Why the move
- Thread starter BiggDog
- Start date
There was talk of the Hearnes being torn down. Don't know if that's happening or not. But there is a new softball complex in parking lot.
Yeah, really centrally located. And are there two facilities at mo state? Trying to picture twelve games on Thursday at one facility for the 3 small classes. Bonehead move.
Yep, two facilities.
JQH Arena (11,000 seats)
and Hammons Student Center (new lower bowl seats installed this past December - 8,800 seats)
JQH Arena (11,000 seats)
and Hammons Student Center (new lower bowl seats installed this past December - 8,800 seats)
If anyone has had a chance to go watch the tournament of champions you will have to agree that the atmosphere will be crazy
I probably won't be going to Springfield as an unbiased fan. Someone I know will have to be playing.
That being said, CoMo doesn't deserve to host the state tournament any longer. It is obvious in the time that I have been going that they DO NOT CARE about hosting the HS State Tournament.
Poor parking, poor confessions, shoddy operation all together, can't even bother theirselves to sweep the floor which was visibly filthy, resulting in many players slipping and falling down.
Springfield is too far to travel for us, but maybe they will appreciate the privilege, Columbia sure doesn't.
That being said, CoMo doesn't deserve to host the state tournament any longer. It is obvious in the time that I have been going that they DO NOT CARE about hosting the HS State Tournament.
Poor parking, poor confessions, shoddy operation all together, can't even bother theirselves to sweep the floor which was visibly filthy, resulting in many players slipping and falling down.
Springfield is too far to travel for us, but maybe they will appreciate the privilege, Columbia sure doesn't.
I go to Columbia every year, a little less than 2 hour drive, but St. Louis to Springfield is about a 3 1/2 hour drive.
Better atmosphere in Springfield for High School games. No. 1 High School tournament in the country takes place every year in JQH Arena. Bass Pro Tournament of Champions Hammond Student Center is a great venue as well. Southwest Missouri and Southeast Missouri have traveled 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 hours to Columbia for years.
I am a fan of moving it each year. It is just nice to see it in Springfield. We have great facilities, lodging and food. For those that make the trip. It will be worth it.
As a long time attendee of the Show-Me Showdown final-four games I would
prefer it stay in Columbia for multiple reasons.
One, Columbia is located in the center of Missouri. Springfield, KansCity,
StLouis, Cape etc are NOT.
Opportunity to play in THE Missouri University Arena.
MSHSAA headquarters located in Columbia.
Keep in mind, the final-four Show-Me Showdown will still be operated
controlled and handled by the same MSHSAA folks even in Springfield..!
C =|~
They don't worry about it being in the middle of the state for other sports. The teams, and fans, located very close to Columbia have had a big advantage for many years. I reckon the teams that get a chance to go don't really care where it is, they'll show up.
I get the points people are making about location. And fully understand DF's statement about MSHSAA still operating and running the tournament. That said, I really think the switch to Springfield will improve the experience for the fans and players. The two venues in Springfield are literally an arms reach apart. In fact, you don't even have to go outside to get from one to the other (probably will for fans though, but they're literally 50' apart). Also, I think Springfield and surrounding areas will support the tournament. I'd be shocked if you don't see an uptick in attendance. And even though MSHSAA runs the tournament, the locals that will work it will take far more pride in it than you see in Columbia.
I think Springfield will do a good job with it (I have always thought that CoMo did too) but I am bummed to see it leave Mid-Missouri. There will probably be an uptick in local attendance because of the novelty of it in the first year. And that's cool.
Springfield is a basketball town, don't know if I can say that for Columbia. I think you will see a lot of people at the Final Four that do not have a man in the fight, especially on Championship Saturday. I have seen Class 1 District Championship games in the Springfield area push close to 1,500 people or so. WG-Greenfield was packed with people from all over the area. I think Springfield is a wise move for basketball, maybe not so much for football, but definitely basketball.
Playing at the University of Missouri is a big deal for HS kids. Playing at Missouri State is not a big deal to kids. Should have stayed at Mizzou.
As a Mizzou alum and SW Missouri native, I disagree with this. Both Hammons and JQH are nice arenas that are comparable to Hearnes/Mizzou Arena.
But c'mon, these are the state championships. It shouldn't matter what court that the games are being played on, that is completely secondary. The environment will still be good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~OK Eagles....Ya have me convinced... Could ya go ahead and line me up with a good motel with hot breakfast & hot-tub (cheap), mom n pop (b.l.d) diner, BBQ place, driving instructions, parking place, entry door, floor level access pass, padded hi-back seat, unlimited hospitality room ticket, press room access etc or anything else that we may need to complete our Springfield experience...LOL.......
Will we cya in CoMoTown this T-F-S...?
C (dogpa..=()~
Why won't the same MSHSAA people go to Springfield to run the tourney, isn't that part of their job? MSHSAA people came to 3Rivers College in Poplar Bluff to run the first two spring softball tournaments before they moved it to Springfield.
Some people will clearly be down in Springfield, but it obviously won't be as convenient for the entire MSHSAA staff to "walk over" to the games like in Columbia.
So the City of Columbia should be providing people to sweep the floor? I don't get it.
I don't really know if the "City of Columbia" should be providing people to sweep the floor. I would think MSHSAA would be in charge of that.
They host the high school state championships in class 1,2,3,4,5 and seem to not care one bit. Thousands, I repeat, THOUSANDS come to Columbia to see these kids compete at the highest level and the accommodations are very poor at best.
Inadequate parking, concessions closed, dirty floor contributing to injuring some of the best players in the state....etc , etc .
They won't have to worry about it anymore, thank goodness, since it was such a burden. Maybe they can concentrate on other things now, like regaining their reputation, which happens to be in the gutter.
As a player I had an opportunity to play on both areas through my run to a final 4. I am 1 hour away from Columbia and 2 1/2 hours away from Springfield. We played in Hammonds for the right to get to Columbia. There were just as many fans from our area down watching in Speingfield as there was Columbia. Not just fans from our town but from our entire county. I personally thought the experience at Springfield was better. Fans are closer to the floor which made it much louder than in Mizzou Arena. I love the change and was wishing they would do this years ago!
Personally I think the finals should be held in Illinois or Kansas where most of the kids are recruited from! LOL....
I don't get the parking complaint. What can MSHSAA do differently? I mean, it's a lot better parking situation than Mizzou men's games. You are able to park south of Stadium at least. Sure parking is an issue at the state championships but I have no idea what MU or MSHSAA could do differently.
The concessions are exactly as they are during Mizzou basketball games. I actually thought they did better this year than did during Class 1-3 weekend last year. There weren't long lines unless you were heading there right at the beginning of halftime.
I know nothing of the dirty floor stuff. I don't know if that is a real thing or not. But I have a hard time believing that you have info that multiple injuries to the "best players in the state" have been caused by the alleged dirty floor. They have kids down there with the mops and whatnot like every other arena ever.
I don't feel like it has been a burden. I talk to the Event Staff people quite a bit. During the MSHSAA championships and other Mizzou events. They all seem to enjoy having the state championships here. I watched a lot of them go way out of their way to interact with the fans and help them find the right section, bathrooms, concessions, etc. I think Springfield put together a nice bid and that is why they are leaving. And it will be exciting having them in a different venue for a change.
I probably shouldn't respond to the "reputation" stuff because it is pretty much slander at this point. I know it is in reference to an event that took place 17 months ago. I guess that still frustrates some and perhaps some will never get over it. I don't know. But in terms of Mizzou, it's still an AAU school in the best athletic conference in the United States. And I don't mean to be dismissive about the reputation stuff. I hear it. I attend all the sessions of the MSHSAA championships. I wear Mizzou gear every single time. I do my best to assist people if they are lost and to chat with our visitors. I try to do everything in my power to counteract any negative notions about the event, city, or university. I apologize for the tangent but comments like that cut close to the heart and I literally wake up each morning doing everything I can to shine a light on all the great things in CoMo and at Mizzou.
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faurotfield I appreciate your comments -- you sound like a good ambassador for Mizzou, and they could use a few of those right about now.
I think the Class 1-2 games in particular will be much better in Springfield, because the Springfield/Ozarks area is the hotbed of Class 1-2 basketball in the state. I think attendance and fan interest in those games will be very high around here. I'm not sure how a class 4 or 5 final that was all-St. Louis would draw here. I guess we may find out soon.
I know I will greatly appreciate having the games close by, and will attend as many rounds as I can, regardless of the teams involved.
Parking at MSU may not be any better, and could be worse, than Columbia. Since the arenas are surrounded by campus parking, which is scarce at best even when no games are going on, I'll be very interested to see what the strategy is to assure adequate parking.
Otherwise, the convenience of the side-by-side arenas will be a great feature.
I think the Class 1-2 games in particular will be much better in Springfield, because the Springfield/Ozarks area is the hotbed of Class 1-2 basketball in the state. I think attendance and fan interest in those games will be very high around here. I'm not sure how a class 4 or 5 final that was all-St. Louis would draw here. I guess we may find out soon.
I know I will greatly appreciate having the games close by, and will attend as many rounds as I can, regardless of the teams involved.
Parking at MSU may not be any better, and could be worse, than Columbia. Since the arenas are surrounded by campus parking, which is scarce at best even when no games are going on, I'll be very interested to see what the strategy is to assure adequate parking.
Otherwise, the convenience of the side-by-side arenas will be a great feature.
Why not rotate. SLU and SEMO also have great venues. Move it around for people from all over the state to enjoy. I don't know what KC, Truman or Northwest Missouri state could do but I think it would make it great for the fans. Kids go from Packed venues for districts and sectionals but when they get to Columbia they play in front of an empty gym.
Very well said indeed, and I respect your position.
To answer some of your questions, in my humble opinion, I don't know the answer to the parking. There is inadequate parking and I hear some of that will be gone in the future.
In regard to the concessions, there were stands closed during championship games for class 1,2,3 and lines at the one's that were open. Why are some concessions closed?
I actually didn't say multiple players were injured, but I can name two. The Owens girl from State Champion Mercer, possible MCL tear in the semi-finals, and Brendon Crader from Advance in the championship game slipping and going down with an ankle injury, not to return. The floor is visibly dirty, many players slipped and fell, and the only mopping is in the paint, nowhere on the rest of the floor.
I don't mean to personally insult, just some observations I have noticed over the years. Hopefully Springfield will be a great venue for those attending.
I appreciate your response. I got a little long-winded and I apologize for that.
The new Mizzou softball stadium took up quite a few parking spots. That has made things difficult. And I agree that it is particularly bad on the Thursday of Class 1-3 weekend when both arenas are in use. Missouri State's campus will have similar challenges next year. It's just tough to rectify.
I don't know who determines what concession stands are open. Could be Mizzou or MSHSAA. What I can say is that it is almost the exact same setup as Mizzou men's games (cue the attendance jokes) except that one additional concession stand on the west side is open. It is not ideal but frankly several of the concession stands on the south side and east side that are closed...I haven't seen them open in several years. Springfield will probably want to put on a good show so they will have more open. It hasn't seemed to be an issue in the years I have attended the Blue & Gold or T of C.
I missed the Class 1 Boys championship so I did not see that. I was there for the Girls game but was distracted. I saw a Mercer girl go down but I wasn't paying a lot of attention. That's too bad. It's really bad if the floor contributed to those injuries. In the past, I've noticed the kids with the mops going over the floor during stoppages but I honestly cannot remember if they have been doing that this year or not. I'll ask the Event Staff folks about that. Things like that shouldn't happen.
I am excited for Springfield in 2018. Particularly so to watch games at Hammons Student Center weirdly enough. I have enjoyed the games at Hearnes the past few years and being at Hammons will bring back the memories too. Should be fun.
If you haven't seen Hammons lately you'll be really impressed. It's been nicely upgraded.
I was being serious. I can't figure out who you're complaining about. You appear to be blaming "Columbia," or MU, for MSHSAA issues.
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