UMaine Black Bears, 2nd verse same as the first 2016-2017

[Ma#1ne Hky]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2nd verse same as the first 2016-2017

Thanks = Friends of Maine Hockey !!!!

[Drew S.]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2nd verse same as the first 2016-2017

Hockey booster says players won't show up for an all in one event like they would for individual events, Cosgrove confirms it by saying football players didn't show in the numbers of previous years. But somehow it was better.

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But they made an extra $25K!!!!!!!! Of course they'll lose much more than that down the road from decreased donations and attendance, but for the minute look like geniuses. This has been going on for 15 years and is why Maine is where it is. I'd love to know how much they spent on some consultant from away to come up with such a brilliant plan.

I hope some former players or FOMH members start up some sort of 'rebel' friends group to help the team. I would be happy to join and donate.

[Bhall44]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2nd verse same as the first 2016-2017

Pat Holway article
http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index....es_stabil.html

[AMC]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2nd verse same as the first 2016-2017

“All the golf tournaments combined used to make $50,000 to $75,000. This will earn close to six-figures,” said Woodcock.

So, if there were hockey, baseball and football tournaments (I don't think either basketball team or anyone else did a golf tourney), that means those three programs received from $16,000-$25,000 each.

Now, there is one golf tournament to support all 10 programs (combining all the tracks and the two swimmings into one each) that earns (let's be generous) $100,000. I know that the income won't be distributed equally, but that is $10,000 per program.

Is the plan to give the three "big" fundraising programs $25,000 each and the other seven can fight for the scraps? What about the two basketball programs? What do they get? Do the "big five" of baseball, both basketballs, football and hockey each get $20,000 and none to the olympic sports? That seems to be contrary to the point of doing this. But if you divide the pie any smaller, you are raising less money for the sports that already had golf tournaments.

I really don't get it.

[AMC]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2nd verse same as the first 2016-2017

I think if there is one thing that the UMaine athletic department has proven in the last 10-15 years is that trying to run the department like a "big time" program will lead to lurching from abject failure to abject failure.

This isn't a big time athletic department. This is barely a division one athletic program. It's a family business, it isn't Wal-Mart. One size fits all won't work.

Heck the only program winning recently is football, and they play with an enormous chip on their shoulder about being overlooked by the bigger schools.

[Drew S.]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2nd verse same as the first 2016-2017

I think if there is one thing that the UMaine athletic department has proven in the last 10-15 years is that trying to run the department like a "big time" program will lead to lurching from abject failure to abject failure.

This isn't a big time athletic department. This is barely a division one athletic program. It's a family business, it isn't Wal-Mart. One size fits all won't work.

Heck the only program winning recently is football, and they play with an enormous chip on their shoulder about being overlooked by the bigger schools.

Couldn't agree more with this whole post. They need people from Maine running the department. I've said this for awhile, but more than anything else the athletic department needs fans more than money right now. They have a $10MM plus budget and an extra $25K isn't going to change very much. The benefit of the old golf tournaments was it reunited a lot of alumni, fans, and coaches for a day and was a fun day out. It also gave the current players a chance to get to know alumni and more about the program's past. How much money they made was secondary.

I've hoped for a long time that eventually things would start to go the other way but just doesn't seem very likely. It was encouraging last year when they lowered a lot of ticket prices and now they've done this.

This is a very big year for Red and the program overall. I am sure that a fair number of people won't be attending because of the changes. If they win it certainly will encourage more people to go, but if not the place is really going to look empty. I can't remember another year where three or four weeks before school starts we had so little information on what the roster was going to look like. I think Maine has to cut somewhere from four to six players based on what is out there right now. No way you can have a roster with 33 guys on it.

[Runsub5]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2nd verse same as the first 2016-2017

I can't really speak to the financials of the department, or the marketing, or the ticket office (we gave up the hockey season tickets we'd had since 1984 three or four years ago and never heard a word from the ticket office or athletic department asking why).

But I can say, that based upon what the University of Maine is, that a few teams seem to be overachieving (football, field hockey), and everything else is about where it should be. This is a small public university in a poor, rural, aging, demographically undiverse state. Any expectation of having a top 20 team in ANY sport is delusional. The hockey only fans are upset because Maine isn't what it was on the ice, but frankly Maine probably shouldn't have ever been that to begin with. Shawn was a once in a lifetime genius. There may be three or four people alive who could build a program like Shawn did, and good luck identifying them or bringing them to Orono.

Exactly my experience and my sentiment. Well said. With the consolidation of friends groups; I submit that all programs will suffer. Not just from a monetary point of view but from connecting with fans of individual sports.

[dunbar]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2nd verse same as the first 2016-2017

What should be noted is that all gifts to UMaine Athletics (general or specific sport) are now matched by the Alfond Foundation. Previously, that matching program was exclusive to Football through the Alfond Challenge.

[GoBlackBears]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2nd verse same as the first 2016-2017

Will there be a Center Ice Club for Hockey or is that gone as well?

[Runsub5]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2nd verse same as the first 2016-2017

What should be noted is that all gifts to UMaine Athletics (general or specific sport) are now matched by the Alfond Foundation. Previously, that matching program was exclusive to Football through the Alfond Challenge.

Good point. If money is matched dollar for dollar then it might just generate more money for all sports.

[Runsub5]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2nd verse same as the first 2016-2017

Will there be a Center Ice Club for Hockey or is that gone as well?

And who will step up and host the banquet each year? If all boosters are eliminated this may also disappear.

[Drew S.]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2nd verse same as the first 2016-2017

And who will step up and host the banquet each year? If all boosters are eliminated this may also disappear.

A lot of schools just have one event for all sports. I wouldn't be surprised if that is what Maine does in the future.

[walrus]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2nd verse same as the first 2016-2017

And who will step up and host the banquet each year? If all boosters are eliminated this may also disappear.

One of the asst ADs was on the facebook page, he was asked about Center Ice Club and such but had no answer. I doubt they even thought about it

[BBDiehard14]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2nd verse same as the first 2016-2017

Interview with Swayman from The Maine Edge. I like his attitude

http://www.themaineedge.com/sports/t...jeremy-swayman

[Ma#1ne Hky]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2nd verse same as the first 2016-2017

Interview with Swayman from The Maine Edge. I like his attitude

http://www.themaineedge.com/sports/t...jeremy-swayman

As I said over and over, goaltending will be a key factor when or if Maine is to go on the rebound and improve this year. Either Swayman, McGovern or a tandem of both need to be a plus for this team to improve. Many/many other factors also (defense/scoring), but if the goaltending is not solid then Maine is in for a long season (again). But nice to hear a goaltender with moxie and thinking about goals in the Team way.