Student Tailgating, Yes. Next, Bring Back the Marching Band Tradition.

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JOHN4254

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It is great to see the University follow-up on Coach K's recommendation to do more for the students on football game days, with the establishment of the student tailgating area. Coach K also stated on the Sports Huddle that we needed to bring back some of the old football traditions from the days of Memorial Stadium. One of my very favorite traditions was the spectacle of the University Of Minnesota Marching Band parading down University Avenue and marching into the football stadium with University Avenue lined with thousands of Gopher football fans. I still remeber my first Gopher football game in 1960 as a sixteen year old. Seeing and hearing the marching band play the Rouser and the Minneosta March made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. This never failed to happen for the next 22 years until the Gophers abandoned Memorial Stadium.

Let's bring back this tradition, Coach K, and don't let the University Administration tell you that they can't close off University Avenue for 15 minutes. Hogwash! There are more alternative streets around U. Ave. than there ever were back in the day. GO GOPHERS!
 

I would expect with the closure of Washington Ave for light rail that we will not see the band going down University Avenue any time in the near future.
 

Yup. They would have to reroute traffic so it would only come from the east.
 

I'd like to see that come back. But it would involve closing the street for more than 15 minutes. It may have to wait until after the light rail is finished.
 



RodentRampage said:
I'd like to see that come back. But it would involve closing the street for more than 15 minutes. It may have to wait until after the light rail is finished.
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Any reason you think it would need to wait? Traffic isn't going to get much better since Washington will be public transpo only. Unless you're thinking they will need to see exactly how game day traffic is affected by the loss of Wash and the addition of LRT (which would make sense).
 

JOHN4254 said:
Let's bring back this tradition, Coach K, and don't let the University Administration tell you that they can't close off University Avenue for 15 minutes. Hogwash! There are more alternative streets around U. Ave. than there ever were back in the day. GO GOPHERS!
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I'd love to see this happen but logistically it keeps getting harder and harder to pull it off on University. Take a look at this map of gameday traffic flow: http://stadium.gophersports.com/docs/IngressWebMap.pdf
Even if the band starts marching just after Church Street (required to allow people parking in the Church Street Ramp access) you'd still be cutting off access to the University Ave Ramp (the entrances/exits are both on Univ Ave only). That's a high donation level ramp and as a result that's the primary roadblock. There are some other parking related downsides (parking in C51 and C12 and some of the lots near TCF would be slightly more difficult to access) but completely cutting off access to the University Ave Ramp would be the big one. Is there a way to make that work? Probably. But I wouldn't hold my breath.

Honestly, if folks want the band to march towards the stadium again Rupert's idea of finding a new location is probably the only way it happens.
 





How about people start to show up to the Plaza show and march around at every home game before they do anything bigger.
 

Somehow the OSU band was given permission to march toward the plaza last Fall. Not sure of their exact route.

I know that was a one time deal but it must have disrupted traffic for a few minutes.

Being totally uniformed of the logistics, I would guess the UM and Mps would make it happen if they had the resolve. The path of least resistance is just to say no.
 

The University inquired about doing the band down University when they brought football back to campus. The police/City of Minneapolis said no.
 

Spin Your Head said:
How about people start to show up to the Plaza show and march around at every home game before they do anything bigger.
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Exactly, the band already does the next best thing to marching down University. They have a pre-game concert right on the plaza, with loud speaker and introductions and everything. About 124 people show up to watch it. Maybe when we can get that number up to 1000, we can start petitioning the city of MSP to let them shut down the main thoroughfare into the stadium village area.
 



Um, why don't they just march down the Scholars Walk? It's basically a perfect compromise. It runs right through the heart of campus, from the mall to the alumni center. There is room for people to watch, and it doesn't block traffic. Stop and play on the Mall, march down the Scholars Walk, stop and play on at the alumni center, march around the stadium, play in the plaza, done.

There, start sending some emails and we can all stop complaining.
 

An Inside Perspective

As a longtime and now former member of the UMMB, I have a very clear picture of some of the logistical issues that go into the various ideas. There are other problems on our end of things that go with the University Ave. March. Consider the strain that would be put on the students with a longer march. The stadium is further away from the best logistical place to start the march Church Street. This means that the students have much further to go to get around the back of the stadium and into the tunnel. After only a short time to rest and reset for pregame, the students would then be marching a longer and much more challenging pregame show than what the used to march in the days of memorial stadium. (If you poll the band, not a single person would vote to shorten pregame for a parade.) On top of that, the students would have to walk from the stadium, up to Church Street, and then march to TCF. Not only is this even more work, but then the band has that awkward experience of walking around out in public, in uniform, not marching as a group. This has the appearance of being disorganized. Before someone suggests busing, it costs about $5000 to bus the band anywhere on campus connectors, even more on coaches which the band and the University do not have the money for.

Right now our best option is the Gopher Victory Walk and Plaza Performance that we do before each and every home game. The more people out there before a game, the more fun the event is for everybody.

I don't mean for this to sound like an angry rant, so I apologize if it comes off that way. I felt that maybe an inside view could help clarify some of these issues.
 

I would suggest marching down the street in front of Marriucci. The street is closed off anyway for the team buses. We used to watch the band performances at the dome, but the current and previous locations near TCF do not work well for the pre game shows. I also get frustrated with the Band Directors attempt at humor and cheerleader. Let the band play, that
s why people attend (or used to).
 

Spin Your Head said:
How about people start to show up to the Plaza show and march around at every home game before they do anything bigger.
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Attendance seemed much better when the band played one hour before KO outside of the Chippewa County sign two years ago. I think they changed it to the plaza and two hours before KO last year. I think it was an hour at the dame as well and was pretty well attended.

And improved gameday experience has to focus on the needs of the fans. Having the plaza show one hour before KO will help that a lot.
 

GoldenGopherSax~
Thanks for the "insider" feedback. You're not the first current or former bandmember (who recently left the band) to share similar thoughts and similar explanations. It's good to hear from the folks who will/would have been directly affected by any change.
 

GoldenGopherSax said:
As a longtime and now former member of the UMMB, I have a very clear picture of some of the logistical issues that go into the various ideas...
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Thanks, GoldenGopherSax for the insight. I think a lot of people overlook the fact that the original march down university was done out of necessity as much as pageantry. The band had to get from their staging area/headquarters in Northrup to the stadium a few blocks away down University. So you might as well march there. Now, the band is headquartered right at the stadium so any march to the stadium would be purely ornamental.

I'm jealous of old timer Gopher fans that got to experience the march down University. It must have been amazing. As much as anybody else, I was really looking forward to them bringing it back when the stadium was first approved and we were essentially promised that it would be revived. But now that I have seen the logistics of the new stadium and the game day flow I have come to accept that it really isn't feasible.

Instead, I wouldn't mind seeing some new band traditions started. For example, I tailgate in the West Bank lots. I'm sure it would be very well received if a small pep band of 15-20 would show up and play a few school songs a couple of hours before kickoff. I'm sure there are other ideas floating out there as well.

HopHead
a.k.a Mike
U of M Tuba, 1989-1991
 

New Band Traditions

How about also taking a road trip during the year. Sorry to keep bringing this up but I am pretty sure we are the only Big 10 Band NOT to take a trip to a road conference game. I was in the band 1967-1971 and the road trips and the march down University Ave were HUGE. I wish they'd figure out a way to do something similar, understanding that the band now makes its home in the stadium, maybe they could march West on 4th Street and back to the stadium on University Ave. I also know that they are fighting the city in terms of shutting down those streets. I've been to every Big 10 Stadium and the "Skull Session" at OSU is probably the best I've seen in terms of a band doing a pre-game pep rally and it's followed by a march to the stadium. Wisconsin does theirs at their Student Union (the one closest to Camp Randall) and then they march over to the stadium. Both are very well attended.
 

go4rob said:
How about also taking a road trip during the year. Sorry to keep bringing this up but I am pretty sure we are the only Big 10 Band NOT to take a trip to a road conference game.
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$$$$. Solve that and you get us 95% of the way there.
 

Gopher07 said:
$$$$. Solve that and you get us 95% of the way there.
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The Ohio State band rode busses for 14 hours, probably stayed one night in a hotel, played at the game, then promptly drove right back to Ohio.

I do not know how it could be that expensive to get the band 250 miles to Madison or Iowa City every year. I am really tired of the excuses. Chicago, Lincoln, and Champaign are not that difficult either.
 

oak_street1981 said:
The Ohio State band rode busses for 14 hours, probably stayed one night in a hotel, played at the game, then promptly drove right back to Ohio.

I do not know how it could be that expensive to get the band 250 miles to Madison or Iowa City every year. I am really tired of the excuses. Chicago, Lincoln, and Champaign are not that difficult either.
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It would be north of $100,000 for any trip. Raise the money, or help come up with ideas to do so. Better yet, buy CDs, attend the indoor concert, order apparel: https://www.foundation.umn.edu/pls/dmsn/online_giving.frames_broker?owner=MBND, and donate to the band here: https://www.foundation.umn.edu/pls/dmsn/online_giving.frames_broker?owner=MBND. I'm tired of the excuses too. If our band had HALF the support of Ohio State's we'd go on at least a trip every year.
 

Gopher07 said:
$$$$. Solve that and you get us 95% of the way there.
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Every other band has to get the money as well....do they get more from the Athletic Dept? I know we are not pulling in the same revenue as OSU, MICHIGAN, PSU, etc...but heck if NW and Indiana can do it, why can't we? I think the band kids have enough on their plate and don't need to be doing fund raising for this type of trip. I go to the indoor concerts and buy cd's but that ain't gonna raise $100K I don't think. I think it's going to be up to the A.D. and the new President but somebody fromt he band program and the A.D. needs to start pushing for this. I don't hear anything from them when I email them, other than the usual $$ excueses, which evidently apply ONLY to MN and not to all the other Big 10 schools.
 

Whether this is off topic, or illustrative you be the judge. We cannot because of the light rail, the crowds, the parking, et al. Set the way back for January 1, 1961. Or any January 1st from 1953 to 1970Pasadena, California. Colorado Boulevard. You have watched the parade, but did you realize the Parade route crosses the Santa Fe Railroad tracks? And the Super Chief was scheduled to arrive at 7:30 AM. The train was always on time, but it was the duty of the Trainsmaster to be in the cab making sure they cleared Colorado Boulevard not encumbering or delaying the Parade. They still clear Colorado Boulevard, the BNSF works with the Tournement Comittee.

The light rail will avail a lot of fans the way to go the game, reducing the parking. If you are coming from Big Lake, Bloomington, or Saint Paul the light rail will be the way to get there. And for those stuck in the it cannot be done, change your focus and get it done.
 

husker70 said:
Whether this is off topic, or illustrative you be the judge. We cannot because of the light rail, the crowds, the parking, et al. Set the way back for January 1, 1961. Or any January 1st from 1953 to 1970Pasadena, California. Colorado Boulevard. You have watch the parade, but did you realize the Parade route crosses the Santa Fe Railroad tracks? And the Super Chief was scheduled to arrive at 7:30 AM. The train was always on time, but it was the duty of the Trainsmaster to be in the cab making sure they cleared Colorado Boulevard not encumbering or delaying the Parade. They still clear Colorado Boulevard, the BNSF works with the Tournement Comittee.

The light rail will avail a lot of fans the way to go the game, reducing the parking. If you are coming from Big Lake, Bloomington, or Saint Paul the light rail will be the way to get there. And for those stuck in the it cannot be done, change your focus and get it done.
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WTF? Am I the only one who doesn't understand anything in this post?
 

go4rob said:
Every other band has to get the money as well....do they get more from the Athletic Dept? I know we are not pulling in the same revenue as OSU, MICHIGAN, PSU, etc...but heck if NW and Indiana can do it, why can't we? I think the band kids have enough on their plate and don't need to be doing fund raising for this type of trip. I go to the indoor concerts and buy cd's but that ain't gonna raise $100K I don't think. I think it's going to be up to the A.D. and the new President but somebody fromt he band program and the A.D. needs to start pushing for this. I don't hear anything from them when I email them, other than the usual $$ excueses, which evidently apply ONLY to MN and not to all the other Big 10 schools.
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Football brought in $14.9Million in profit, higher than illinois, northwestern, indiana and purdue, and just behind wiscy's $16.7Million. The money is there, it's just going towards another boathouse, or maybe the cricket team.
 

go4rob said:
Every other band has to get the money as well....do they get more from the Athletic Dept? I know we are not pulling in the same revenue as OSU, MICHIGAN, PSU, etc...but heck if NW and Indiana can do it, why can't we? I think the band kids have enough on their plate and don't need to be doing fund raising for this type of trip. I go to the indoor concerts and buy cd's but that ain't gonna raise $100K I don't think. I think it's going to be up to the A.D. and the new President but somebody fromt he band program and the A.D. needs to start pushing for this. I don't hear anything from them when I email them, other than the usual $$ excueses, which evidently apply ONLY to MN and not to all the other Big 10 schools.
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it only applies to the U of M because we have a moron of an A.D. who has a hard-on for over-supporting non-revenue sports at the U of M at the expense of the one's that matter the most to both the U of M and the public as a whole. a fool of an A.D. who would rather field 25 varsity men's & women's sports when the only ones who bring in revenue are football, men's basketball and men's hockey.

you want to know where your band road trip money is going/went?? along with money from the overall football, men's basketball and men's hockey programs?? take a look at the non-revenue sports and that is where you will find most of it sitting. money that the football, men's basketball and men's hockey teams brought in themselves. most learned folks would call it classic income redistribution if you were looking at it from a government policy perspective....guessing maturi is a solid liberal democrat.......just teasing......as i don't want to get into political affiliations. :p

i guarantee there could be money available for our band to make at least one road trip per season. but silly, protect the non-revenue sports, A.D. guy would rather make sure the women's rowing team has a nice new multi-million dollar boathouse for a super-niche sport that virtually no one in the big ten...or the country for that matter.....even cares about.

there are non-revenue sports apologists on here who will try to say that i am wrong, but i have a pretty good feeling i am right. it is just another example of football, men's basketball and men's hockey once again being over-leveraged in support of the non-revenue, olympic sports at the U.
 

DMB123 said:
WTF? Am I the only one who doesn't understand anything in this post?
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I understood it clearly enough. He's talking about the arrangements for a parade where they had to get a railroad to coordinate with them to get it done. That's probably more complicated than whatever the U would have to do to march to the stadium. I do think we'll find a way to get the marching band marching, but it may recquire the buzz from Gopher football to get bigger. Get a conference or division championship (or at least a NYD bowl) parlay that buzz into getting the band marching, and don't give it up.
 

Bayfieldgopher said:
Somehow the OSU band was given permission to march toward the plaza last Fall. Not sure of their exact route.

I know that was a one time deal but it must have disrupted traffic for a few minutes.

Being totally uniformed of the logistics, I would guess the UM and Mps would make it happen if they had the resolve. The path of least resistance is just to say no.
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ding, ding, ding. we have a winner! that is generally the preferred approach when large bureaucracies have to interact with each other. just say no......not my problem......blah, blah, blah. it is unfortunate. i hope someday that we have BOTH an AD and a President at the same time who are willing to fight the tough fights and put a little skin in the game when it comes to supporting and fighting for U of M athletics and their success and their support. perhaps we have one in president kaler (too early to tell). but i know we don't have that kind of AD in joel maturi. just a rube trying to fight it out/mail it in until his pension is fully vested and kicks in.
 

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