Should the Stagg Bowl find a better site or stay in Salem, Va.

[repete]

      In Phenix City for instance, they used local officials crews that had not done Division III games all season ... you might think an SEC crew is better suited to do this game, but a D3 crew better knows the nuances of the D3 game and, it is the opinion of the NCAA director of championships that it's the officials' championship too, so they try to select a top-rated crew from around that isn't from a conference close to either team.

But this doesn't always work.

I've seen Staggs in Phenix City AND Salem ... and no crews come close to those Pa. yokels in 2003 ... (fighting urge to rant further)

[AF4]

should the stagg b moved............... no

salem was awesome

the weather was.... uh... well....

anyway...no... if it is moved then the ODAC folks might not b there...and they need to b there

maybe the most fun i have ever had watching a ball game...and i tail gaited at auburn-alabama, uga, florida, ...all over sec, huntingdon... gsc (D-2), and sunbelt...

i mean ... where else r u gonna leave the tailgaiting (with stone station's awesome food) look for a place to use the rest room...and walk in on a gun show....
the boy and i got to see a great game, eat great food, meet real nice folks, and....see some AR-15's and Glocks for sale....all in one afternoon
and within walking distance of our car

with out a doubt......leave it in salem, Va

keep the faith

[AUPepBand]

While Pep has never witnessed a Stagg Bowl in person, Pep made a pit stop in Salem en route back to Alfred from Charlotte, NC earlier this year to look over the Stagg Bowl stadium. Pep was happy to see the field turf being installed and was impressed with the facililty, parking, etc. and cannot imagine a more hospitable, accommodating city.

Pep is looking forward to the day when one of those purple teams on the field will be from Alfred and the AU Pep Band will be in the stands leading the Saxon cheers!

On Saxon Warriors!

[K-Mack]

I guess I wonder if it's worth resurfacing this discussion just because someone commenting on the blog has the oh-so-original idea to play the game elsewhere. Are we going to break a lot of new ground here?

Might not be new to you, Sir Reads-It-All, but I think kicking up a discussion we've already had saves us the trouble of rehashing all the same points we've already made on the blog and elsewhere.

If it's new to someone else, it might well be worth their time reading from the beginning, or wherever they choose to start.

In other words, the thread is kicked up precisely because there is little new ground to break.

[K-Mack]

I guess I wonder if it's worth resurfacing this discussion just because someone commenting on the blog has the oh-so-original idea to play the game elsewhere. Are we going to break a lot of new ground here?

I appreciate that you kept this discussion on the website as an archive or previous material.  New viewers can read this and learn more about the reasons that the Stagg Bowl is in Salem.  There is an incredible amount of collective history on these message boards and blogs, which can be searched by the curious.

Thank you for not deleting this thread.

Agreed.

No problem -- I'm OK with it staying around. Just not sure how much it needs to get bumped to the top.

The smart aleck's answer:
If you stop posting on it, it would stop getting bumped up

The thinking man's answer:
If people weren't aware that this discussion has already taken place, in-depth, and they were posting about it not here, but on the blog, then I think the least we can do is bump it up and point them in the direction of this thread, since it clearly wasn't being found when it was buried among other threads.

The Post Police are always tryin' to keep a brother-thread down.

[BTEXPRESS]

I am glad this discussion has resurfaced, I missed it the first time around. I also had the opportunity to STOP AND SEE the complex this summer while my son and I were looking at colleges. As were were traveling through Roanoke, we made a point of stopping just to see the stadium and also walked inside the Civic Center next door where they play the Division III men's basketball championship.Both were very impressive. As a matter of fact, television doesn't do the stadium justice for those who have never seen it in person. I guess you could find a warmer climate location or a bigger stadium but I think the game belongs in Salem for as long as Salem wants to host it. They have earned the right!

[KitchenSink]

I was at the game last year, and I thought everything was great - except seeing the painted dirt on the field.  That little item appears to have been addressed very nicely this year.

I do beleive that there are probably other locations that could do as good, or almost as good, a job as Salem.  Would be tough to replicate the Stone Station before the game, though.  That kind of thing takes a while to mature.  Being from Wisconsin, the distance is a tough nut to swallow, and I think that would true for all people from Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, as well as Wisconsin (throw Missouri, Texas, etc in there, too).  So I think potential could be there for top-shelf handling and strong attendance (beyond participating teams) at the event somewhere further west like maybe Indiana or western Ohio.

I don't know of a city or a facility that fits, though - at least right now.  Let's face it - Salem has raised the bar to a very high level, and the game should stay there.  Please don't let up, Salem!

[AUPepBand]

So there you have it, even the KitchenSink has been thrown into the discussion! 

[K-Mack]

I was at the game last year, and I thought everything was great - except seeing the painted dirt on the field.  That little item appears to have been addressed very nicely this year.

I do beleive that there are probably other locations that could do as good, or almost as good, a job as Salem. 

Yes, I'd forgotten about the dirt until I watched the '06 and '05 videos, but the turf was top-notch. Fixed that right up.

As I have said before on this thread, other places could host ... but it takes a very dedicated base of workers and volunteers to pull this thing off, and Salem has almost 15 years of experience now.

Salem also never sits on its laurels, they are always coming through with upgrades to the site and game experience.

[KitchenSink]

K-Mack, that's the impression I have.  Anyone who attends at Salem gets a great opportunity to enjoy an out-of-this-world experience.  I'm glad I brought my teenage son to share it with me.  (He enjoyed it, too.  No, really, he told me.) 

[ADL70]

With the new UMHB stadium, would they try to put together a proposal to host the Stagg?

[Mr. Ypsi]

With the new UMHB stadium, would they try to put together a proposal to host the Stagg?

Once potential recruits see that stadium, I'm more wondering if UMHB will be IN the Stagg Bowl!  They've been in the group just below UMU and UWW for several years now - that stadium just might get them into the 'upper crust'.

I wonder if teams like NCC, Wesley, St. Thomas, Linfield, etc., have an answer for THAT escalation?

[Ron Boerger]

The problem w/UMHB hosting a Stagg is that it's just so darned far from 95% of D3.   IF there's not a Texas team playing, will folks down here turn out to support schools they don't know as well as the folks in Salem?

I really have to wonder if a school making a $25 million investment in a football stadium truly wants to stay in D3.   The whole idea of spending so much on a single sport - especially at a school with a relatively modest endowment like UMHB - doesn't align well with the classic D3 philosophy.

[wildcat11]

I wonder if teams like NCC, Wesley, St. Thomas, Linfield, etc., have an answer for THAT escalation?

UMHB's new digs will look great.  Maybe the new facilities will help develop quarterbacks that can accurately throw the forward pass? 

[etbu27]

I feel like Salem is a wonderful site for the National Championship! I mean its true the stadium is modest and the climate in Virginia is far from perfect.... notably in December. But as it has been said, the things Salem does "OFF the field" really make it a desirable event to attend. (For reasons other than the obvious.)