Was there a question that went with this answer??
Originally Posted by Bruce Van De Velde
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Was there a question that went with this answer??
I asked "Could you ask Tony Franklin to shave his beard more often?"
I asked one about them. I don't remember the exact wording, but it talked about other schools garnering national recognition with the change. And if we would do something like that even for a single event like the A&M game.
Overall, a very good chat session.
I think so too.
Now the students can once again harass the opposing team instead of kids club!? The Bruce is on a roll.
What a terrible rule in the first place. Made WAC games less fun. How is that good for the conference?
Kept the players from catching screwdrivers to the back of the head at some of our less-friendly venues.
Overrated.
Anything on Q4E groundbreaking?
Supposedly next year.
I have the entire chat copied and pasted onto a word document if anybody wants me to email it to them.
Clean up and post the text here, if you don't mind.
I took out who submitted the question. Hope you enjoy!!!
1. What are your next "Top 3" goals/objectives for LA Tech athletics now that the biggest goal of joining CUSA has been obtained?
To continue to improve our athletic facilities, increase our operating budget in terms of the amount of money we self-generate in ticket sales, fundraising and corporate sponsorships and to develop a more aggressive, comprehensive marketing campaign to expand our brand both within the state of Louisiana and nationally.
2. What is the long term facility plan for athletics after Q4E?
I do not view Quest for Excellence as something that will ever end. I think we will always be striving and developing new goals as it relates to our infrastructure. Certainly the end zone complex is a big piece of Quest for Excellence and our goal is to initiate construction for that project in the coming year and simultaneously improve our facilities for softball, baseball locker room and a new scoreboard/videoboard for men's and women's basketball. Beyond that, I believe the second phase of Quest for Excellence will be to remodel and expand our press box at Joe Aillet Stadium. The Quest for Excellence will always continue as we will always strive for the best facilities.
3. Any time table on basketball videoboard?
We are in the process of developing a request for proposals for our videoboard. The proposal we are putting together is very technical and takes a lot of time and expertise to put all the specifications together for a project such as this that involves high-end technology. We are developing our proposal to make sure we have the right equipment and have the right vendor as well. I view this project as current and we would like to have the scoreboard/videoboard by this coming season. While that may be a little aggressive, we are working to making sure this process is completed as soon as possible but done in moving so fast that we make a mistake.
4. How will basketball scheduling work with 13 teams?
Conference USA has not fully developed the scheduling model that we will use based on our membership numbers yet. We will be sitting down with the conference this summer to talk about our divisions and scheduling models. I also believe the league's membership is not complete and we will end up with an even number of member schools as opposed to an odd number such as 13.
5. With this years WAC football championship and the announcement of CUSA membership will their be a wide spread marketing push to capitalize on this momentum?
Yes, we are currently working with the University's marketing and communications departments. The University, along with athletics, will be rolling out a marketing campaign that will include our move to the new conference in 2013. This will take place over the next 12-14 months as our momentum builds for our first season in Conference USA in August 2013.
6. Is an indoor practice facility for the football program something that is feasible in the next 10 years?
An indoor practice facility is something we have discussed internally. I believe if this project becomes more of a priority it would be something the entire student body would benefit from, not just intercollegiate athletics. I have spoken to Coach Dykes about an indoor practice facility. He believes it would beneficial but I also know that we have other priorities that are, at this time, ahead of an indoor practice facility. It certainly will remain on our radar and we will continue our conversations both in the athletic department and with the University about how an indoor practice facility could fulfill the needs for our student-athletes and the general student body.
7. Which sideline will our team be on during conference games this season?
This past spring at our WAC meetings, I submitted a proposal to change the by-law that requires the home team to be seated on the same side as its student body. I am happy to report that the conference accepted our proposal and the rule will no longer exist beginning this fall, thus allowing our football team to remain on the West (home team) sideline for all games this fall if we so choose.
8. Are there any other sports that C-USA has that TECH does not currently have and will need to add??
There are no sports that we would be required to add as it relates to our membership in Conference USA. However, our Athletic Council - which monitors sports sponsorship for our athletic department - has talked about starting a women's swimming program to increase opportunities for women's student-athletes. Conference USA does sponsor swimming and with our new Lambright facility meeting NCAA guidelines, I could see adding women's swimming to our sports sponsorship list as something that could be possible in the future. In the meantime, we are committed to making sure all of our varsity sports are competitive on the field and in the classroom.
9. Can you ballpark estimate the increase in revenues we will see from WAC to CUSA? (specifically TV/Media deals)
Our revenue from Conference USA will be phased in over a three-year period of time starting in 2013. However, the first year of the conference revenue distribution will be greater than our last year distribution in the Western Athletic Conference. Over the next 2-3 years it will increase until we are receiving our full revenue distribution. Currently, Conference USA is in negotiation with the networks for a new television contract. At this time, it is hard to put an exact dollar figure on what we will receive from the league's media rights contract. With the new membership, those numbers will change.
10. When is the new floor in Memorial Gym going to be installed/completed?
Our target date for installation is August 2012
11. Was hosting a home football and/or basketball game in Shreveport every year a condition of joining CUSA?
No, it was not a condition. It was discussed as a way to increase value to the television contract and to help make Louisiana Tech more attractive to Conference USA. The television networks are interested in regional rivalries and Shreveport is a top 100 market. Thus, playing a game there - as long as it is the right game and not a conference game (such as a BCS opponent) - can be attractive for television and add great value to our television contract and the Louisiana Tech brand.
12. Do you forsee our set OOC schedule being altered since we will be in CUSA?
Coach Dykes and I have established some general parameters in regards to our out of conference scheduling. These parameters include the ability to have six home games, to generate the revenues necessary to fund our programs, the opportunity to be competitive and have success and to schedule games that would help promote ticket sales and bolster recruiting. We will look at our non-conference scheduling and massage it based on those parameters. The good thing about Conference USA is it will allow us to have a balanced schedule with four conference home games and four conference road games (assuming an eight game league schedule). That will allow us to have the balanced schedule we all want within the parameters outlined.
13. Have our coaches reporting any difference in recruiting since the conference announcement?
It may be too early to realize the full impact our membership in Conference USA will have. As we start to play those games and family and friends can better attend Tech games, our fan base becomes more invigorated by regional conference rivalries, games being held in large markets (C-USA has six of the top 40 media markets and four in the top 25) and television schedules get attracted to those games, I think you'll see recruiting impacted in a very positive manner. With the great media markets added to where future Louisiana Tech games will be held, I think you will see a great boost to Louisiana Tech's recruiting and national brand.
14. With the move to C-USA, will the logo at center court of the Thomas Assembly Center be changed since WAC most be taken off the court?
Yes but with one more year in the WAC still left ahead, I do not anticipate making those changes until July 2013.
15. I am in favor of playing football games in Shreveport but the last few have had logistical and traffic problems. Have there been any discussions as to how to improve the Tech fan experience when we play there?
Yes, we are currently in discussions in regards to the parking and traffic in Shreveport as it relates to the Aug. 30 game against Texas A&M. One area we have asked the city to address is to provide shuttle service for satellite parking which will help with not only parking but also traffic flow in and out of Independence Stadium and the fair grounds. The city has assured me they will provide shuttle service. We have also spoken with the police about what can be done in terms of in-bound and out-bound traffic to Independence Stadium. We are working with city officials as to what can be done there. The best advice I can give you is to arrive at the stadium early and after the game allow for enough time to exit the stadium and be patient as over 40,000 fans leave one area at a single time. These are problems that some of the largest collegiate stadiums in the country are pressed with and we are working to make our fan experience for that game as positive as possible.
16. Bruce when will construction start at the baseball complex for the renovations to the locker rooms and coaches' offices?
We are currently working with the architects on the construction documents and cost estimates about the baseball locker room. The plan is to break ground this summer on the expansion and renovation of the locker room at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.
17. Are we on target with the goals set to renovate Memorial Gym?
Our target date to renovate the Memorial Gym floor is this coming August (2012).
18. How can Hideaway Park play a factor in gameday experience/tailgating for fans? Are ya'll planning on using this land or building anything in it that would attract more fans?
The University, along with the student body government, has a long-term plan to add recreational amenities to Hideaway Park which will improve the atmosphere for tailgating. Leah Beasley, our Associate AD for Marketing, serves on the committee and they are in the process of procuring federal funds that can be used to invest in Hideaway Park. Some of the amenities include docks for recreation on the lake, bike trails, electrical power outlets for tailgating, picnic tables, jogging trails and more.
19. Is there a groundbreaking date set for the south end zone facility?
No specific date has been established for groundbreaking but we are initiating the development of the construction documents so we can have a cost estimate and establish a more definitive timeline as it relates to construction. I would expect us to break ground on the facility this coming school year.
20. Did not list question
I like the different jersey concepts that many schools are using but I think our look is great already with our current uniforms. If it isn't broke, don't fix it. At the same time, I think it is a great marketing strategy and I would probably leave it up to more creative minds than my own to come up with ideas to utilize. I love our school colors and uniforms and think they look great on television and in person. I have been reluctant to try to alter the look much. We have established our annual RED OUT game as a theme that has become more popular each passing year and it augments our look and brand. I can see us doing more things in the future but it is going to be hard to beat the color combination and classic look of our current uniforms. We already receive numerous compliments on our look. The more changes you make, the more you risk in losing your brand and look. Whatever you do you want to look first class which is why we have been reluctant beyond the RED OUT to change much at this time. At heart, I am a traditionalist and I love our patriotic colors of red, white and blue.
21. Are there any current members of CUSA that you want to mirror? I personally think ECU has done a great job and would be a good model to copy.
I think each member of Conference USA has their own strengths. Certainly the private schools have academics as a strength. East Carolina has done a wonderful job with their facilities as has Tulsa. You could go around to each member and find several areas you would like to emulate and see your program implement. I cannot say there is one program that has it all that we would want to copy but each school has its own strengths. At the end of the day, we want to build on our own strengths to become the best possible fit for North Louisiana, our fans and our alumni.
(After the questions)
Bruce Van De Velde:
I appreciate everyone who has participated and I apologize if we could not answer all of your questions but we will do this again soon. I also want to thank you for your support of our program. We have an exciting future. I encourage everyone to go out and find friends and family to join our program. As we enter Conference USA, we need to grow our ticket sales and fundraising. Help us continue to grow as we continue to improve our program. Thank you for all that you do. Go Bulldogs!
Alright Guys-slap
Good news on the SEZ. I kind of like the idea of a continuous QfE; it implies an attitude of never being content with the status quo.
I hope they always present the renderings of what they want to do next. I think that gets people excited.
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