the ticket office the seats will be empty, then the ticket office can sell them at general admission rates immediately before the match to folks who would otherwise be purchasing general admission. Put the proceeds into an NIL fund to help subsidize an OH.
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