MBB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[phoenix_rising]

When I win the BIG lottery, I'm building an indoor arena up here that will be able to host football, soccer, baseball, tennis, track, badminton, tiddly-winks and indoor eating contests. Weather will never be a problem again. We'll schedule north vs south competitions 'round the clock. If I build it right, it can be powered by wind and solar (solar, HA!) and the modest fees teams will pay to play will support maintenance.

anyone want to contribute?

[jam8788]

Before the WIAC asks teams to play weekend-style tournaments, they'll probably do what the MWC currently does.  The men and women travel together and play Friday night/Saturday afternoon double headers.  If a team from IL or IA visits Wisconsin, they'll usually play St. Norbert on a Friday and then Lawrence on that Saturday.  If it does get to this point, I doubt it'll last more than a few years though.  The universities will eventually want to go back to the current scheduling system when the economy gets better.  Besides, I don't blame the womens teams for not wanting to share a bus with the men!

[Pioneer Hoops Fan]

Before the WIAC asks teams to play weekend-style tournaments, they'll probably do what the MWC currently does.  The men and women travel together and play Friday night/Saturday afternoon double headers.  If a team from IL or IA visits Wisconsin, they'll usually play St. Norbert on a Friday and then Lawrence on that Saturday.  If it does get to this point, I doubt it'll last more than a few years though.  The universities will eventually want to go back to the current scheduling system when the economy gets better.  Besides, I don't blame the womens teams for not wanting to share a bus with the men!

And vice versa?  Sharing a bus isn't a treat for anyone.  I would both teams would like it back in the real good ole days when two buses were taken.

[wcbsas]

And vice versa?  Sharing a bus isn't a treat for anyone.  I would both teams would like it back in the real good ole days when two buses were taken.

Off topic a bit Pioneer ... do you know who Gard is getting as his assistant ... any news in that regard?  I thought I also heard another batch of recruits were going to be announced.  Any news there?

[bbrady]

Relatively new to the board after being off here for some time and maybe a dumb question, but has there been any talk with cost cutting issues of going to some sort of traveling partner schedule.   Yes, there is an odd number of teams in the WIAC, so don't even know if it's doable, but just a question?

[wizbegs1304]

People also need to be able to grow up and ride the bus together. These people are roughly 18-23 years old. We should be at an age know where everyone can get along. With the economic times we have now, people need to understand.

[chmarx]

To put this all in perspective, UWL's share of the cuts is over $9,000,000.  These modest changes are a small piece of what is being cut.

[badgerwarhawk]

People also need to be able to grow up and ride the bus together. These people are roughly 18-23 years old. We should be at an age know where everyone can get along. With the economic times we have now, people need to understand.

The WW men and women's basketball teams have been riding the bus together for as long as we've had these Saturday doublehitters.  Also every conference team that I've seen come to WW to play a doublehitter has been arriving on a single bus.  The problem isn't so much that they don't get along the bigger issue is that they are on different schedules and one or the other ends up sitting around for a couple extra hours waiting their turn to play.  

Regardless I don't see anything changing in that regard.

[Just Bill]

Friday-Saturday travel partners doesn't really solve the financial problems.  Instead of two single-day bus trips, now you have one two-day bus trip plus hotel expenses.  In the end, it's a wash.

When Saturday doubleheaders were added to the schedule, I believe there was a conference rule that the teams had to share a single bus. (Otherwise, there's no point since there's no cost savings.)  As far as I know that rule is still in place, although I've heard that some schools have broken it in the past.

[Pioneer Hoops Fan]

And vice versa?  Sharing a bus isn't a treat for anyone.  I would both teams would like it back in the real good ole days when two buses were taken.

Off topic a bit Pioneer ... do you know who Gard is getting as his assistant ... any news in that regard?  I thought I also heard another batch of recruits were going to be announced.  Any news there?

Honestly, I haven't really heard anything.  Hopefully we'll know more by our annual golf outing in a few weeks.  He had someone in last week to "interview" for an assistant job, but didn't get to meet him or really find out who it was.

[bbrady]

Do any of the conference teams currently travel with two separate buses?

[UWBadgers]

Do any of the conference teams currently travel with two separate buses?

I believe its against WIAC Conference rules to take multiple buses for away games because it might give a richer school a competitive advantage. The only time one team will take their own bus would be on Wednesday night games when men are away or women home. The guy who said all teams who play on Saturday at Whitewater take two buses might be confused. Buses will frequently drop the men's team off and then take the women's team out to eat and then returns to drop the women off and take the men to eat, or vice versa. This could make it seem like there are two buses. If the WIAC really wanted to save money, they could have double headers on Wednesday nights, first game at 6, second at 8. It will be late for the players on school nights, so you would need Superior/Eau Claire, River Falls/Stout, Oshkosh/Whitewater/Point match ups. So you would have to ask what is more important, the student athlete's education or saving money in a tight economy?

[badgerwarhawk]

If you are referring to my comment I said ....."Also every conference team that I've seen come to WW to play a doublehitter has been arriving on a single bus."

I'm not aware of any conference teams that travel in two buses.   

[John Gleich]

People also need to be able to grow up and ride the bus together. These people are roughly 18-23 years old. We should be at an age know where everyone can get along. With the economic times we have now, people need to understand.

With all due respect, when I played for Point, we had 11 guys 6'5" or taller.  While it may have been inconvenient for the women to ride the bus with us, it was downright uncomfortable for us to ride the bus with them.  Coach buses, as with most of the rest of man's inventions, were not designed for full-sized human beings like ourselves.  If they had been, then it might have been different...

I honestly think that the double header situation is not an improvement financially... I think in the long run it negatively affects the budget.  Let me explain why.

When teams play doubleheaders, the games are played earlier on Saturday, rather than the historical 7 o'clock game time.  This means that games are being played at 3:00 or 5:00, or in some extreme situations, 1:00.  The games are "fighting" against other events that go on during Saturdays for families, and I think this would show itself in the attendance figures for those games.

Also, other than perhaps UWSP (and maybe even there) money is being lost in ticket prices.  Schools don't clear the gym and charge two ticket prices, one for the men's game, one for the women's.  That is eight Saturday games worth of gate prices that the universities are not getting.  

The number of officials remains the same.  That cannot change and thus cannot be "scrimped" on.  The only place that money is being saved is with one bus.  Which I think is $250 (I think I read that somewhere... if it is not, then my apologies!).  If game tickets are $5 (which I believe is on the low end) and FIFTY people come to the game, then the bus is paid for.  6 of the 9 men's teams averaged 568 fans or more at their games.  4 of the women's teams average 500 fans or more.  That's a lot of fans.  It could (and arguably should) be more... but I think that it WOULD be if there weren't games on Saturdays earlier in the day!

I mean, obviously, I'm not able to see the numbers for the cost of the buses and I can't see how much is actually brought in at the gate.  But it seems to me that a later start time, brought about by individual games, would bring in more fans and ultimately pay for itself rather than cost the conference more money.  It will allow the athletes to perform at their best by putting them in the best possible situation to perform and it will be in the natural (and historical) time for a game!

[UWBadgers]

Bus prices are pretty expensive and I think in most cases they are more than $250. On average its $2.50-$3.00 per mile. Plus on overnight trips the school is responsible for providing lodging for the bus driver as well. So a trip from Platteville/Oshkosh/Point/Whitewater to Superior is in the $1,000s for busing alone and that doesn't include hotels or meals for the players.