Renovation of the Ice Arena

[Dayons_Den]

I guess I'm going to disagree. Looking at our facilities, I can't honestly see where the administration has really put much backing into our football program.

A trend which seems to be breaking with the construction of the Sebo center. Perhaps the administration is starting to realize that athletics can help further a schools reputation with prospective students.

The Sebo is being completed with all private money. The fact they are building it shows the ATHLETIC administration's committment to the football program but not the U's per se.

If you take a step back and think about it, it is a shame the baseball and softball team have enjoyed so much MAC success (Championships) but do not have a locker room at all or very nice stadiums at all, but the football team which as seen decent MAC improvement and good exposure gets a new facility.

I know the Sebo will benefit all athletes and the exposure the football program has gained generates positives for the entire department and campus but I can see where the building of a Sebo at Perry Stadium would sting a baseball player or coach as they dress in the ice arena or their dorm for a game. . .

[The Niz]

As a current student, I can't actually see where the administration is backing a single thing I do around campus. I go to every sporting event I can make time for, and that is a lot. All of our facilities around campus have a second rate feel to them. Don't get me wrong, the Doyt, Ice Arena, and Anderson are three of my favorites places in the world. However there seems to be a total lack of pride in our programs and facilities. I don't even know what to say about the baseball field other than four teams in my high schools league have more respectable places to play. Even the campus looks second rate. I can't remember the last time I walked out of KAB and said, wow, this place looks great. Everything around looks old and run down. When half the people you know go to places like Ohio, Miami, and Dayton its kind of hard to brag about your school to your friends. I guess what I'm saying is that hockey isn't the only thing in dire need of some attention. The Ice Arena looks the same way everything else on campus looks. I am extremely proud to be a falcon and I wear brown and orange everywhere I can. I just want our dear University to give us a little something more to be proud of. If I was a top hockey player being recruited by OSU, UM, MSU, or BG, I would probably be a little turned off by the appearance of this place alone. especially when compared to campuses like MSU or even Miami. The administration needs a little effort to be put into making BG a campus worth visiting and seeing. In high school I was on a very good baseball team, and our coach always told us "if you look good, you play good", and while I realize this isn't completely true, you get an extreme sense of pride when you look first rate and I think BG could use a real dose of that very soon.

P.S. sorry about the girly rant on bg's cosmetic appeal.

[TG1996]

I can understand the frustration, Niz, but it sounds like you're a great fan. Keep sporting the brown and orange, and even if the buildings stay the same, I guarantee there will be a day down the road where you come back and it feels like home.

As far as the rest goes, I think that, if the chatter around here is any indication, the university is ready for another cycle of development (see: master plan) that is gonna kick some tail!

[always a falcon]

I guess I'm going to disagree. Looking at our facilities, I can't honestly see where the administration has really put much backing into our football program.

A trend which seems to be breaking with the construction of the Sebo center. Perhaps the administration is starting to realize that athletics can help further a schools reputation with prospective students.

The Sebo is being completed with all private money. The fact they are building it shows the ATHLETIC administration's committment to the football program but not the U's per se.

If you take a step back and think about it, it is a shame the baseball and softball team have enjoyed so much MAC success (Championships) but do not have a locker room at all or very nice stadiums at all, but the football team which as seen decent MAC improvement and good exposure gets a new facility.

I know the Sebo will benefit all athletes and the exposure the football program has gained generates positives for the entire department and campus but I can see where the building of a Sebo at Perry Stadium would sting a baseball player or coach as they dress in the ice arena or their dorm for a game. . .

Didn't they just re-do the baseball stadium? I think the softball field looks pretty nice also. Isn't the dressing room for them on the docket to be done? Anyone want to e-mail Paul Krebs and ask?

And as far as the University backing sports, I look at the man the administration has chosen to lead the programs, Paul Krebs. They picked a great person to come here and lead our program. A lot of work is being done to keep him here. I mean what do you want- President Ribeau to carry a sign that says "I support you?"

[BGDrew]

I don't think anyone is saying the U is turning a blind eye to the problems. But, at the same time, it's not like BG has made a strong committment to support athletics monetarily.

[Bleeding Orange]

I'm tired and I will post more later, but before this conversation gets totally out of hand, remember that we are a state university in the State of Ohio. Very few schools in the state have been in a position to build new academic facilities, let alone athletic facilities, because this state has been run by morons who hold higher education outside of Columbus with very little regard. BGSU is in a much better financial situation than most schools because of good administration, and no matter how badly we feel that we deserve newer/better facilities, the administration not spending University dollars on them is a very poor stick with which to measure the state of our athletic facilities. If we were in any other state I would agree with this argument, but it holds very little water in Ohio. Roll along.

[Falcon Fanatic]

If I was a top hockey player being recruited by OSU, UM, MSU, or BG, I would probably be a little turned off by the appearance of this place alone. especially when compared to campuses like MSU or even Miami.

Luckily the top players that ARE picking BG come here because of more than how things looks at first glance. They choose BG because of the coaching staff and the current players telling them how great it is to play for BGSU. I have talked with several of the freshman and they have indicated how much they love it here and feel that they made the right decision to come here. That is also a big credit to how hard our coaches work in recruiting!!!

I can't wait for the Ice Arena feasibility study to come out. Then we will know where we stand financially as far as upgrades and renovations.

GO ICERS!!
SMASH THE TOOTHPASTE!!
SWEEEEEP THE SCHMUCKEYES!!

[BGFan]

If I was a top hockey player being recruited by OSU, UM, MSU, or BG, I would probably be a little turned off by the appearance of this place alone. especially when compared to campuses like MSU or even Miami.

Luckily the top players that ARE picking BG come here because of more than how things looks at first glance. They choose BG because of the coaching staff and the current players telling them how great it is to play for BGSU. I have talked with several of the freshman and they have indicated how much they love it here and feel that they made the right decision to come here. That is also a big credit to how hard our coaches work in recruiting!!!

I can't wait for the Ice Arena feasibility study to come out. Then we will know where we stand financially as far as upgrades and renovations.

GO ICERS!!
SMASH THE TOOTHPASTE!!
SWEEEEEP THE SCHMUCKEYES!!

One more thing to consider about hockey recruits. Most of them played juniors in what many would consider glorified barns. Our arena is a palace (even with the leaks) compared to that. A large number of recruits look past the glitz and see the program and where it's heading to determine where they want to go. It's something to be proud of to return a once great hockey school back to glory and Paluch and company are doing a good job of selling that. Why else would we have two of the top scorers in the nation on our team? Foster is ranked third in the country for crying out loud. We stole a top defenseman from Maine (a hockey east power) who is sitting out this year and will play next year. We're getting the recruits, people. It just takes time.

If you want to know if the administration is backing the program, look at the recruiting budget. Our coaches travel all over the US and Canada recruiting and, my guess is, that budget rivals that of the football program. Hockey is not a cheap sport to fund and if the administration wasn't supporting it, this program would have dropped to DII years ago. Facilities don't tell the whole story about administrative support. It's tough to land the funds to put up or renovate a facility and the majority has to come from private donations. With the presence we have in the NHL I think a major renovation is doable if the powers that be approach it from the right angle.