Bluegrassrivals

How did everybody like the games in Bowling Green. Need some info for improvements next year. I know the parking was terrible on Friday. I think next year they are going to dismiss classes on Friday to help with the parking.

Having them in Bowling Green is the worst idea since new Coke. I went Friday and it took me about 30 minutes to get from the exit to the stadium and almost an hour to get back to the interstate after the game. Plus it is too far from any teams that make the games. It should definately stay in the Louisville/Lexington area. I know UK can't have it because of the grass field thing but EKU has just put in a new turf field and it is easily accessible from the interstate and Lexington. So hopefully the brilliant minds at the KHSAA will figure something out and try and do something that makes sense for once.

adopted purple Wrote:How did everybody like the games in Bowling Green. Need some info for improvements next year. I know the parking was terrible on Friday. I think next year they are going to dismiss classes on Friday to help with the parking.

I loved it. I had no problem parking Friday. Wish there were more decent restaurants nearby though. Scottsville Road is a nightmare.

Why didn't UK put turf field down? Would be a great investment.

Parking was rediculous. Nothing marked. No signs.

While WKU is in session Scottsville road will ALWAYS be a nightmare. I would guess the people that had little problem getting to the stadium took either the 1st BG exit (Hines Highway?) or the 3rd exit which is the one that turns into a toll road. Campus was a pain before they changed the traffic flows years ago. I like the town. It can be a fun place but it can be a pian to get around in if you are not use to it.

I loved it. I loved the smaller stadium, better High School football atmosphere. Everyone was friendly. Didn't have a problem getting to the stadium and as for parking, it wasn't all that bad and heck, I had to find a place for three buses.

I would imagine the early game going into OT may have hurt the parking situation a bit but we were attending the last game and still would have been effected by the games being an hour late and still were able to find parking relatively easy. We parked tailgated for an hour and when we walked into the stadium the game before us was just leaving the field. So we had to park while the game ahead of us was still going on and we could still find room for three buses together.

tradition Wrote:I loved it. I loved the smaller stadium, better High School football atmosphere. Everyone was friendly. Didn't have a problem getting to the stadium and as for parking, it wasn't all that bad and heck, I had to find a place for three buses.

I would imagine the early game going into OT may have hurt the parking situation a bit but we were attending the last game and still would have been effected by the games being an hour late and still were able to find parking relatively easy. We parked tailgated for an hour and when we walked into the stadium the game before us was just leaving the field. So we had to park while the game ahead of us was still going on and we could still find room for three buses together.

Very true statement about the smaller stadium; nice fit for high school football. Not a bad seat in the house either.

I didn't attend the games but I've watched my winless Hilltopper team a coulple of times the past two years and knew it would be a great atmosphere for the state finals...it is a newly renovated and smaller stadium. If class was in session then I'm sure parking was hellish for some but that is on the university for not knowing any better. For the person that said it was the worst idea since New Coke...check yourself! Teams that are in the finals come from all over the state and they are thrilled to get a chance to play...pretty sure they stay in hotels the night before their game so it doesn't matter where you have the finals. I'd like to see the state rotate locations every 2 years or so to mix it up a little bit. As for the brilliant minds in KHSAA, i hope LaunchPad4 isn't one of them

Stadium was fine,parking was rediculous it took me 20 minutes to go 2 or 3 blocks to get to the parking garage after i turned off of 31w.after the game it took me exactly 45 minutes to get from level 4 down to the entrance of the garage.thats after i backed out of my parking place and got in line the 1st 35 minutes i moved about 20 ft.people were getting out of thier cars,and complaining.i have to say i was pretty upset.im not sure that i would return next year.i dont think western is equiped to handle the state games.

sdub Wrote:I didn't attend the games but I've watched my winless Hilltopper team a coulple of times the past two years and knew it would be a great atmosphere for the state finals...it is a newly renovated and smaller stadium. If class was in session then I'm sure parking was hellish for some but that is on the university for not knowing any better. For the person that said it was the worst idea since New Coke...check yourself! Teams that are in the finals come from all over the state and they are thrilled to get a chance to play...pretty sure they stay in hotels the night before their game so it doesn't matter where you have the finals. I'd like to see the state rotate locations every 2 years or so to mix it up a little bit. As for the brilliant minds in KHSAA, i hope LaunchPad4 isn't one of them

I dont know of any teams that stay overnight before the games,i know Boyle county didnt.

It's absurd for any team to travel 5+ hrs to play football. They need to quit thinking about money and think about the kids and their parents, many of which are burdened economically.

whackem'n'stackem Wrote:It's absurd for any team to travel 5+ hrs to play football. They need to quit thinking about money and think about the kids and their parents, many of which are burdened economically.

If you live in Belfry or Mayfield you are going to have to drive a bit. The people from Mayfield liked the shorter drive to Bowling Green. I am biased and would like to see it stay in Bowling Green but I understand your concerns. They are already meeting to fix the problems that can be fixed. I think the atmosphere and smaller field made the Championships much more enjoyable to the fans and players. I've made 5 trips to Louisville to watch my Purples play and it was much better at WKU.

There is a similar thread on the "other" site. So I'm just copying and pasting my comments from there in case anyone with authority actually cares to read these posts.

I thought that WKU did a decent job, especially considering that it was the first time for it to host this event.

Pluses: smaller stadium makes for a better atmosphere; the staff was generally friendly; found decent places (non-chain) to eat. Minuses: parking was too limited and difficult; the aluminum seats are not the best choice for cold weather games (although they had a number of plastic, chairbacks); the facilities were not sufficient to accommodate the teams for the next game (resulting in delays). All of these minuses are not problems or are non-issues at Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium (i.e., plenty of parking and space for tailgating; more facilities for the teams; and all of the seats are plastic, chairbacks. The concessions are kind of a wash at the two facilities. I liked the Sonic alternative at WKU but it was just in one spot and not centrally located; the other concession stands were too limited in selections and it is borderline idiotic to not have hot coffee and hot chocolate at all of the concessions in a cold weather game. Unlike the parking, the concessions issue is something that can hopefully be fixed for next year. Can't beat Louisville for pre- and post-game entertainment choices. But lack of parking is by far the biggest concern at WKU.

In short, WKU is a decent venue and it's nice to change things up every once in a while. But Louisville is the better choice for this multiple game, multiple day event at this time. IMO.

Jack Lambert Wrote:I dont know of any teams that stay overnight before the games,i know Boyle county didnt.

All teams where relatively close to Bowling green, within 2 hours so stying all night would be a waste of money IMO.

TheBrahmaBull Wrote:All teams where relatively close to Bowling green, within 2 hours so stying all night would be a waste of money IMO.

It was 4 hours for Highlands.

Does anybody know the attendence for the 6A game?

sstack Wrote:It was 4 hours for Highlands.

Ok. It was a haul for Highlands. But would it be any less fair to the teams from WKY to have the games in Louisville where they would have to travel 3-4 hours? The best place would be the Lexington area, but that is not on the table as far as places to play.

TheBrahmaBull Wrote:Ok. It was a haul for Highlands. But would it be any less fair to the teams from WKY to have the games in Louisville where they would have to travel 3-4 hours? The best place would be the Lexington area, but that is not on the table as far as places to play.

Lexington doesn't solve anything. It would be a 5+hour drive for Tilghman, Lone Oak, and Mayfield this year and nearly 4 for Ft. Campbell. That is over 1/3 of the participants in this years finals.

64black&gold Wrote:Parking was rediculous. Nothing marked. No signs.

How about the HUGE signs on the side of the garage that said "STADIUM PARKING" or the half dozen signs along the route that said "STADIUM PARKING" with big thick arrows pointing the way? I guess those don't count. :biggrin:

sstack Wrote:Does anybody know the attendence for the 6A game?

To me there, it looked arond 8,000-10,000, and according to the game commentators 9,000.

6A attendance was 9964.

TheBrahmaBull Wrote:Ok. It was a haul for Highlands. But would it be any less fair to the teams from WKY to have the games in Louisville where they would have to travel 3-4 hours? The best place would be the Lexington area, but that is not on the table as far as places to play.

I am not complaining about the haul, it is nice to have a change of venue. I felt Highlands fans traveled well.

cougarpride08 Wrote:Why didn't UK put turf field down? Would be a great investment.

Because there is alot of tradition at UK. Plus turf is capable of causing injuries to athletes. High school and college are opposite on Turf vs Grass. Generally only high schools with alot of money have turf. At the college level however it takes a huge amount of effort to keep up a grass field so it is kind of a status symbol. Look at all of the SEC schools one maybe two play on turf, everyone else has grass.

BluegrassBuckeye Wrote:How about the HUGE signs on the side of the garage that said "STADIUM PARKING" or the half dozen signs along the route that said "STADIUM PARKING" with big thick arrows pointing the way? I guess those don't count. :biggrin:

Yeah, I'm fairly puzzled by that myself. We pulled into a parking garage two blocks from the stadium and found two spots on the first level even before the crowd from the 2A final had started leaving. No problem whatsoever.
Now, if you want to talk about the hour delay in the start of the 5A game, yeah, that was a problem.:redboxer:

There are going to be problems no matter were it is held. You are not going to satisfy all of the teams no matter what.

I'd like to see it at EKU next year.
Besides, no matter where you play the state some teams will have longer trips.

We parked where the attendants directed us......a small school parking lot next to the stadium. The principle wasnt thrilled! I spoke with her at the end of the game and she was very gracious but said next year she would have every car towed, you cant blame her it didnt help her school buses to say the least! But I loved the stadium, the bathrooms were warm, plenty of them...no lines. As for the cold seats? Ive never been to a stadium that had warm seats? I used hot hands, made a pillow to sit on, with pockets for them, although I didnt sit much! YAY REBELS!!!!!!!

Me and four of my assistants went down for both days. I hated the parking situation but loved the smaller field. The haul to and from the motel was much longer than what we have experienced in Louisville. The concession stands were sold out of their stuff after the first game on Saturday. I guess you can come up with pro's and cons for Louisville or Bowling Green. I am in Eastern Kentucky and the trip is close to 4 hours for either place and my preference would be to get it back to Louisville as quickly as possible. I do like the idea of having it at the EKU campus in the future.

Quote:It's absurd for any team to travel 5+ hrs to play football. They need to quit thinking about money and think about the kids and their parents, many of which are burdened economically.

that is the truth.
which for us mountain teams it really dont matter to us because it is a good 3-3 1/2 hour drive any way we are just glad to get there. LOL Go Bobcats