ODU Tickets

[fmrick]

I know there is a ticket thread somewhere, but I thought I'd post this here for anyone interested in going to the ODU game.

I got an e-mail from ODU. There are now tickets on sale in the 200 levels. This is in the deck above the downstairs bowl. They are considered to be premium seats. They have not been on sale until this week (I check weekly). They are limited in availability, so don't wait too long. I picked up two this morning and I'm very happy with what I got.

There are a few on sale in the upper parts of the lower bowl. Mostly in the corners.

And there are also ticket in on StubHub. There are a few between the baselines, but they are priced too high and you have to sit around smelly ODU fans. There are some in other sections.

I also got wind of a VCU bus trip. However, like the Vanderbilt trip, this is likely available to larger donors only. If anyone has information to the contrary, please post it.
My only question is- When is VCU going to get a clue about what fans built this program?

 

[DisplacedRam]

Thanks for posting up this reminder! I was checking their ticket selling site pretty much daily for a period of time there towards the end of summer and beginning of fall and was able to snag some really really good seats I believe the day they made them available as well. Looking forward to the game!

 

[RowdyPkunk]

I know there is a ticket thread somewhere, but I thought I'd post this here for anyone interested in going to the ODU game.

I got an e-mail from ODU. There are now tickets on sale in the 200 levels. This is in the deck above the downstairs bowl. They are considered to be premium seats. They have not been on sale until this week (I check weekly). They are limited in availability, so don't wait too long. I picked up two this morning and I'm very happy with what I got.

There are a few on sale in the upper parts of the lower bowl. Mostly in the corners.

And there are also ticket in on StubHub. There are a few between the baselines, but they are priced too high and you have to sit around smelly ODU fans. There are some in other sections.

I also got wind of a VCU bus trip. However, like the Vanderbilt trip, this is likely available to larger donors only. If anyone has information to the contrary, please post it.
My only question is- When is VCU going to get a clue about what fans built this program?

Good question.... Say what you want about the current situation bout game day atmosphere's... both between ticket holders & students nowadays (compared to the Shaka Days & Pre Final 4 days).....

But I remember under the previous AD.... we had Bus Trips for pretty much every one to just bout every game... now granted that was the CAA days... so games were much closer overall & Bus Trips were easier cause it was an hour or two max either direction on 95 or 64. The Rowdy Rams had bus trips multiple times a year to Fodu, GMU, W&M, & JMU (still remember the game they kicked you out up there Rick... ironically one of the days the Rowdy Rams had a bus trip, and the Rowdy Rams were all sitting next to their band doing the Hey Song & Lets go VCU & what not).

Oh & lets not forget the previous AD sent the Rowdy Rams to pretty much the Entire Final 4 run I think? How many bus Trips has Ed offered up for the Rowdy Rams outside of A10 Tourneys?

Nowadays the only bus trips I see the Rowdy Rams doing are to Brooklyn (or wherever the A10 Tourney is). None to GMU, GW, Fur, none to any of the Philly schools or Duquesne... or even Davidson.

 

[fmrick]

Good question.... Say what you want about the current situation bout game day atmosphere's... both between ticket holders & students nowadays (compared to the Shaka Days & Pre Final 4 days).....

But I remember under the previous AD.... we had Bus Trips for pretty much every one to just bout every game... now granted that was the CAA days... so games were much closer overall & Bus Trips were easier cause it was an hour or two max either direction on 95 or 64. The Rowdy Rams had bus trips multiple times a year to Fodu, GMU, W&M, & JMU (still remember the game they kicked you out up there Rick... ironically one of the days the Rowdy Rams had a bus trip, and the Rowdy Rams were all sitting next to their band doing the Hey Song & Lets go VCU & what not).

Oh & lets not forget the previous AD sent the Rowdy Rams to pretty much the Entire Final 4 run I think? How many bus Trips has Ed offered up for the Rowdy Rams outside of A10 Tourneys?

Nowadays the only bus trips I see the Rowdy Rams doing are to Brooklyn (or wherever the A10 Tourney is). None to GMU, GW, Fur, none to any of the Philly schools or Duquesne... or even Davidson.

Well, that is what it seems they have forgotten. However, remember also that many of those trips we set up by the Rams Club, which when formed was not part of the VCU AD. That changed when they went on a "cash grab" and convinced the Rams Club that the AD could take care of all those activities with the staff. Many of us were adamant that we wanted to be sure that they actual continue with what we were doing; but alas, they have not. I remember telling the one of the staff- This stuff is what built this program, made the SC what it is, and got fans to away games- PLEASE DON'T DESTROY WHAT WE HAVE CREATED.

Well.......

 

[Mercury]

Well, that is what it seems they have forgotten. However, remember also that many of those trips we set up by the Rams Club, which when formed was not part of the VCU AD. That changed when they went on a "cash grab" and convinced the Rams Club that the AD could take care of all those activities with the staff. Many of us were adamant that we wanted to be sure that they actual continue with what we were doing; but alas, they have not. I remember telling the one of the staff- This stuff is what built this program, made the SC what it is, and got fans to away games- PLEASE DON'T DESTROY WHAT WE HAVE CREATED.

Well.......

Forgotten or chose to ignore?

 

[RowdyPkunk]

Well, that is what it seems they have forgotten. However, remember also that many of those trips we set up by the Rams Club, which when formed was not part of the VCU AD. That changed when they went on a "cash grab" and convinced the Rams Club that the AD could take care of all those activities with the staff. Many of us were adamant that we wanted to be sure that they actual continue with what we were doing; but alas, they have not. I remember telling the one of the staff- This stuff is what built this program, made the SC what it is, and got fans to away games- PLEASE DON'T DESTROY WHAT WE HAVE CREATED.

Well.......

Yup I do remember that, now that you mention it. I think there might've been one of those trips that a few of the Rowdies including myself... might've been on the same Buses as you, Dr Hunt & some of the others from the Rams Club, cause I don't think there were enough rowdies for one trip to warrant another bus.

 

[Wolfpack Ram]

Well, that is what it seems they have forgotten. However, remember also that many of those trips we set up by the Rams Club, which when formed was not part of the VCU AD. That changed when they went on a "cash grab" and convinced the Rams Club that the AD could take care of all those activities with the staff. Many of us were adamant that we wanted to be sure that they actual continue with what we were doing; but alas, they have not. I remember telling the one of the staff- This stuff is what built this program, made the SC what it is, and got fans to away games- PLEASE DON'T DESTROY WHAT WE HAVE CREATED.

Well.......

I have expressed my concerns on these boards on numerous occasions regarding the current athletic administration. Unless you are a top 10% donor, this athletic administration is THE most unapproachable athletic administration VCU has ever had. I am still waiting on a response to an e-mail I sent during the summer regarding season tickets and being an original Capital Campaign member. Riley Cain told me my e-mail was forwarded to her superiors and I have yet to hear from anyone in the athletic department. This administration treats original Capital Campaign members like we are a burden, yet we were the ones there supporting the program financially when the Stu was built. And there weren't many of us that contributed to the original Capital Campaign. It is truly sad how this administration chooses to treat 90% of the fan base.

 

[Wolfpack Ram]

Forgotten or chose to ignore?

Definitely "chose to ignore".

 

[Ramaholic]

There is a principal in business known as the "Hedgehog Principal". It goes something like this. In nearly every ecosystem across the globe there exists a variation of a fox (desert fox, arctic fox, red fox...) and a hedgehog (armadillo, porcupine...). The fox is an apex predator in nearly every system. It is cunning, can climb, can dig, swim, run, jump and stalk. It has keen hearing, eyesight, sense of smell, sharp claws and teeth. A hedgehog is at the other end of the spectrum. It is slow, has no sharp teeth, has dull senses, slow, poor swimmer/ climber, and had very little explosive musculature. However, when there is a shortage of resources/ food in a particular ecosystem, more foxes will die of starvation than hedgehogs die due to predation. And that is because of one thing. When a hedgehog is preyed upon in a life/ death situation, the hedgehog can do one thing better than any animal in the world -it can roll itself into a ball and expose armor/ spikes to ensure its survival.
The takeaway is that successfull businesses/ organizations/ people have one core key to survival that keeps them alive when the poop starts to hit he fan. In VCU's case, it's hedgehog was always the core group of fans that would ride or die with the program, travel to games and though many were not ultra wealthy -they were ultra generous with there support. VCU could always count on those folks to be there. It will be interesting to see how much of that support is still alive. If everything goes tits up, can VCU still count on this core of supporters? They are the hedge hog of the program.

 

[Bluey]

I have expressed my concerns on these boards on numerous occasions regarding the current athletic administration. Unless you are a top 10% donor, this athletic administration is THE most unapproachable athletic administration VCU has ever had. I am still waiting on a response to an e-mail I sent during the summer regarding season tickets and being an original Capital Campaign member. Riley Cain told me my e-mail was forwarded to her superiors and I have yet to hear from anyone in the athletic department. This administration treats original Capital Campaign members like we are a burden, yet we were the ones there supporting the program financially when the Stu was built. And there weren't many of us that contributed to the original Capital Campaign. It is truly sad how this administration chooses to treat 90% of the fan base.

Idk, i am not a top 10% donor and live way out of town, but have a decent relationship with Ed and regular interaction with other members of the AD.

Agree the department seems to overindex on introverts, which is not great when outreach is critical to growth—but if you engage them, i can’t complain about their willingness to interact.

 

[RowdyPkunk]

I have expressed my concerns on these boards on numerous occasions regarding the current athletic administration. Unless you are a top 10% donor, this athletic administration is THE most unapproachable athletic administration VCU has ever had. I am still waiting on a response to an e-mail I sent during the summer regarding season tickets and being an original Capital Campaign member. Riley Cain told me my e-mail was forwarded to her superiors and I have yet to hear from anyone in the athletic department. This administration treats original Capital Campaign members like we are a burden, yet we were the ones there supporting the program financially when the Stu was built. And there weren't many of us that contributed to the original Capital Campaign. It is truly sad how this administration chooses to treat 90% of the fan base.

Heck... there's one guy in Athletics (not gonna throw his name out there cause I actually like the guy)... but under the previous AD (Norwood)... the guy used to talk to me, and a lot of the Rowdies... as well as people like @fmrick & others. heck he worked directly with the Rowdy Rams when it came to the 6th man rewards & Rowdy Bus Trips. And the dude was cool as heck, the year we went to the final four... I stopped being a student at VCU after the fall semester... so I couldn't use my Student ID anymore to attend games... the end of the season when students went to claim their rewards...., I went up there to get mine, and despite not officially attending all the games as a student.... he saw me at the games & gave me all the rewards including the Gold #12 Jersey which was the final 6th man reward that season.

I still see the guy around games all the time.... but I couldn't tell you the last time I talked to the dude.

 

[Wolfpack Ram]

Idk, i am not a top 10% donor and live way out of town, but have a decent relationship with Ed and regular interaction with other members of the AD.

Agree the department seems to overindex on introverts, which is not great when outreach is critical to growth—but if you engage them, i can’t complain about their willingness to interact.

I will bet you 75% of the current donors have never had a meaningful conversation with Ed. He just isn't approachable. When I say the original Capital Campaign members are a burden to the current athletic administration, it's because certain financial guarantees were promised to those members when the Stu was built and those members were the ONLY ones that stepped up financially to make the Stu a reality. This current administration has no desire to honor those promises. They don't see the value in that loyal fan that has been supporting the program for 20+ years. All they see is how much more revenue they could possibly generate from newer season ticket holders by eliminating those financial promises from 20 years ago. There were less than 300 original Capital Campaign members, and some of those have passed away. Is it that difficult for the current administration to continue to honor agreements with those few that helped pave the way for VCU's subsequent success?

 

[Bluey]

I will bet you 75% of the current donors have never had a meaningful conversation with Ed. He just isn't approachable. When I say the original Capital Campaign members are a burden to the current athletic administration, it's because certain financial guarantees were promised to those members when the Stu was built and those members were the ONLY ones that stepped up financially to make the Stu a reality. This current administration has no desire to honor those promises. They don't see the value in that loyal fan that has been supporting the program for 20+ years. All they see is how much more revenue they could possibly generate from newer season ticket holders by eliminating those financial promises from 20 years ago. There were less than 300 original Capital Campaign members, and some of those have passed away. Is it that difficult for the current administration to continue to honor agreements with those few that helped pave the way for VCU's subsequent success?

So really, it’s about hard feeling with how long term donors/pioneers are treated for you. I don’t think our situations compare and I’ll defer on that point. I will only say that phone calls/txts go a long way—a lot further than emails and social media.

 

[Mr. X]

I will bet you 75% of the current donors have never had a meaningful conversation with Ed. He just isn't approachable. When I say the original Capital Campaign members are a burden to the current athletic administration, it's because certain financial guarantees were promised to those members when the Stu was built and those members were the ONLY ones that stepped up financially to make the Stu a reality. This current administration has no desire to honor those promises. They don't see the value in that loyal fan that has been supporting the program for 20+ years. All they see is how much more revenue they could possibly generate from newer season ticket holders by eliminating those financial promises from 20 years ago. There were less than 300 original Capital Campaign members, and some of those have passed away. Is it that difficult for the current administration to continue to honor agreements with those few that helped pave the way for VCU's subsequent success

My daughter is a GA in the department but is a bit of an introvert, so she probably will not call. I might be able to get her to text you, but she doesn't have anything to do with season tickets either. Oh nevermind.

 

[fmrick]

There is a principal in business known as the "Hedgehog Principal". It goes something like this. In nearly every ecosystem across the globe there exists a variation of a fox (desert fox, arctic fox, red fox...) and a hedgehog (armadillo, porcupine...). The fox is an apex predator in nearly every system. It is cunning, can climb, can dig, swim, run, jump and stalk. It has keen hearing, eyesight, sense of smell, sharp claws and teeth. A hedgehog is at the other end of the spectrum. It is slow, has no sharp teeth, has dull senses, slow, poor swimmer/ climber, and had very little explosive musculature. However, when there is a shortage of resources/ food in a particular ecosystem, more foxes will die of starvation than hedgehogs die due to predation. And that is because of one thing. When a hedgehog is preyed upon in a life/ death situation, the hedgehog can do one thing better than any animal in the world -it can roll itself into a ball and expose armor/ spikes to ensure its survival.
The takeaway is that successfull businesses/ organizations/ people have one core key to survival that keeps them alive when the poop starts to hit he fan. In VCU's case, it's hedgehog was always the core group of fans that would ride or die with the program, travel to games and though many were not ultra wealthy -they were ultra generous with there support. VCU could always count on those folks to be there. It will be interesting to see how much of that support is still alive. If everything goes tits up, can VCU still count on this core of supporters? They are the hedge hog of the program.

The takeaway is that successfull businesses/ organizations/ people have one core key to survival that keeps them alive when the poop starts to hit he fan. In VCU's case, it's hedgehog was always the core group of fans that would ride or die with the program, travel to games and though many were not ultra wealthy -they were ultra generous with there support. VCU could always count on those folks to be there. It will be interesting to see how much of that support is still alive. If everything goes tits up, can VCU still count on this core of supporters? They are the hedge hog of the program.

I re-posted that part because you NAILED it!

They were warned long ago not to let what is happening happen. And if we keep on this path, we will become just another team in the history of college basketball that had a zenith in the past and saw it fade. The worst part is, it did not have to happen this way. But the current AD seems not to care.

To quote that great politician Michael Dukakis- The Fish Rots From The Head.