2011 Final Four

[iwumichigander]

And other hospitality aspects are extended to the teams themselves. Each team is assigned a host family who helps take care of the behind-the-scenes logistics. Many returning schools get quite attached to their host families and request them again in future years.

Good point Pat!  I met two of the host families on IWU's last trip to Salem.  Really nice folks.  And, not just 'show up and be noticed folks either'; worked their fannies off the entire tournament extending themselves not only to the team - players, coaches & support staff -  but to the families & fans, too.  The one host family were multi-year, repeat volunteers whose experience enable them to almost anticipate a need before it came up.  

I watched one pair of team hosts - not once but twice - go out to their car, pull out a duffel bag, search through it and walk back in with the item, or information needed.  And, the second time it was not even for the team they were assigned to!
I later learned this family made a list after each year, adding items to the current year's experience to the prior years to be better prepared for the next year!

[iwumichigander]

And other hospitality aspects are extended to the teams themselves. Each team is assigned a host family who helps take care of the behind-the-scenes logistics. Many returning schools get quite attached to their host families and request them again in future years.

I'll also add those host families get attached to the teams as well and request the team again in future years, too.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

It's not even so much finding a place to go, it's finding a place that can get all the interested and necessary parties together on a bid that ends up being better than the bid Salem puts together every year.

It's just not that common.

[therock]

I have only been to Salem once, and when I went I never investigated Roanoke, so I am willing to recant my earlier judgment about places to dine and sleep. Clearly I made the judgment without sufficient information and have since been appropriately corrected. And I did like Mac N Bob's, and the people in the area were very friendly.

That said, I stand by my judgments concerning the Civic Center itself and Salem's inaccessibility. Bob, I'm curious as to why you say you don't have any solutions for the centrality and accessibility issue and why we have to just suck it up and accept Salem. It seems to me that Calvin is a perfect solution. It's centrally located, big enough to hold any number of fans who would want to come, but intimate enough for a smaller crowd, very near a large airport, has a fan base that would show up even if local teams weren't in the game (I know I would go no matter who was playing), has excellent facilities, has a large number of hotels and restaurants within a 5 minute drive - I just don't see the downside. I'm not saying it's the only place possible, but it's hard for me to imagine a better one and I can't see why posters on this board aren't jumping at it.

If you're worried about Calvin potentially having a homecourt advantage, no need to worry as I don't see them representing the MIAA any time soon.  

Downside = experienced support. I highly doubt Calvin will be able to compete with the level of experienced support (and free man hours at that in the case for many of those folks) offered by the ODAC schools, the ODAC office, and the Rotary Club. How many people in and around Calvin have the multiple years of experience supporting a final four that is as big as the men's basketball Final Four?

Hard to say, but remember that Calvin did host the D3 men's basketball Final Four throughout a good chunk of the 1980s.

Which reemphasizes the point - they don't have experienced support over there. Hosting in the 1980's would be completely different than hosting it now.

Why?

I think the standards have been raised significantly. The D-III Final Four is no longer an on-campus event, the way it was the last time Calvin hosted it. Not to say someone else can't do it, but I don't think the NCAA takes this event back on campus.

Ding ding ding!

[therock]

So I guess what we're saying is that hospitality trumps a location that isn't easily accessible by most causing attendance to suffer? 

The Division III mission statement is focused on the experience of the STUDENT ATHLETE, not the fan. The focus on fan experience is for the D1 folks and the D2s to a lesser degree. Student Athlete comes first and foremost, anyone else after that.

[AO]

So I guess what we're saying is that hospitality trumps a location that isn't easily accessible by most causing attendance to suffer? 

The Division III mission statement is focused on the experience of the STUDENT ATHLETE, not the fan. The focus on fan experience is for the D1 folks and the D2s to a lesser degree. Student Athlete comes first and foremost, anyone else after that.

Ask any student athlete and they'd tell you they want to play in front of a big crowd.  They want family, friends and fans to be able to make it to the game.   From my experience with the NAIA and NCCAA national tournament, I can tell you Salem does not hold a monopoly on very helpful volunteers and hosts.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

AO - your comparision is NAIA and D1 for volunteers and such... and you are probably very right on that... but D3 wise... the womens' tournaments probably prove that finding a dedicated staff and volunteers is not as easy as you think.

[ziggy]

I find it interesting to put this discussion in the context of the projected tournament field geography (Bracketology link in sig). I understand that there is no reason to require that the final four site be centrally located but I can see why Columbus came up as a good location. Based on the map of projected participants, Pittsburgh may be another location that warrants consideration.

[Gregory Sager]

How about the Canton Civic Center? Right size (seats 5,200), and it's right in the geographical sweet spot.

[ziggy]

How about the Canton Civic Center? Right size (seats 5,200), and it's right in the geographical sweet spot.

It looks like a small dumpy version of the Salem Civic Center

[hopefan]

Pittsburgh   -  is the old Pitt Field House still standing  -  ahhh the days of Brian Geneolovich and  Billy Knight at Pitt and a bundle of WPIAL playoff games   - would be wonderful for D3.....

[HopeConvert]

How about the Canton Civic Center? Right size (seats 5,200), and it's right in the geographical sweet spot.

I saw LeBron James play a game there when he was in high school. Not a great venue and kind of dumpy. Not a bad location though, even if there aren't any DIII schools in Canton. Wooster would be closest. Canton/Akron airport about 15 minutes away.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I think I'll just post this every other day or so, but it really doesn't matter if we find the perfect venue in the perfect location - they still have to put together a winning bid.  A lot of different constituencies have to be on board to make this work.  It just seems unlikely that there would be such a convergence in a location that is also perfect or nearly so, geographically.

[sac]

How about the Canton Civic Center? Right size (seats 5,200), and it's right in the geographical sweet spot.

I saw LeBron James play a game there when he was in high school. Not a great venue and kind of dumpy. Not a bad location though, even if there aren't any DIII schools in Canton. Wooster would be closest. Canton/Akron airport about 15 minutes away.

Actually Mt. Union in Alliance is closer by 13 miles. 

[HopeConvert]

That's right. I forgot all about them - this not being the football board.