And So It Begins...
by Zach Bell on Jan 25, 2009 1:22 PM PST
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students pack the old kennel for tickets to the SMC and USD games
After Gonzaga's restful and relaxing vacation in California, the team returns home this week to play two enormous games against St. Mary's on Thursday and San Diego on Saturday. There is no doubt that St. Mary's is the main event but USD sits in a nice position because they could easily take advantage of any sort of Gonzaga hangover from the SMC game.
The Kennel will be rocking as students were up extremely early this morning to get tickets. There have already been a number of tents set up by students hoping to get a good seat. I really hope they allow space heaters for these kids this year because the low tempature in Spokane the next two days is 12 and 14 degrees. It really warms up Tuesday with a piping hot 27 degree low.
St. Mary's has become Gonzaga's biggest rival in the conference and there is no doubt that these two teams are not the best of friends. We're going to have plenty of coverage of the game throughout the week. It's time to make sure St. Mary's knows that they are second place in this conference.
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Man, that's a lot of people waiting in line.
I bet the Kennel Board does an awesome job of putting that together. The only thing that could make it worse would be a policy breach where a student who is not there has his card swiped in front of 1,200 waiting students. You would think if that ever happened the rest of the waiting students would get the same treatmen; or an explanation of why it happened…
Tons of excitement!
There are already 34 tents set up with seven people per tent. This game is already building up to be similar in anticipation to the UW games of old and the WSU game last year. I love it.
yeah i would have liked the board to swipe my card for me.
the kennel board really needs to revamp for next year.
The Old Kennel This Morning.
Was definitely a mess.
I was disappointed on how it got handled.
Where I was… at least 100 people were capable of cutting in front of me, thus lending to me not getting tickets to either game.
Really, really disappointed.
Oh well… GO ZAGS!
Seriously?
The Kennel was a mess this morning. Is it seriously that difficult to put up some tape and maintain the lines? Or numbers?
I’ll be watching on Thursday and Saturday, but it’ll be begrudgingly in front of the TV.
what a joke
the kennel board is. i didnt get a ticket but I could see 500 people who cut in front of me who did. those guys are a lame excuse to get together to get together and drink while they play with each other. c’mon, is it really that difficult to regulate a line. its a big game, put some tape up and if you arent there when youre friends get there…too bad, get in the back of the line with everyone else.
their cheers are awful too. learn to cheer as a group. that ‘what? what? what? what? what?’ chant: seriously? how about ’what? what? what? what? what? what the hell kind of a chant is that?
Pretty classy
Thats a pretty classy post, well done Phillip. I’m sorry you didnt end up getting a ticket, and I agree that there are measures that need to be takin about the cutting situation for those that did not make it into the gym as the original 900 who showed up. The board is always looking for some tips on helping fix the situation. The fact that it takes all 12 of us to regulate all those people going in and out of the gym, because for some reason people can’t sit in a gym for 2 hours. That was regulated very tightly and I can assure you there was no cutting in there. If you have any suggestions for the outside let me know I can bring it up.
As far as the cheers being awful. I myself don’t really like it, but at the same time can you really get that upset with a passionate fan who tries to get some sort of chant going during a game. If its not something laced with profanity and gets some other students involved who want to join in I don’t see much harm there. I’m not running up to everyones seat forcing them to do every chance, so if you don’t like it don’t chant it, problem solved. Again we as the Board love hearing suggestions, so if you got something better let me know.
As far as all we do is drink and play with ourselves. We have weekly meetings that have never had a drop of alcohol, and usually consist of quite a few things to take care of. Sure with Gonzaga being the premier program they are it makes our job easier. Without the Board going out and securing sponsorships for the Kennel Club, then there are no shirts, no bar tabs (sorry if your not 21), we’ve planned a bbq this saturday before the USD game, transportation to the Memphis game from the arena, and not to mention a ton of pizza during all of these ticket distributions, just to name a few things. None of that is possible without our efforts to go out and secure sponsorships that give us the funds to provide these elements of the Kennel Club. Its important to have a group thats willing to sacrifice their time to help make the Kennel Club one of the best student sections in the nation. So bash all you want, but throw some ideas out there if you have some, nothing we do is set in stone and we always take suggestions.
white knight to the rescue...
or not. dont try and defend yourself or the board. there are a lot of people who are upset by the way things have been handled this year (i.e. ticket distribution, bar tabs, student section at the games). ask around, people are talking and no one is listening, there are continually shut out of decision making because it is becoming more and more exclusive.
now i see you like to mock people’s posts as you have with mine…i would like to return the favor to you…
Thats a pretty crappy post, well done Husker. And if you would notice i dont have two ’i’s’ in my name, but nice try. Damn right you are sorry I didnt get a ticket, but sorry doesnt cut it, are you going to tell that to the 1,000 students who were cut in front of? This is not a recent problem, it has been going on for years and there has been nothing done to prevent it. ABSOLUTLY NOTHING! And I’m pretty sure not all 12 people regulate it (maybe when the line starts moving you show people where to go and herd them like Australian cattle ranchers, and since you are Australian cattle ranchers, I guess that makes you a St. Mary’s fan). You want some suggestions: put up barirers, tell people who come in late to meet their friends that they have to wait at the end of the line because if you are not there when they are…TOO BAD, have a counter and as soon as it reaches 1,200 stop letting people in and start swiping. Man, those suggestions were tough to think of, I’m suprised I brianed stormed them overnight and i didnt take me six years like the kennel board.
As far as the cheers being awful, they are. Get over it. There are about 20 people in the front row who do that ‘what what’ chant. If you want to know what the call is, watch the game. And if I cant laced my cheers with profanity, than I’m going to lace my hash with something potent.
As far as you drink and play with yourself. It’s true. It’s a small campus, it gets around. People know people on the board. I also enjoy how you give yourself your own precious bar tab that no one else can touch….that makes sene. Oooo pizza, becaue I’m sure everyone get a piece. Order more, theres an idea. As a matter of fact, take it out of your seperate bar tab that you use. There’s a frickin’ idea.
There is a reason why would put our KC Board email on everything that we send out. If there are problems people want to discuss shoot us an email, were pretty good about getting back to people. I didn’t mean to mock your post, but if someone comes out and says that all you do is drink and play with yourself its hard not to say something.
I understand your frustrated with the cutting from yesterday, I think anyone would be. Realize that when you say that there were 1000’s cut in front of though thats not really accurate. We let in 900 students into the gym. Anything beyond that is considered a fire hazard because the court is being used on the inside. We used to try and get more people in, but we are not able to use the hallway any longer. That was regulated very tightly, including using all 12 of us not just herding people around. We’re meeting about setting up barriers, but its something we need to meet with GU Athleitcs about as well, because it is their building that we use. We also had the idea of creating a number tag system that we can pass out, that you would have to hand to the ticket people to gain a ticket. And if you don’t have one, say a person coming at the very end and just standing with friends, then you won’t get a ticket.
I am a HUGE supporter of letting the first 1200 in, swipe their cards and call it a day. I want that to be very clear, because I think the two hour wait after letting kids in is a little ridiculous. That unfortunately is completely out of our control, thats something you will have to take up with GU Athletics, and trust me we’ve tried.
Definitely the furthest from a St. Mary’s fan as they come, but I think you may be on to something for a good chant on Thursday for the Gaels.
I already said I don’t love the “what,what” chant, I can still usually figure out what the call is.
Ha and as far as the last part think what you want about what we do at our meetings, but we actually don’t drink at all during them and definitely don’t play with ourselves, but it sounds like you know better than I do. Yes that is true we have a small portion that the Kennel Board uses at the bar tabs. Its really not that much I can tell ya that, compared to the HUGE amount we give to everyone else. Supplying pizza to 2000 people is literally impossible, so I don’t really know how to answer that.
Although it sounds like nothing I say is going to change your mind about the KC Board, I hope some of this helps. I’m willing to answer anything else for you, trust me we arent out here to be bad guys at all. I think you would get along really well with everyone on the board, and all of us would be willing to talk with you about your issues with how things are run. Just let me know.
Thanks
Since you brought it up, lets get technical...
First off, since you seem to like to correct people, read your first sentence and eat it. Second, it is very possible 1000 people cut in front of me. Not all of them may have received tickets but it can still happen.
Does your face hurt? Because its about to when I B**** slap you with this idea that is so simple a caveman could do it (but obviously the Kennel Board couldn’t).
You can fit 900 people in the gym. Have a counter and once that reaches 900, close the gym. People can leave but the only way to get back in is to use some sort of collateral (Student ID card would make sense because then they couldnt get their ticket if they didnt have it. No one gets in unless they can prove its their student ID (maybe a second ID like a driver license or credit card to prove it or possibly a special stamp on their hand in case their friend trys to use their credit card to get back in). Now, in the hallway right outside the stairs you can fit 300 people in a line. Have it go back and forth of you need to, but DO NOT streach it across the walkway in front of the other doors, now youre encouraging cutting when you do that. Once you get another 300, close it off and put barriers up so no one can get in or out without using the same ID card method. That’s 1,200 people. I understand not everyone will attend both games (if there are two games) so in that case start a different line upstairs that people will line up for in case some people only choose to attend one game. And let me make it clear that people must leave their student ID to get out. If they want to go get food they should have thought about that before they came. No one gets in either, not even to talk to their friends. Sometimes you need to use some authority which clearly does not apply to the Kennel Board unless they are protecting their bar tab. I’m sure if someone tried to cut into that you would be all over it. I should be on the board, I’m better at this than you are.
There’s my suggestion and since I’m sure you’ll be on here again, use this as my formal proposal to the Kennel Board as a new way of doing things because they way its working right now isn’t working. I’m glad other people on here agree. And by this many complaints, people shouldn’t have to email but rather you should take the responsibility a Kennel Board member is supposed to and report it to your 11 other members. Maybe its time for you to step up and admit some wrong doing because what happened on Sunday was nothing short of embarrassing.
The bottom line is you put yourself higher than every other member but rather every other member should be higher than you. You should not get preferential ticket treatment, you should not get a special bar tap, and trust me, you do nothing important at your meetings that take longer than 10 minutes. I’m not going to name name’s who told me this but its true. And you dont have to admit it but the person who told me has a very close connection to the board.
You are still an Australian cattle rancher who drinks and plays with yourself while watching St. Mary’s basketball . And by your alias, you must be a cornhusker fan. nebraska blows, enjoy an eternity of inbreeding.
Thank You
I really do like your suggestion, in fact we were already doing the first part of it on Sunday, but the second part would be very neccessary. I will present it to the Board next meeting and figure out the best way to make that happen.
dont play with yourself too much at that meeting
you have to present the suggestion.
mphllipzag
why dont you stop complaining and get in line earlier. If you knew about what you were talking about then you would know that they already regulate the entering of the gym after its filled up. You might also be aware that the Martin Center isnt run by the Kennel Board and they dont have the authority to lock down the building. People are entering the Martin Center for the fitness center and other reasons so you cannot just lock down the building and not let people in. I didnt get a ticket to the games either, and I am not too happy about it, but I know its because over a thousand other fans were more enthused and got in line before me.
Don’t be butt hurt about missing out on the game, when tons of students werent able to get tickets. The Board worked hard yesterday and it got to the point where they couldnt control the mass amounts of people that were there. Be classy and grow up.
The KC
It’s been some time since I’ve been on campus, so I can no longer judge for myself how the KC board is run. A few things that might clear up for me exactly what you on the board do and maybe make your work more appreciated on campus:
1) Where does the extra money go? There has to be some…does it pay for charity work around town or does it pay for the board to fly to Vegas for the WCC Tourney? I’d have to imagine that it could do both. Look towards groups like Illinois’ Orange Krush for inspiration if you need help.
2) Obviously some of the group’s members don’t think you’re doing a good job. Does that bother you? If so, can you address their issues? If not, why?
Two things make up the bottom line for me. First, the KC board should never feel ok with getting preferential treatment for tickets just because they “do work” during the season. You all do a lot of work, I get that, but couldn’t the fact that you seem to be using that as a reason to get ahead and make things easier for yourselves be what’s made people annoyed? Second, I tend to agree with HuskerZag’s last point. If you’re not happy with the service being provided, whose fault is that? Either speak with your pocketbooks and stop buying the KC shirts (white GU shirts look just the same on the TV screen) or speak with your Jesuit-educated minds and talk with someone who can get things to change.
Go Zags.
Love to answer your questions
1) Trust me being a broke college student, I would love to have my ticket paid for to Las Vegas, but rest assured none of that extra money is going towards the payment of any of the board members flights or hotels. Yes in fact we do donate money to help out not only school ran organizations but also outside foundations as well. We will be donating money to Dogs After Dark, which is an organization that provides alternative entertainment to those who don’t prefer the bar or party scene. Its is a great organization that is ran by students, and the funding allows for them to have large Zags viewing parties and also after game activities. For this next week we will be supporting the Setons fundraising by purchasing as many muffins as we can out of them to feed some students that have been waiting outside in the cold for this coming week.
Along with these school run organizations, we will also be helping to promote the Soles for Souls foundation which collects shoes to send over seas to those in villages and communities who arent lucky enough to have multiple pairs of shoes sitting in their closets. Along with the shoes that we collect we will also be providing a monetary contribution from the amount that we have made.
2)Of course not having the full support of everyone involved in the Kennel Club will bother us as the Board. Never in my previous post did I say that we were perfect. We understand that out of the nearly 2000 kids that are registered in the KC, there will be some who disagree with how we run it. There has already been a meeting about how to enforce policies on cutting in line that is outside the gym of 900 on ticket distribution days. As I’ve mentioned before I would love to use this forum as a way to gain suggestions from those that are unhappy. In no way is the Board above any other great fan in the KC, and all were here to do is get some of the dirty work out of the way to ensure that the KC stay on top as one of the best student sections in the country.
As far as getting preferential treatment for tickets, I’m really not sure how else to do it honestly. Considering during the entire time of ticket distribution the Board is around making sure things are getting done to make sure the process is as smooth as possible. If we are doing this its impossible to stand in line at the same time. Where we sit during the games is something that has been there since the KC board was formed. The first 12 seats on the right side are KC Board and the first 12 seats on the left side are the Gonzaga Student Body Association Board. Its how its always been and most likely will continue to be, so I can’t really do much to change that.
I understand the questions and would love to answer any more if people have them. The Board is around to help you guys/girls as fans, because we have some of the best ones around.
Explanations
If you guys on the board feel ok with the way things are being handled, that’s great. But when you say “Its how its always been and most likely will continue to be, so I can’t really do much to change,” you’re doing a disservice to the club as a whole. You guys should never think that things are “unchangable,” because they aren’t. If you think it’s a problem, do something about it.
And, in my day, the KC board paid for their own way to the conference tourneys and were unapologetic about it. If things have changed in that department, that’s great. As well, kudos on the community work. That’s a good thing and maybe doing more public relations to go along with the community relations would go a long way to improving how people think about the KC board. Perhaps doing more to invite the KC as a whole (and the Kennel crowd too, for that matter) to participate would make them feel like they’re a part of it. Also, it would be hard for people to be upset with you if that was the case.
I’m sorry if there was a misunderstanding, but everyone on the KC Board have paid their entire way to the tournament, and I agree we should. I think that is a great idea to do more good community work that the KC can be a part of. The Soles for Souls is just the first one. We are in the process of reaching a few others, but yes great suggestion.
Tough Crowd
Man, I thought students appreciated the Kennel Club and the KC volunteers. Seems like not everybody has a warm heart for some fellwo students who spend their own time volunteering for an organizaiton they are passionate about.
I’m sure most of the other WCC schools wish they had the same enthusiastic student body where students are bashing each other because they didn’t get game tickets. It is simply the result of putting a first class product on the basketball floor and in the stands.
KC Board — be proud of what you do.
My $0.02.
BullDad
Oh yeah: The WCC Tourney airline tickets and game tickets were paid for by the student, not by some donation to the Board. Trust me, I know.
The Kennel Board
should be appreciative of what its club members do. If it was the opposite we get the situation that we are in now and they begin to think they are better and deserve tickets before anyone else and special bar tabs. It is a volunteer position…understant that…A VOLUNTEER POSITION! Once you get that through your head you’ll understand where other students are coming from.
Damn right we can bash when we dont get tickets because of an injustice caused by the Kennel Board. When you are content with something, you have failed….and thats exactly what the Kennel Board has done with ticket distribution.
That's tired...
Saying that other schools would love to have what GU has is tired out. Just because every other school would love to have the KC and its board doesn’t mean that it’s as good as it can be.
by LR on Jan 26, 2009 4:12 PM PST up reply actions
Our TSSF boys
is there anyways to get our boys from the TSSF tickets and special access like a press pass? I’d like to see some behind the scenes stories. I think Buff and Everyday deserve a little something for their hard work.
MJR
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