New Dome Seats

[yotemeal]

May have already been posted, but I'm feeling too lazy to search it out.....

Just opened a letter I received as a member of the Howling Pack. While we're all anticipating timelines for concrete facility changes, looks like some are on the way! Excerpt from letter dated February 10, 2011:

"This summer, the athletics department is planning to replace all of the seats in the DakotaDome. Sections C, D, E, F, and G will have new chair back seats that will make attending a Coyote football game more comfortable. Sections A, B, H and I will have new bench seating....."

[Yote 53]

So we're losing chair seating in A,B,H,I and replacing that with benches? Why not just take the red plastic seats now in the interior sections and move them over to A,B,H,I?

I don't see how benches are an upgrade for people in those sections (of course my seats are in an area getting the good seats).

Just a suggestion, other than that this is good news.

[pierreyote]

Personally, I like this move. The vast majority of college football stadiums have bench seating. Bench seating allows more seating capacity in the dome. It provides an incentive to fans, if they desire chair-backs, and a related demand to purchase tickets in the chair-back sections. Most stadiums also offer portable chair-backs on the bench seating. If you purchase the portable chair-back option staff will place the chair-back at your assigned seat before you arrive and take it away after the game (another revenue stream). Of course you could always bring your own portable chair back. I was hoping they would go this direction. The footprint of the dome is limited so going to sections of bench seating makes sense. I believe Louisville is the only university owned football stadium in the country that has all chair-back seating.

[usdlaw]

I'll give you the entire scoup when I get a chance to post it. Finally this is public, and will spark some conversation I'm sure. THe new chairs look great. This is a great move. The first step in the process. Also, the new ticket priority is equitable and fair. The conversation will be on the new seating priority created for football games. I'll explain in detail when I get a chance.

FYI Yote 53 - there are not enough red old seats for those areas. In no way were any brown seats staying. This is going to be done right. The old seats mixed in with the new seats would look bad and cheap.

[Yote 53]

Question: Do any domes across the country have bench style seating? Does UNI?

I figured there might not be enough red seats but there are also white seats that would be removed that would also be acceptable. Brown and yellow, agreed, not acceptable.

We already have bench style seats in the upper corners of the Dome where they have been stealing replacements for broken interior seats. The bench look does not look good.

[yotemeal]

Every one of the Dome seats - red, brown, white, yellow, purple, orange, green, blue, pink - either belongs in a bonfire or an airport terminal in a third-world country. I think incorporating the bench seating is the right move from a practical standpoint (increase capacity), and I trust aesthetics won't be sacrificed, i.e., I would be shocked and disappointed to see top-of-the-line chairbacks paired with cheap-looking benches.

[usdlaw]

Ok, I have a few minutes.

The new chairs are slightly larger, which means we will have a few less seats in the middle sections. Not many, probably lose 1 chair for each row. Part of the reason for losing a chair is to HOPEFULLY add handrails. We need those. Too many old people falling.

We don't want to lose seats overall. So in my mind there are several reasons to have bench seats on the end.

1. Make the opposing team sit on bench seats.
2. Someday when the other side is redone, we will need a student section. I HOPE that when the other side is done they will be chair back seats. Student sections are usually better fit for bench style.
3. Make up for loss of seating in middle sections, bench will add capacity.
4. Demand. There will be a higher demand for better seats in the middle sections.
5. at some point down the road we can still take out the bench seats and add chair backs.
6. Cost. There is only so much money.

There was considerable discussion on whether to do just sections D E and F, but the final decision is to do all 5 sections. Keep in mind, with Coyote Landing there are not that many seats in sections H and I.

The other portion of the letter talks about ticket priority. First, you need to join the Howling Pack. Then, your ticket priority will be based upon your giving level. This is how all major institutions do it. The season tickets will be redone for everyone. It is likely you can get your same seats, if that is what you want. But you will have to be at the right giving level of the HP to do it. The minimal donation is White Club - $100. Remember these are just for the priority seating areas. It's not like you can't still get game day tickets. This is for season ticket holders.

So ... you will be basically assigned a priority number. Lets say your donation results in a priority position of 179 out of 2069. That means 178 people get to choose their seat location ahead of you.

The different priority rankings will be advised of a date range in which they have to select seats. I suppose if they are late, then you run the risk that someone with a lower priority ranking will get to pick ahead of you until you call in. Although, I believe you will be able to pick your seats on-line.

I don't have the letter in front of me, but I recall mid May being the cut off date to determine priority ranking for next years football tickets. Of course, you can still donate after May, but you will lose your priority position, meaning if you are late with a donation someone who donates less than you may get to pick ahead of you because you missed the deadline. That make sense.

I know this may affect some people, especially those people who have had seats for20-30 years in the same spot. This change is fair and equitable. Those people can probably get the same seats or close to the same seats, it is just that they will have to join the HP at the right level to do so.

[pierreyote]

Sounds good. I am not a structural engineer nor in control of the bottom line of the dome remodel but I hope they at least consider some endzone seating when they build the connector building to the proposed basketball arena. They could create a lower level of seating in the area that goes x rows high and y feet deep into the connector on the lowest level of such building. They could then move Coyote Landing up to the top level of the same and repurpose the existing Coyote Landing into chairback/bench seating.

[Coyote Fan]

Looks like I better prepare to move from row 6 to about row 28. I will be happy if I have seats where i dont have to worry about brushing up against the dome roof when I get out of my seat. Not enough money to afford howling pack membership just yet.

[usdlaw]

Coyote Fan - there are more seats than current season tickets, so you should be fine. The priority area is sections D E and F. So you should also be fine with your tickets in G, which is where they are right? This move is in anticipation of when ticket sales increase when USD is in the MVFC playing teams like SDSU, NDSU and UNI consistently.

[usdlaw]

PS - when your situation changes I look forward to your joining the HP.

[Yote 53]

Section G will have the chair backs and isn't heavily populated with season ticket holders. Most of the season tickets are in D,E,F hovering around that 50 yard line mark. Personally, I like where I am at in G and prefer it to being in the upper regions around the 50.

I am not worried about being bumped.

[usdlaw]

FYI they are scheduled to begin work on the new seats in June after graduation.

[usdlaw]

I wish I knew how to post pictures on here, but if you get a chance to go into the Dome in the next few weeks it looks a lot different. The old seats are completely gone.