Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Re: [gatortalk] Re: [gatornews] Live Life in The Swamp

Parking doesn't really bother me, people who pay more deserve more....but when the Gators were good and the economy was good, like in 2006-2008, a bunch of Johnny-come-latelys threw down a bunch of money and jumped to the front of the line and long time season tickets were not given enough credit for loyalty, IMO...
 
In particular, in 2008 the Athletic Dept. sent out a notice saying if your points were not above a certain level, don't bother ordering SEC and NC title game tickets. I wasn't even close to qualifying for either game, yet, I had not such issues in 2006 or any other prior year.....
 
The radio broadcast delay issue, really, really, really, one more time really seemed petty to me, here they ask Boosters to pay up with big donations, yet they wanted to nickel and dime you with having to buy their radio to listen to the games while in the stadium...REALLY STUPID...
 
While I'm ranting, a couple of the other smaller issues....some didn't affect me personally but friends did get impacted.
 
At Little Hall over by Tigert, a bunch of people were using the outdoor electrical outlets for their satellite setup, the UPD would come by and without warning unplug everyone, warning that tickets were coming in the future for stealing electricity....so now the same people went out and bought small portable gas powered generators, so which is more dangerous, drunks messing with gasoline or using University electricity..??
 
Smoking was a problem until some of the Bull Gators got it put down. A Bull Gator friend of mine, parks at the track, he was informed that tickets might get issued for public smoking on campus, he was like me, if he got a ticket for smoking a cigar while tailgating the $15,000/yearly donation was stopping.
 
Then I heard from people who park in the neighborhoods behind the Swamp Restaurant, that the city of Gainesville was requiring business licenses for anyone selling their yards as tailgate spots, the reason given was complaints about traffic in the neighborhood on game day....I thought how stupid, for how long have UF football games been played ?? You buy a house near the stadium and complain about traffic on game days, SERIOUSLY....The figure I saw wasn't cheap like $500 for a license to sell parking spaces on your private own property......
 
I was like screw it, I'll ice down my own beer, grill my own steaks, watch the games on my own Gigantic HD TV and swim in my own pool on particularly hot days...etc...and save a bunch of money in the process.
 
Stephen Manuel


From: Woody <gatorrrrrr@gmail.com>
To: gatortalk@googlegroups.com
Sent: Wed, April 11, 2012 12:57:43 PM
Subject: Re: [gatortalk] Re: [gatornews] Live Life in The Swamp

The one thing that aggravates me.. is you have to be at a certain contribution level to get a parking pass... then Ill walk by some of the parking (especially the main parking by the stadium) and see one parking spot after another open and not even close to being full.    Flavet field?  Fills up.. but not full. 



On Wed, Apr 11, 2012 at 12:14 PM, Stephen Manuel <srmanuel@bellsouth.net> wrote:

After 30 years I did not renew mine this year, I got several phone calls, emails, etc from the Athletic Dept. reminding me that I was nearing the deadline. They even said I could extend the deadline if didn't have the money right then.....

 

It was about the amount of money versus what I received in return, plus a number of rules the AD, University and City of Gainesville put thru really bothered me.

 

I didn't consider the won/loss record when deciding not to renew, because I've been thru Charlie Pell, then Galen Hall and have seen some average at best UF teams during my 30 years.

 

Age and Lifestyle changes had relegated us to only a couple of games each year, the wife and I didn't like the 12 noon early season games, when I can sit in my pool, drink my own beer and watch the game in glorious HD, in most cases.

 

Plus over the years several things the Athletic Dept. did really pissed me off, for example the whole drinking on campus thing almost got me to never go back to G'ville for a game, a couple of years ago, a UPD officer approached our tailgate spot, I was sitting in a chair, with a finished bottle of beer in a coozie, he asked if that was a beer bottle, I replied yes, the officer then asked for identification, I gave him my driver's license, he went to this squad car and when he returned, he said I was in the computer and he was giving me a warning, the next time I would be getting a notice to appear….I held my temper, but I was furious….

 

Then my wife was really mad when the Athletic Dept went to the delay on radio broadcasts, requiring someone to buy their radio in order to listen to the game as it was happening. I know they have changed this, but it really bothered her.

 

Then I lost all my privileges, starting in 2008, I couldn't get tickets to FSU, SEC title game, NC title game, I had NEVER been denied tickets for any game including road games, SEC and NC title game in the past. I had to ask myself, when $4000/year isn't getting me anything plus I am not going to every game, should I continue to fork over the cash.

 

A few other smaller things bothered me but all combined together  I said forget the season tickets, I will still go to games, just not every game, when I do go to games, I will pay scalper prices and get the best seat I can, for example I plan on sitting in club seats for the UF/UGA game….

 

 

Stephen Manuel


 


From: Darlene Goodfellow <goodfellow4@earthlink.net>
To: gatortalk@googlegroups.com
Sent: Wed, April 11, 2012 10:58:11 AM
Subject: RE: [gatortalk] Re: [gatornews] Live Life in The Swamp

I'm sure the Athletic Dept. will adjust if there are a lot of tickets available. When we first became season ticket holders, there was a program for new boosters where you only paid half of the booster donation the first three years (they also moved you all over the place and the first year's tickets were behind the NE goal so we had a partially-obstructed view (the second year, we sat beneath SEZ chairbacks and when it rained it poured on my head – I was pregnant with my daughter that year! Also, the redshirts walked right by us to get their halftime meals – we were convinced that skinny redshirt QB Shane Matthews would never play a down).  The third year they moved us up to what became our permanent seats.

 

A lot of my daughter's friends will be interested once they get permanent jobs and settled in their careers. She just thought it was a great opportunity to get in and possibly even sit next to us, if the team and economy both continue to improve, it might be a tougher ticket in a year or two.

 

From: gatortalk@googlegroups.com [mailto:gatortalk@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Helen Huntley
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 10:49 AM
To: gatortalk@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [gatortalk] Re: [gatornews] Live Life in The Swamp

 

Several people who used to sit near us did not renew last season. Aging/health issues have always been a major reason people don't renew--In most cases, you have to be able to walk a pretty good distance, climb up and down stairs and tolerate the heat, not to mention the long drives to and from Gainesville for many. In fact, we have our tickets because we took them over from my husband's father. There always have been some people who don't go to the games but renew anyway and give away or sell their tickets. One thing that's different now is that the prices are a lot higher when you include the Booster fees. The result is that it doesn't seem worth it to hang onto the tickets if it's difficult for you to attend. Plus TVs get better and better and that couch is really comfortable. If new season ticket holders don't replace all those who failed to renew, you end up with more single tickets available, which creates even less incentive for people to renew. And then there are the expectations for the team...

Of course these issues affect most sports teams that try to sell season tickets. It's not unique to the Gators. 

 



 

On Wed, Apr 11, 2012 at 10:26 AM, Darlene Goodfellow <goodfellow4@earthlink.net> wrote:

My daughter ordered season tickets for the first time as an alumni and we are very hopeful she will be seated next to us. We heard that both pairs next to us were not being renewed, so when she ordered she called and requested to be placed in either one of the seats if available. They indicated there was a good chance they could accommodate her request, unless someone with higher priority specifically requested the seats (not likely as we are two rows from the top of the SEZ). We are keeping our fingers crossed it works out. Those two pairs of seats, BTW, have been held by the same boosters for well over 20 years, but in both cases it seems like they are getting older and in not that great a health. End of an era for us, we spent all of the 90s until now watching games with these same people.

 

From: gatortalk@googlegroups.com [mailto:gatortalk@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Sandy Alonso
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 10:20 AM
To: gatortalk@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [gatortalk] Re: [gatornews] Live Life in The Swamp

 

Yeah, I think the season tix aren't selling like before.  When I called a few weeks ago to buy single-game tickets to Gator baseball, they box office asked for my account number and noticed I hadn't renewed my football tickets yet.  I said, "Yeah, I just hadn't gotten online..." and before I could finish, the rep responded brightly, "Oh, I can do all that for you right now!"

I guarantee you that 5 years ago they wouldn't have bothered to remind me.

On Wed, Apr 11, 2012 at 9:30 AM, Woody Bass <gatorrrrrr@gmail.com> wrote:

Me thinks there will be lots of empty seats this fall

Woody (via iPhone)


On Apr 11, 2012, at 8:29 AM, Shane Ford <goufgators@bellsouth.net> wrote:

RUH-ROH, SHAGGY!

 

From: Woody Bass <gatorrrrrr@gmail.com>
To: gatortalk@googlegroups.com
Cc: GatorNews <gatornews@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Tue, April 10, 2012 6:08:36 PM
Subject: Re: [gatornews] Live Life in The Swamp

Huh?  These had to be paid up last month. 

Woody (via iPhone)


On Apr 10, 2012, at 6:57 PM, Art Wroble <artwroble@yahoo.com> wrote:

View in a browser

We all know there's nothing like the feeling of being at The Swamp on Saturdays in the fall; from tailgating with friends, to the Gator Walk, to the band's first note as it takes the field, to the Gator intro video (when the hair on your arms stands up), to kickoff – it's electric.

 

--

 

 

--
GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY!
1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions
2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions
2008 National Football Champions |
Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996),
Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us

--
GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY!
1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions
2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions
2008 National Football Champions |
Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996),
Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us




--

Helen Huntley

www.helenhuntley.com

--
GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY!
1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions
2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions
2008 National Football Champions |
Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996),
Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us

--
GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY!
1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions
2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions
2008 National Football Champions |
Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996),
Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us

--
GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY!
1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions
2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions
2008 National Football Champions |
Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996),
Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us

--
GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY!
1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions
2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions
2008 National Football Champions |
Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996),
Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
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