Poll: which venue do you enjoy more? | The Boneyard

Poll: which venue do you enjoy more?

Which venue do you enjoy more?

  • XL

    Votes: 41 20.6%
  • Gampel

    Votes: 158 79.4%

  • Total voters
    199
Joined
Feb 22, 2012
Messages
2,524
Reaction Score
13,684
Pretend you were dropped into a seat. No travel, no parking.

Which venue do you enjoy more?
 
Joined
Mar 28, 2019
Messages
2,858
Reaction Score
12,221
Gampel all day, except in the hypothetical case in which the XL is packed with a rowdy fan in every seat. If we could fill XL with lunatics for a given game, I'd prefer to have that game at XL over Gampel. That's a very rare, if not non-existent, occurrence, though.
 
Joined
Jul 29, 2019
Messages
34
Reaction Score
261
Current student here, from someone who is admittedly not super in tune with the scheduling logistics that come into play in regards to Gampel vs. XL, the splits this year are HORRIBLE. As someone who came to Storrs in 2017, was forced to watch AAC basketball as well as missing a whole season due to COVID, I wish the first important game in Gampel wasn't all the way in January. One could even argue that there are no must watch, mark your calendar type games at Gampel this year.

It just seems completely illogical from a pure sporting perspective to have Nova and Creighton at XL, the atmosphere is noticeably worse. The student section is notably worse, this is for a variety of reasons but mostly because 1. We have to have the ability to somehow get to Hartford. 2. We are, by this circumstance, less inebriated.

6000 more seats doesn't counteract what you lose when you choose XL, in my opinion. Also, someone who knows more please tell me why these splits, every year, just seem beyond all logic? Am I missing something?
 
Joined
Dec 8, 2015
Messages
12,244
Reaction Score
91,240
I put XL because it's closer to my house and I don't every have to sit on those god-awful bench seats. From a pure entertainment standpoint, I like Gampel better.
 
Joined
Jun 2, 2015
Messages
1,709
Reaction Score
13,756
i love gampel, but hartford is about ~30 minutes closer to new haven than storrs, so xl is preferable for weeknight games.

gampel doesn't have a single bad seat, though. can't say that about xl.
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
8,968
Reaction Score
31,564
I need to see the XL when we have a Big East schedule vs an AAC schedule. I'm not sure I can judge accurately at this point. I'm hoping that the Big East still energizes the fanbase like it did before the AAC debacle. If the Big East has both buildings rocking again, I'll go with XL. However, the beer at Gampel will amplify that experience as well.
 

8893

Curiouser
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
29,851
Reaction Score
96,490
Pretend you were dropped into a seat. No travel, no parking.
Which venue do you enjoy more?

I put XL because it's closer to my house and I don't every have to sit on those god-awful bench seats. From a pure entertainment standpoint, I like Gampel better.

i love gampel, but hartford is about ~30 minutes closer to new haven than storrs, so xl is preferable for weeknight games.

gampel doesn't have a single bad seat, though. can't say that about xl.
Note the question: Travel is not a consideration.
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
8,968
Reaction Score
31,564
Current student here, from someone who is admittedly not super in tune with the scheduling logistics that come into play in regards to Gampel vs. XL, the splits this year are HORRIBLE. As someone who came to Storrs in 2017, was forced to watch AAC basketball as well as missing a whole season due to COVID, I wish the first important game in Gampel wasn't all the way in January. One could even argue that there are no must watch, mark your calendar type games at Gampel this year.

It just seems completely illogical from a pure sporting perspective to have Nova and Creighton at XL, the atmosphere is noticeably worse. The student section is notably worse, this is for a variety of reasons but mostly because 1. We have to have the ability to somehow get to Hartford. 2. We are, by this circumstance, less inebriated.

6000 more seats doesn't counteract what you lose when you choose XL, in my opinion. Also, someone who knows more please tell me why these splits, every year, just seem beyond all logic? Am I missing something?
I think you'll find the experience at XL vastly better this season than you've experienced so far. The AAC and the crappy UConn teams really killed the whole thing. Now, we should be back to the good times.
 
Joined
May 27, 2015
Messages
13,121
Reaction Score
87,000
I think you'll find the experience at XL vastly better this season than you've experienced so far. The AAC and the crappy UConn teams really killed the whole thing. Now, we should be back to the good times.
I really don't think so, I had pretty much the same experience as him during my college years and that spanned the last Big East year, the national championship and then the downfall. Students just don't care about going to XL games because it's such a huge inconvenience to get there, especially if you're an underclassmen and don't know anyone with a car
 
Joined
Aug 29, 2015
Messages
20,574
Reaction Score
48,957
I really don't think so, I had pretty much the same experience as him during my college years and that spanned the last Big East year, the national championship and then the downfall. Students just don't care about going to XL games because it's such a huge inconvenience to get there, especially if you're an underclassmen and don't know anyone with a car
Are there no more busses? Having to get a bus pass days in advance always sucked because it meant you could t spontaneously go to a game, but for the big games the busses were always full and the student section was too. At least when I was there.
 
Joined
Jun 9, 2017
Messages
6,483
Reaction Score
25,808
Current student here, from someone who is admittedly not super in tune with the scheduling logistics that come into play in regards to Gampel vs. XL, the splits this year are HORRIBLE. As someone who came to Storrs in 2017, was forced to watch AAC basketball as well as missing a whole season due to COVID, I wish the first important game in Gampel wasn't all the way in January. One could even argue that there are no must watch, mark your calendar type games at Gampel this year.

It just seems completely illogical from a pure sporting perspective to have Nova and Creighton at XL, the atmosphere is noticeably worse. The student section is notably worse, this is for a variety of reasons but mostly because 1. We have to have the ability to somehow get to Hartford. 2. We are, by this circumstance, less inebriated.

6000 more seats doesn't counteract what you lose when you choose XL, in my opinion. Also, someone who knows more please tell me why these splits, every year, just seem beyond all logic? Am I missing something?

You’re not missing anything. Don’t let the old farts here gaslight you
 
Joined
May 27, 2015
Messages
13,121
Reaction Score
87,000
Are there no more busses? Having to get a bus pass days in advance always sucked because it meant you could t spontaneously go to a game, but for the big games the busses were always full and the student section was too. At least when I was there.
They had busses, but I always found it difficult to make work with classes and getting to the game on time. The big games were more fill in the student section but I always found it underwhelming compared to big games at Gampel
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
8,968
Reaction Score
31,564
I really don't think so, I had pretty much the same experience as him during my college years and that spanned the last Big East year, the national championship and then the downfall. Students just don't care about going to XL games because it's such a huge inconvenience to get there, especially if you're an underclassmen and don't know anyone with a car
That sucks. I was always used to XL rocking for good games. In the 90's and early 2000s I actually hated Gampel for the most part. Of course, there was great games there too, like Texas and Arizona, but XL always seemed more edgy. It had a big city vibe to it when loud.
 

Waquoit

Mr. Positive
Joined
Aug 24, 2011
Messages
32,188
Reaction Score
82,251
It just seems completely illogical from a pure sporting perspective to have Nova and Creighton at XL, the atmosphere is noticeably worse. ...Am I missing something?
This is just wrong. The XL atmosphere has been noticably better than Gampel pre-COVID. The "suits" at the XL are louder and much less corporate and than their old rep, no matter the competition. Meanwhile, student attendance has fallen off a cliff. Like I mentioned in another thread, Gampel was dead in a late-season game with NCAA implications just 2 years ago. Inexcusable.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Mar 28, 2019
Messages
2,858
Reaction Score
12,221
I was at UConn from '03 to '09, and the student section at the Civic Center was full for my first few years. The black market for student tickets was red hot. One could get $50+ for marquee matchups (face value was $5 or $10, I think). When I joined the cheerleading team, I continued to buy student tickets just to sell them. Getting to Hartford apparently wasn't an issue back then. Students found a way.

Reminds me of the time that I walked/hitchhiked to Hartford from Towers dorms. It was a Friday night, probably in January, and the temperature was well below freezing. I drunkenly declared that I bleed blue and white to such an extent that I was planning to walk to Hartford for the game the following day at noon against Syracuse. Someone replied, "You won't do it!" and that was all she wrote. I convinced two friends to come with me, and we bundled up, threw some beers in a backpack, and started our walk down 195. A Coventry cop drove us down route 44 up to the highway. During the ride, she asked us, "You haven't been drinking, have you?" and "Are you sure you're allowed to walk along the highway?" I am not sure if she was super ignorant and naïve or what, but we were grateful for the warm ride in any case.

During our walk down 384, a small pickup truck stopped and asked us what the heck we were doing. We told him we were walking to the game, and he offered us a ride into Hartford. As we were talking a state trooper pulled up and said he got reports of pedestrians in the travel lanes on the highway. He asked what we were up to, and we told him we were on our way to the game. He then asked us to prove it by showing him our tickets. We did, and he sent us on our way, telling us we were lucky that the motorist offered to pick us up, otherwise we'd be getting a ride to the station.

We got into the Civic Center around 5:30 Saturday morning, and we killed time talking to a homeless gentleman who regaled us with an alphabetical list from memory of the 100+ bands he had seen live in his lifetime. When he was done, we gave him our leftover beer and went to find somewhere to lay down. It was quite an epic journey.
 
Joined
Aug 2, 2016
Messages
4,522
Reaction Score
57,718
Also, someone who knows more please tell me why these splits, every year, just seem beyond all logic? Am I missing something?
I would disagree with the assessment that Creighton should be considered a top draw this season and should be split from Nova. They lost their entire team and have a talented recruiting class but all freshmen so skeptical they will be a top half Big East team.

Villanova at XL sure, but it's one game. Big East preseason will probably go 1. Nova 2. UConn 3. Xavier 4. St. John's 5. Seton Hall 6. Butler 7. Creighton 8. Providence 9. Georgetown 10. Marquette 11. DePaul (bolded at Gampel this season)

In addition to having arguably 3 of the 4 best teams in the conference not named UConn at Gampel, as we saw last time Georgetown came to town, it was a packed XL Center so them along with the other original Big East teams should be a huge draw at Gampel. Granted all of those games are during the week excluding Xavier and DePaul, but in terms of opponent split it seems reasonable.

This year St. John's and Seton Hall should be a bigger draw than Creighton given where I expect them to finish and historical rivalry.

Providence and Nova will probably be the two biggest draws of the season. PC being at XL makes sense since it is winter break so pretty straightforward, but one of the two should have been at Gampel.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jul 29, 2019
Messages
34
Reaction Score
261
I would disagree with the assessment that Creighton should be considered a top draw this season and should be split from Nova. They lost their entire team and have a talented recruiting class but all freshmen so skeptical they will be a top half Big East team.

Villanova at XL sure, but it's one game. Big East preseason will probably go 1. Nova 2. UConn 3. Xavier 4. St. John's 5. Seton Hall 6. Butler 7. Creighton 8. Providence 9. Georgetown 10. Marquette 11. DePaul (bolded at Gampel this season)

In addition to having arguably 3 of the 4 best teams in the conference not named UConn at Gampel, as we saw last time Georgetown came to town, it was a packed XL Center so them along with the other original Big East teams should be a huge draw at Gampel. Granted all of those games are during the week excluding Xavier and DePaul, but in terms of opponent split it seems reasonable.

This year St. John's and Seton Hall should be a bigger draw than Creighton given where I expect them to finish and historical rivalry.
All fair points, but I think this is also in addition to an ABYSMAL non conference Gampel home schedule. Along with puzzling decisions just like this that have taken place the past few years. I can say with a reasonable amount confidence that most students are disappointed with the splits at Gampel every year I have been at the University. It’s a trend that I wish we had a bit more insight as to why.

Like I said it just really sticks out to me that the first important game this year at Gampel is in January to a “ok maybe they’re good” St. John’s team. When UConn is good the students are as rowdy as any set of fans in college basketball and I just wish we had the opportunity to show it more.
 
Joined
Aug 2, 2016
Messages
4,522
Reaction Score
57,718
All fair points, but I think this is also in addition to an ABYSMAL non conference Gampel home schedule. Along with puzzling decisions just like this that have taken place the past few years. I can say with a reasonable amount confidence that most students are disappointed with the splits at Gampel every year I have been at the University. It’s a trend that I wish we had a bit more insight as to why.

Like I said it just really sticks out to me that the first important game this year at Gampel is in January to a “ok maybe they’re good” St. John’s team. When UConn is good the students are as rowdy as any set of fans in college basketball and I just wish we had the opportunity to show it more.
Completely agree on the home non-conference schedule. That needs to improve dramatically.

But I will say if folks are looking at St. John's as an "ok maybe they're good" team, then basically Villanova is the only team that doesn't fit that criteria this season i.e. if Villanova isn't at Gampel people won't be happy and UConn didn't join the Big East just to play Villanova.

I think some of the concerns I have seen about the schedule are valid, but as far as conference schedule goes I don't view it as some great injustice as long as games are evenly split between Gampel and XL.

I want more games at Gampel but so long as this is the reality it honestly seems OK.
 

ClifSpliffy

surf's up
Joined
Nov 9, 2018
Messages
9,512
Reaction Score
14,295
All fair points, but I think this is also in addition to an ABYSMAL non conference Gampel home schedule. Along with puzzling decisions just like this that have taken place the past few years. I can say with a reasonable amount confidence that most students are disappointed with the splits at Gampel every year I have been at the University. It’s a trend that I wish we had a bit more insight as to why.

Like I said it just really sticks out to me that the first important game this year at Gampel is in January to a “ok maybe they’re good” St. John’s team. When UConn is good the students are as rowdy as any set of fans in college basketball and I just wish we had the opportunity to show it more.
'All fair points, but I think this is also in addition to an ABYSMAL non conference Gampel/XL home schedule.'
ftfy.
u r wise beyond ur years. go forth and spread the good word for the many benefits of a Storrs degree.
and, could ya kick someone in bball scheduling in da nutz for us?
ur located closer to them than most of us.
 

Online statistics

Members online
562
Guests online
3,972
Total visitors
4,534

Forum statistics

Threads
155,813
Messages
4,032,299
Members
9,865
Latest member
Sad Tiger


Top Bottom