Dear ISU AD: Please Stop Changing Hilton

Those pics are deceiving, they put out rows of folding chairs on the baseline to fill the void.
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And this is what you get putting those dangerous weapons down there
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The old discharge mercury vapor lighting took 20 minutes to reach full intensity after it was turned off; then back on; so there's no way they could turn the lights off for team introductions/video board hype in the old days.
 
What about the lights
I worked for the Hilton production crew four years in college. The lights were damn near original to the building. I remember they would take 30-45 minutes to "warm up". New lights are LED and are on/off in a second.

I also think the new lights are better suited for the volleyball team. i believe they can change the orientation of the lights so you're not staring up into the lights during the game. Or certain lights are on for one sport vs the other.
 
I worked for the Hilton production crew four years in college. The lights were damn near original to the building. I remember they would take 30-45 minutes to "warm up". New lights are LED and are on/off in a second.

I also think the new lights are better suited for the volleyball team. i believe they can change the orientation of the lights so you're not staring up into the lights during the game. Or certain lights are on for one sport vs the other.
I get the purpose of them and new ones were warranted. It just feels like that how raucous and awesome we all know Hilton to be doesn’t get across all the way on tv because of how dimly lit the crowd can look.
 
Wonder why there are people arguing that reducing student capacity and moving them away from the court so much that you can barely see them on TV is a good thing? I would think we're all on the same page here. I can see the lighting, that's more aesthetic, but also not a good change.
 
It's 5 feet geez. The crowd was as good and loud as it's ever been. If five feet and a fence prevent injuries and allow for safer court storms I would vote yes. Some people just need to understand changes are done for safety not to kill any fan experience. The old bleachers had reached their life expectancy so that's why this was done. The new bleachers just expand 5 feet less, not 15 or 25 feet. I was there for the meet Sunday in row 3, it was a little strange, but no big deal.

I'm positive more changes will happen to improve aesthetics and safety. Hilton is as old as me... so it's about to be sent out to graze.
 
I get the purpose of them and new ones were warranted. It just feels like that how raucous and awesome we all know Hilton to be doesn’t get across all the way on tv because of how dimly lit the crowd can look.

I forgot people tuned in to see the crowd.
 
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I worked for the Hilton production crew four years in college. The lights were damn near original to the building. I remember they would take 30-45 minutes to "warm up". New lights are LED and are on/off in a second.

I also think the new lights are better suited for the volleyball team. i believe they can change the orientation of the lights so you're not staring up into the lights during the game. Or certain lights are on for one sport vs the other.
I also worked on that crew occasionally for some beer money. Another thing to note was because of the age of the old lights, they no longer made the parts for them to maintain them either. I also remember hearing a story that there were times they would leave the lights on because they were afraid that if they turned them off, they wouldn't turn back on.
 
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You are taking away from the Hilton intimidation factor and atmosphere. Hilton was built with steep seating and fans on top of the action. Now you moved the students 25 feet away from the baselines and put them behind a fence. There’s 15 feet of bare concrete between the floor and student section. Return those new bleachers and bring back the old. Jack Trice seating is far from the field, don’t do the same to Hilton. And turn the lights back up. The upper deck looks like a black, empty void on TV.

Agreed. Moving the students behind a fence, adding space on the baseline between the baskets and the seating makes it for a less intimidating or intimate environment. That's what makes the Allen Fieldhouses and Cameron Indoor Stadiums of the world awesome. The intimacy. I'm not sure why this was done, but if the ISU AD is in control of this setup, it doesn't make any sense to take away from the atmosphere like this. Unusual.
 
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I get the purpose of them and new ones were warranted. It just feels like that how raucous and awesome we all know Hilton to be doesn’t get across all the way on tv because of how dimly lit the crowd can look.
Yeah, the focus reflectors on LED's is convergent for intensity (plus the nature of LED light), the old reflectors were divergent as there was plenty of intensity, so you have less "halation" thruout the arena.
 
I would be concerned the dim lights in the balcony would be a safety issue. Those steps always make me nervous even when I can see them. The different heights of the steps in the Liberty Bowl freak me out worse though.
 
It's 5 feet geez. The crowd was as good and loud as it's ever been. If five feet and a fence prevent injuries and allow for safer court storms I would vote yes. Some people just need to understand changes are done for safety not to kill any fan experience. The old bleachers had reached their life expectancy so that's why this was done. The new bleachers just expand 5 feet less, not 15 or 25 feet. I was there for the meet Sunday in row 3, it was a little strange, but no big deal.

I'm positive more changes will happen to improve aesthetics and safety. Hilton is as old as me... so it's about to be sent out to graze.

It’s been louder.
 
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On a somewhat related note, the sideline at The Phog is only about 26 inches wide on the announcer table side.

The NCAA "requires" 36 inches (and prefers 120). I've seen it be a factor at the end of games when the KU defenders crowd the opponent throwing the ball inbounds. There is just no space to step back for the view and passing angles. Not fair.

The NBA in the last decade has increased the clear space requirement on the sidelines, but especially the "runoff" area on the ends of the floor particularly on either side of the basket stanchions. I would not be surprised for the next new wood floor in Hilton to have more space on either end in the interest of player safety. That would take up some of the new dead space. The additional space would also be a help for volleyball where a serving player is often almost off the floor and in the laps of the first row of fans.
 
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Put a row of theater seats in the space and have a lottery for students only to fill them. Raise money besides.:cool: recliners and cup holders.
 
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