Kudos to Webster Bank and Bridgeport.... | The Boneyard

Kudos to Webster Bank and Bridgeport....

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pap49cba

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Great venue and great crowd. Geno said it almost felt like a 'big game' atmosphere. The team needs to play more games there. Plus, a noon starting time allowed fans to bring small children and not worry about leaving after dark. A winner all around that I sincerely hope it is repeated.
 
What a great job Webster Bank Arena did. Terrific . As far as holding more UConn games there I've heard they want it to happen. DO the math. 9,274 tickets $20 parking plus food plus restaurants. Its gotta be worth $500,000 to Bridgeport and the Arena. Yeah I think UConn will be welcomed back maybe more then once.
 
They should do two or three games there every year. UConn could be the first team to have 3 home courts (though this court is really the home court for the Fairfield Stags) :)
 
Geno hinted at what the future may be like when he commented about student attendance (or lack thereof) during breaks.

In past years, we have seen many late December games in Hartford, not especially well attended.

What I think may happen is that during class breaks (e.g., late December), they will play in Bridgeport with little concern for student attendance and a lot of concern for selling tix to the suites.
 
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I agree, the atmosphere felt like Tournament time, frankly, more so than some first round games. The traffic was horrendous, will have to plan differently next time, but the place was packed to the rafetrs and it felt it.

I was also impressed with the play of the Owls. The score doesn't make it seem like they competed, but I'll bet "our girls" will tell you the Owls made them work.
 
The other great thing about the day was the after game party, courtesy of of our own Sky Soldier. Great game, great hosts, great food, and a little Rachmaninoff made for a wonderful day.
 
Phil said:
The traffic was horrendous, will have to plan differently next time
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Saw you and Danny on the tube, Phil. You're the one with the unusual hairdo, right?

As far as the traffic, as Milford said it's such an easy walk from MetroNorth to the arena -- under a covered walkway.

If you're in the Hartford area and Amtrak doesn't run often enough I'd drive to a convenient MetroNorth station, park there and hop the train. They run plenty frequently.
 
It was a great day for the kids. Went with 2 other dads and three 9yr old girls. They LOVED every minute of it and treated it like it was the Final Four. One thing I would love to see UConn do is let the kids take some pictures with the players or Husky Dog or whatever. Make it "Kid Day" and you will be laying the foundation for the next generation of fans.
 
MilfordHusky said:
I like the arena and proximity to Metro North.
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That worked out really well.
 
WhartonHusky said:
It was a great day for the kids. Went with 2 other dads and three 9yr old girls. They LOVED every minute of it and treated it like it was the Final Four. One thing I would love to see UConn do is let the kids take some pictures with the players or Husky Dog or whatever. Make it "Kid Day" and you will be laying the foundation for the next generation of fans.
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Jonathon (the Husky dog) was out front before the game. I saw some kids getting their picture taken with him.
 
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Before we are swept away with enthusiasm for further games at Bridgeport, let me raise a few issues. First, will the Bridgeport games come from games scheduled for Gampel or Hartford? If the games are switched from Hartford (which already is getting uncompetitive games), then this season ticket holder will become a former season ticket holder. Games scheduled for 7 pm at Gampel are extremely difficult from the Hartford area because of traffic. Blowout after blowout decreases enthusiasm for attending these games. Second, getting to Bridgeport for a noon game is a lark compared to getting there from Hartford for the traditional 7 pm start. Reasonably scheduled train service does not exist. Amtrak is a joke. Metro North requires a trip to New Haven. So, if you think that a motor trip to Storrs is problematic, try traveling to Bridgeport during the rush hour. Third, tell me about the restaurant choices in Bridgeport. Fourth, when parking lots in Hartford charged $20, boneyarders waxed indignant. When Bridgeport lots charged $20, it was a simple economic benefit to Bridgeport.
 
Hey BB,
I think the whole idea of scheduling a game at Bridgeport is to broaden the appeal to a larger swathe of Husky fans. You're right about It being inconvenient to many Hartford/Storrs season ticket holders and super tough for students. I don't see the Uconn folks wanting to do more than 1 regular season game a year in Bridgeport for that reason. I bet if they do continue to play in Bridgeport it will be a similar scenario to yesterday. A January weekend game against a middling opponent.
I can't see too many drawbacks to doing this and lots of benefits. 1) Great attendance 2) super enthusiastic crowd with many who have never seen Uconn live. 3) broaden the Uconn brand and outreach to potential $$$ Fairfield County alumni donors (Geno had a funny zinger after the game that "you can tell you're in Fairfield County when people donate $2 to a raffle instead of $1 !" )

$20 for parking is extortion - you are correct! Fewer restaurant choices - true. But save the tips from this earlier thread for the future.
 
Buckaroobanzai said:
Second, getting to Bridgeport for a noon game is a lark compared to getting there from Hartford for the traditional 7 pm start. Reasonably scheduled train service does not exist. Amtrak is a joke. Metro North requires a trip to New Haven. So, if you think that a motor trip to Storrs is problematic, try traveling to Bridgeport during the rush hour.
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You don't need to go to New Haven, you can go to any Metro North station and get the train to Bridgeport. Parking is free at Stratford on weekends and the round trip fare is $5. The ride is only 6 minutes to the arena. Easy as pie and cheap, too.

That was my original plan but my son was sick yesterday so I got a late start. I ended up driving and what a disaster that was. I have no idea why Bridgeport didn't have more traffic control people out to help with the influx of cars but there was a 1/4 mile backup of traffic on Rte 8. With the rainy and foggy conditions, that could have been a disaster. Bridgeport MUST do something about traffic control next time.
 
Buckaroobanzai said:
Before we are swept away with enthusiasm for further games at Bridgeport, let me raise a few issues. First, will the Bridgeport games come from games scheduled for Gampel or Hartford? If the games are switched from Hartford (which already is getting uncompetitive games), then this season ticket holder will become a former season ticket holder. Games scheduled for 7 pm at Gampel are extremely difficult from the Hartford area because of traffic. Blowout after blowout decreases enthusiasm for attending these games. Second, getting to Bridgeport for a noon game is a lark compared to getting there from Hartford for the traditional 7 pm start. Reasonably scheduled train service does not exist. Amtrak is a joke. Metro North requires a trip to New Haven. So, if you think that a motor trip to Storrs is problematic, try traveling to Bridgeport during the rush hour. Third, tell me about the restaurant choices in Bridgeport. Fourth, when parking lots in Hartford charged $20, boneyarders waxed indignant. When Bridgeport lots charged $20, it was a simple economic benefit to Bridgeport.
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The best thing about Bridgeport was the very enthusiastic crowd... Maybe it was the novelty of having their own state team playing in a venue close to their own homes... It ought give the suits at UConn serious thought to continue placing games not only in Bridgeport but in similar locations throughout the state. Mohegan Sun anyone???
 
Phil said:
I agree, the atmosphere felt like Tournament time, frankly, more so than some first round games. The traffic was horrendous, will have to plan differently next time, but the place was packed to the rafetrs and it felt it.

I was also impressed with the play of the Owls. The score doesn't make it seem like they competed, but I'll bet "our girls" will tell you the Owls made them work.
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Agree 100% Phil. They played us as hard the first 15 minutes or even the entire first half as Md and Penn State- tough on the boards! Pt Gd Fitzgerald is only a freshman. She was impressive as we're a few of the others. Then we just wear down other teams and make good players look weak.
 
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HuskyNan said:
You don't need to go to New Haven, you can go to any Metro North station and get the train to Bridgeport. Parking is free at Stratford on weekends and the round trip fare is $5. The ride is only 6 minutes to the arena. Easy as pie and cheap, too.

That was my original plan but my son was sick yesterday so I got a late start. I ended up driving and what a disaster that was. I have no idea why Bridgeport didn't have more traffic control people out to help with the influx of cars but there was a 1/4 mile backup of traffic on Rte 8. With the rainy and foggy conditions, that could have been a disaster. Bridgeport MUST do something about traffic control next time.
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You know- instead of staying to the left off the exit in that long double line- you can take the right split off that exit- as and there was loads of parking on the street, shopping centers, etc..... And a relatively short easy walk - and the area was not sketchy. Night may have been a little less desirable.
 
Buckaroobanzai said:
Third, tell me about the restaurant choices in Bridgeport. Fourth, when parking lots in Hartford charged $20, boneyarders waxed indignant. When Bridgeport lots charged $20, it was a simple economic benefit to Bridgeport.
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Be careful what you wish for. At Mohegan, parking is free and they have dozens of excellent restaurants, including Geno's.
 
Mohegan Sun or Bridgeport - it really makes no difference. The parking at Mohegan Sun may be free and the restaurant choices varied, but the travel problem is the same for the 7 pm game start. As I suggested in my earlier post, consistently uncompetitive games will not encourage fans to brave nasty traffic - particularly in the dark.
 
I believe the most games that can be played at Bridgeport is two. I was told that UConn gets a cut of the concessions at Bridgeport (find it hard to believe) but not at XL center. If that is true, I did my part yesterday by buying a lobster roll. The chips and slaw were not bad.

I also went to the men's game at Gampel at night. It was a 6 o'clock game. That wore me down somewhat. There's your straight line, gang.
 
It's a no-brainer for UConn. Put one or two games yearly in Bridgeport which draw around 9,000. Draws a lot of new fans... Lots of excitement in the stands... Good for TV fans to see a noisy full house... Good for the league... Good for SNY. Good for the players to feel the electricity. Good for UConn.
 
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HuskyNan said:
You don't need to go to New Haven, you can go to any Metro North station and get the train to Bridgeport. Parking is free at Stratford on weekends and the round trip fare is $5. The ride is only 6 minutes to the arena. Easy as pie and cheap, too.

That was my original plan but my son was sick yesterday so I got a late start. I ended up driving and what a disaster that was. I have no idea why Bridgeport didn't have more traffic control people out to help with the influx of cars but there was a 1/4 mile backup of traffic on Rte 8. With the rainy and foggy conditions, that could have been a disaster. Bridgeport MUST do something about traffic control next time.
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I went to the mens game on the Saturday after Christmas and the traffic for the game was awful. Each exit off of 95 and 8 was badly backed up. I'm surprised they didn't make some adjustments to fix it knowing they'd sell out again for the women.
 
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Uconnrick said:
I went to the mens game on the Saturday after Christmas and the traffic for the game was awful. Each exit off of 95 and 8 was badly backed up. I'm surprised they didn't make some adjustments to fix it knowing they'd sell out again for the women.
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Anyone who has been to the Bridgeport Arena knows that traffic "funnels" into the complex from the 95 and Route 8/25 exits. It is not easy unless you get there early... If you plan to arrive around 11AM you can to park quickly and without problem. On the other hand my son left his house in Trumbull late and arrived late. He ended up parking at the courthouse (for $3) and got to his seat about 5 minutes into the game... Pick your poison... Arrive early and pay the going rate... Or arrive late and miss some of the game... It still is a better venue than Hartford...
 
CTyankee said:
Anyone who has been to the Bridgeport Arena knows that traffic "funnels" into the complex from the 95 and Route 8/25 exits. It is not easy unless you get there early... If you plan to arrive around 11AM you can to park quickly and without problem. On the other hand my son left his house in Trumbull late and arrived late. He ended up parking at the courthouse (for $3) and got to his seat about 5 minutes into the game... Pick your poison... Arrive early and pay the going rate... Or arrive late and miss some of the game... It still is a better venue than Hartford...
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Actually, I went past the Rt8 traffic and went south on 95. Got off the Wordin exit and essentially drove right in without a problem. The other people I met didn't have such good luck.
 
JS said:
Saw you and Danny on the tube, Phil. You're the one with the unusual hairdo, right?
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No cracks about my hair, it's starting to go and I need to enjoy it while it lasts.

As for traffic, I've been to Bridgeport a number of times, and always got off Rte. 8 exit 3. I looked at the map, and saw that exit 1 dumps you right at the arena, so I was kicking myself for doing it wrong all these years...until I actually took the new route. I was at the exit at 11:10, and just barely made the National Anthem, and only managed that because I bailed out and changed my route.
 
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Don't discount the novelty factor. One game a year there is special. After that, it becomes just another game.
 
Bridgeport apparently approaches traffic the same way Mayor PT Barnum apporached snow. God put it there God will take it away.
 
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