As the evening sun goes down on a cool Fall evening, a car pulls into C4 (affectionately known as Hillside lot) to save a spot for the upcoming Saturday morning. A bleary-eyed student makes their way down to a parking lot overflowing with purple. Many current students and alumni can relate countless memories of good times had in Hillside. In the years leading up to the National Championship year of 2004, tailgating on the campus of JMU was something quieter and was something to do, but wasn't out of control. As the years passed and as the excitement of each football game grew, so did the tailgating. Soon, Hillside and the Baseball lot (R1) became an event on Saturdays apart from the actual football games. The lots were teaming with happy people in purple and gold. Tailgating became something that JMU thrived at, for logical reasons.
Now, because of supply and demand (among other reasons), Hillside is transitioning into a donor lot for the Duke Club. For those uninitiated with the Duke Club, it is "the fundraising arm for James Madison University Athletics. Through its annual fund drive, the Duke Club raises unrestricted contributions in support of student-athlete scholarships and the athletic budget. Additionally, the Duke Club aids athletic facility enhancements and other needs through capital campaigns." Basically, through donations from thousands of Dukes, the Duke Club supplements the cost of scholarships and helps to raise money for larger projects, such as the football stadium expansion. The Student Duke Club is a small (though essential) part of the Duke Club (making up less than 5% of the $1.1+ million yearly contribution). So please do not mistake the President of the Student Duke Club as the Director of the Duke Club, or vice versa.
Now that we've covered the background stuff, let's review why we, as JMU football fans, still have it made. They're taking away Hillside as a free lot...which still leaves the Baseball lot within a third of a mile of the stadium. Oh, and don't forget the huge Convo lots or R2 across Port Republic Rd. as free places to tailgate either (both within a half mile from the stadium). You'd be hard pressed to find a school with a football program as big as ours, with as many fans as we have, that has tailgating so close to the stadium (that doesn't cost thousands of dollars for a parking pass). Especially when you take into consideration that we have so many lots within a five minute walk that are FREE. Here's two possibilities that I'll go ahead and lay out for those who used to tailgate in Hillside. First, you can talk to your friends and decide which of the other three spacious lots you want to tailgate in. A second option would be to get those same friends and scrap together $150 to get a parking pass for Hillside for the season through the Duke Club. Many people have already bought a parking pass and will continue to make (and possibly quickly forget) memories in Hillside. The bottom line is, to say that "the man" taking away one of the free tailgating lots and turning it into a paid lot will hurt JMU tailgating is belittling of all the James Madison students, alumni, and fans that have created the amazing atmosphere that we enjoy.
GO DUKES!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Third Eye Blind To Perform at Fall Convo Show
Today, at the University Program Board's Crazy Commons Day, UPB announced that the performer for this semester's Convo show would be Third Eye Blind. For those that have been disappointed in Convo shows in the past, I thought I'd provide a little insight into how much work goes into just lining up who is coming for the show (with some help from Angela Morton, Director of Center Stage).
To start the process, UPB receives a list of artists compiled by their middle agent, Melissa Boyle Aronson from Babco Entertainment. Melissa helps provide insight and guidance through the entire process from getting the avails list to getting feedback after the show. The avails list is a list of artists that are touring for the fall/spring, their general price and general availability. It includes a wide variety of artists, from well-established bands that can cost well over $100,000 to bands on the rise that may be $10,000 (most of which 95% of the student body has never heard of). The Center Stage Committee, along with the Executive Council of UPB go through this list and try to narrow it down a little. They have to consider what artists are within UPB's budget and the band's availability. In addition, they have to take into account all the additional costs of setup, lighting, sound, stage, security, marketing, etc., when looking at costs, because it can add upwards of $15,000-20,000 to the cost of the show. The stage plus rental of JMU Convocation center can cost around $9,000 on their own. UPB generally tries to book the Fall Convocation show in September/early October, before basketball season begins. They also have to work around a schedule of pre-scheduled events that take place at the Convo.
UPB tries to include a variety of artists to try to reach the maximum number of students. Then, they create a survey for the students to take, asking what nights they prefer to see a show, who they would like to see, how much they'd be willing to pay to see them, etc. This year, they divided the artists into genres and tried to get the top 3-5 for each. The survey is distributed via mass email, Facebook, and the UPB website. UPB tracks the results and sees if any favorites emerge, trying their hardest to book the students' number one choice, given that they are within the budget and all parties can agree on a show date. From there, it moves into a bidding and negotiation period, working with Melissa and the artist's manager to come to a reasonable agreement. In the past, UPB has had numerous artists decline their bids, so they've had to go back to the survey results, find the number two or number three pick and start the bidding process over again. Booking an artist can be a long and stressful process.
"This year, we really wanted to make an offer to Third Eye Blind, especially after the students' overwhelming disappointment when they fell through last year," said Angela. Third Eye Blind received over 3,300 votes on the survey and were the clear favorite of the JMU students (OAR, Jack's Mannequin, Dashboard, and MGMT were also among the top picks this year). Luckily, we were able to work with them this time and come to an agreement. Angela said that when it was announced, "It got an overall positive response from students." To help decide on future performers for Convo shows and the rest of the University Program Board's events, there are several ways to get involved. Visit their website, office (Taylor 234), or talk to one of their members to find out more.
To start the process, UPB receives a list of artists compiled by their middle agent, Melissa Boyle Aronson from Babco Entertainment. Melissa helps provide insight and guidance through the entire process from getting the avails list to getting feedback after the show. The avails list is a list of artists that are touring for the fall/spring, their general price and general availability. It includes a wide variety of artists, from well-established bands that can cost well over $100,000 to bands on the rise that may be $10,000 (most of which 95% of the student body has never heard of). The Center Stage Committee, along with the Executive Council of UPB go through this list and try to narrow it down a little. They have to consider what artists are within UPB's budget and the band's availability. In addition, they have to take into account all the additional costs of setup, lighting, sound, stage, security, marketing, etc., when looking at costs, because it can add upwards of $15,000-20,000 to the cost of the show. The stage plus rental of JMU Convocation center can cost around $9,000 on their own. UPB generally tries to book the Fall Convocation show in September/early October, before basketball season begins. They also have to work around a schedule of pre-scheduled events that take place at the Convo.
UPB tries to include a variety of artists to try to reach the maximum number of students. Then, they create a survey for the students to take, asking what nights they prefer to see a show, who they would like to see, how much they'd be willing to pay to see them, etc. This year, they divided the artists into genres and tried to get the top 3-5 for each. The survey is distributed via mass email, Facebook, and the UPB website. UPB tracks the results and sees if any favorites emerge, trying their hardest to book the students' number one choice, given that they are within the budget and all parties can agree on a show date. From there, it moves into a bidding and negotiation period, working with Melissa and the artist's manager to come to a reasonable agreement. In the past, UPB has had numerous artists decline their bids, so they've had to go back to the survey results, find the number two or number three pick and start the bidding process over again. Booking an artist can be a long and stressful process.
"This year, we really wanted to make an offer to Third Eye Blind, especially after the students' overwhelming disappointment when they fell through last year," said Angela. Third Eye Blind received over 3,300 votes on the survey and were the clear favorite of the JMU students (OAR, Jack's Mannequin, Dashboard, and MGMT were also among the top picks this year). Luckily, we were able to work with them this time and come to an agreement. Angela said that when it was announced, "It got an overall positive response from students." To help decide on future performers for Convo shows and the rest of the University Program Board's events, there are several ways to get involved. Visit their website, office (Taylor 234), or talk to one of their members to find out more.
Show info
October 8th at 8pm, Convo
Tickets on sale Thursday, Sept 17 at Warren Box Office at 8am
Prices: $26 reserved seating for students with JAC, $31 for floor seats/general public in advance/students at doors, $36 general public at doors
JMU 2009-2010 Complete Men's Basketball Schedule
The full JMU Men's Basketball schedule for the 2009-2010 season was announced yesterday. Check it out. Exact dates for the CAA schedule are still subject to change as the TV schedule is worked out, so be warned that until that's set in stone (probably around October) you might not want to make definite plans. The Bracket Buster opponent will be chosen in late January. Conference games are starred and all teams are listed with last year's end-of-season KenPom rankings in parentheses.
UPDATE: Now includes exhibition game, game times, and TV schedule
Exhibition Game: Oct. 31 - Philadelphia (DII) - 3pm
Nov. 12 (Thu) - 7pm - @ Ohio State (37) - Coaches vs. Cancer Classic
Big Ten Network
Coaches vs. Cancer Classic @ Florida International
Nov. 20 (Fri) - 4pm - Murray State (137)
Nov. 22 (Sun) - 6pm - Florida International (262)
Nov. 23 (Mon) - 4pm - North Carolina Central (343)
Nov. 28 (Sat) - 7pm - UMBC (256)
Dec. 2 (Wed) - 7pm - Norfolk State (297)
Dec. 5 (Sat) - 2pm - Georgia State* (219)
CSN-MA; CSN-P; CSN-NE; CSS
----Dec. 11 - End of Fall Semester----
Dec. 12 (Sat) - 7pm - @ Eastern Michigan (306)
Dec. 17 (Thu) - 7pm - @ Gardner-Webb (252)
Dec. 19 (Sat) - 7pm - Radford (188)
Dec. 23 (Wed) - 7pm - Fordham (317)
Dec. 29 (Tue) - 10pm - @ Stanford (49)
Jan. 2 (Sat) - 4pm - @ Northeastern* (101)
Jan. 4 (Mon) - 7pm - Delaware* (201)
Jan. 6 (Wed) - 7pm - @ Old Dominion* (90)
Jan. 9 (Sat) - 2pm - Towson* (248)
CSN-MA; CSN-P; CSN-NE
----Jan. 11 - Beginning of Spring Semester----
Jan. 13 (Wed) - 7pm - @ William & Mary* (227)
CSN-MA
Jan. 16 (Sat) - 2pm - George Mason* (88)
CSN-MA; CSN-P; CSN-NE; CSS
Jan. 20 (Wed) - 7pm - @ Drexel* (133)
TCN; CSN-NE
Jan. 23 (Sat) - 7pm - @ North Carolina Wilmington* (298)
MASN
Jan. 27 (Wed) - 7pm - William & Mary* (227)
Jan. 30 (Sat) - 12pm - @ George Mason* (88)
CSN-MA; CSN-NE; CSS; TCN-P
Feb. 3 (Wed) - 7pm - Hofstra* (175)
Feb. 6 (Sat) - 4pm - @ Towson* (248)
Feb. 10 (Wed) - 7pm - Old Dominion* (90)
Feb. 13 (Sat) - 6pm - Virginia Commonwealth* (53)
CSN-MA; CSN-NE; TCN-P
Feb. 16 (Wed) - 7pm - Georgia State* (219)
Feb. 20 (Sat) - TBA - @ Bracket Buster
Feb. 22 (Mon) - 7pm - Longwood (313)
Feb. 24 (Wed) - 7:30pm - @ Virginia Commonwealth* (53)
Feb. 27 (Sat) - 7pm - Drexel* (133)
----March 6 - Beginning of Spring Break----
March 5-8 (Fri-Mon) - CAA Tournament - Richmond, Va.
As you can see it's a decent schedule. It might not be as tough as some were hoping, but like I said in my previous article about the out-of-conference schedule, some of these are series games that we can't exactly just say, "No, we're not gonna play you." The average ranking from last year for our OOC opponents is 230. Our CAA schedule averages out to 178. Considering we finished the year ranked 140 in the nation, I think we should finish the year pretty high.
With 31 regular season games, I don't see us losing more than 10 of them. Ohio State and Stanford are the only teams that are even close to guaranteed loses for us (though, I could see us coming close to an upset if we play well against Stanford). Murray State might give us some trouble, and we might have a tough opponent for Bracket Busters, so that's maybe 4 losses. As for our conference schedule, I think we'll do really well this year, especially at home. I think this is the year we will really start to see the Electric Zoo come back to life (though I don't see consistent sell-outs happening until next year). I count our possible losses as @Northeastern, @ODU, @Drexel, @George Mason, and @VCU. VCU will be down this year though, from losing their star point guard and a couple other big players to transfers, so we might not even lose at their. I'll allow for another random loss in our schedule somewhere. So I could see us, pretty realistically, have a loss record in the single digits.
Another thing to keep in mind is home games during winter break. We only have 4 home games during this period, and the best teams we play are Radford and Delaware, which should be fairly easy wins. We'll have students in session for all the major home games this season. In addition, Denzel Bowles, our next big man who is a transfer from Texas A&M, becomes eligible after Fall exams are over, so his first eligible game will be at Eastern Michigan. Denzel makes Dazz Thornton looks like an average height basketball player. He is a tree and I believe will be an immediate difference maker. Speaking of Dazz, he is in the best shape I've ever seen him in. Check out the pictures from the Pep Rally to see Dazz, Denzel, Julius Wells, and Ryan Knight. This is definitely a season to be optimistic about.
UPDATE: Now includes exhibition game, game times, and TV schedule
Exhibition Game: Oct. 31 - Philadelphia (DII) - 3pm
Nov. 12 (Thu) - 7pm - @ Ohio State (37) - Coaches vs. Cancer Classic
Big Ten Network
Coaches vs. Cancer Classic @ Florida International
Nov. 20 (Fri) - 4pm - Murray State (137)
Nov. 22 (Sun) - 6pm - Florida International (262)
Nov. 23 (Mon) - 4pm - North Carolina Central (343)
Nov. 28 (Sat) - 7pm - UMBC (256)
Dec. 2 (Wed) - 7pm - Norfolk State (297)
Dec. 5 (Sat) - 2pm - Georgia State* (219)
CSN-MA; CSN-P; CSN-NE; CSS
----Dec. 11 - End of Fall Semester----
Dec. 12 (Sat) - 7pm - @ Eastern Michigan (306)
Dec. 17 (Thu) - 7pm - @ Gardner-Webb (252)
Dec. 19 (Sat) - 7pm - Radford (188)
Dec. 23 (Wed) - 7pm - Fordham (317)
Dec. 29 (Tue) - 10pm - @ Stanford (49)
Jan. 2 (Sat) - 4pm - @ Northeastern* (101)
Jan. 4 (Mon) - 7pm - Delaware* (201)
Jan. 6 (Wed) - 7pm - @ Old Dominion* (90)
Jan. 9 (Sat) - 2pm - Towson* (248)
CSN-MA; CSN-P; CSN-NE
----Jan. 11 - Beginning of Spring Semester----
Jan. 13 (Wed) - 7pm - @ William & Mary* (227)
CSN-MA
Jan. 16 (Sat) - 2pm - George Mason* (88)
CSN-MA; CSN-P; CSN-NE; CSS
Jan. 20 (Wed) - 7pm - @ Drexel* (133)
TCN; CSN-NE
Jan. 23 (Sat) - 7pm - @ North Carolina Wilmington* (298)
MASN
Jan. 27 (Wed) - 7pm - William & Mary* (227)
Jan. 30 (Sat) - 12pm - @ George Mason* (88)
CSN-MA; CSN-NE; CSS; TCN-P
Feb. 3 (Wed) - 7pm - Hofstra* (175)
Feb. 6 (Sat) - 4pm - @ Towson* (248)
Feb. 10 (Wed) - 7pm - Old Dominion* (90)
Feb. 13 (Sat) - 6pm - Virginia Commonwealth* (53)
CSN-MA; CSN-NE; TCN-P
Feb. 16 (Wed) - 7pm - Georgia State* (219)
Feb. 20 (Sat) - TBA - @ Bracket Buster
Feb. 22 (Mon) - 7pm - Longwood (313)
Feb. 24 (Wed) - 7:30pm - @ Virginia Commonwealth* (53)
Feb. 27 (Sat) - 7pm - Drexel* (133)
----March 6 - Beginning of Spring Break----
March 5-8 (Fri-Mon) - CAA Tournament - Richmond, Va.
As you can see it's a decent schedule. It might not be as tough as some were hoping, but like I said in my previous article about the out-of-conference schedule, some of these are series games that we can't exactly just say, "No, we're not gonna play you." The average ranking from last year for our OOC opponents is 230. Our CAA schedule averages out to 178. Considering we finished the year ranked 140 in the nation, I think we should finish the year pretty high.
With 31 regular season games, I don't see us losing more than 10 of them. Ohio State and Stanford are the only teams that are even close to guaranteed loses for us (though, I could see us coming close to an upset if we play well against Stanford). Murray State might give us some trouble, and we might have a tough opponent for Bracket Busters, so that's maybe 4 losses. As for our conference schedule, I think we'll do really well this year, especially at home. I think this is the year we will really start to see the Electric Zoo come back to life (though I don't see consistent sell-outs happening until next year). I count our possible losses as @Northeastern, @ODU, @Drexel, @George Mason, and @VCU. VCU will be down this year though, from losing their star point guard and a couple other big players to transfers, so we might not even lose at their. I'll allow for another random loss in our schedule somewhere. So I could see us, pretty realistically, have a loss record in the single digits.
Another thing to keep in mind is home games during winter break. We only have 4 home games during this period, and the best teams we play are Radford and Delaware, which should be fairly easy wins. We'll have students in session for all the major home games this season. In addition, Denzel Bowles, our next big man who is a transfer from Texas A&M, becomes eligible after Fall exams are over, so his first eligible game will be at Eastern Michigan. Denzel makes Dazz Thornton looks like an average height basketball player. He is a tree and I believe will be an immediate difference maker. Speaking of Dazz, he is in the best shape I've ever seen him in. Check out the pictures from the Pep Rally to see Dazz, Denzel, Julius Wells, and Ryan Knight. This is definitely a season to be optimistic about.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Want To Help With the Windbreaker?
Do you have a great idea for an article? Is there an area of campus life that you don't feel is being covered? Please let me know. Right now, I'm just writing articles that I believe people want to read (and that I have time to write). Even if you're an alumnus and think the JMU community should know about something, feel free to shoot me an e-mail. Or, for the aspiring (or professional) writers out there, go ahead and send me an article - I would suggest clearing the idea with me first, so you don't write an article that won't get published.
The key is to let me know what you're thinking and what's going on; if I don't know about something, there's no way I can cover it. JMU, after all, is a community, and I want this blog to mirror that. The Windbreaker is meant to be an ongoing conversation about what's going on at JMU and with alumni across the globe. If you want to be a contributing writer or photographer, I'm definitely open to that too, so send me an email. Thanks!
GO DUKES!
The key is to let me know what you're thinking and what's going on; if I don't know about something, there's no way I can cover it. JMU, after all, is a community, and I want this blog to mirror that. The Windbreaker is meant to be an ongoing conversation about what's going on at JMU and with alumni across the globe. If you want to be a contributing writer or photographer, I'm definitely open to that too, so send me an email. Thanks!
GO DUKES!
JMU.edu Website Redesign: Round 2
On August 14th, I posted an article asking for critiques of the redesigned JMU.edu site. I got six great, detailed responses of what people thought. JMU has responded to the feedback from everyone and has made some revisions to the website. Are you satisfied with what has been done? Do they need to make more edits? The readability has greatly increased thanks to the purple type, but was there anything else you wanted to see done? I personally miss the emphasis on 'Be the change', but that's just because I loved the idea in general.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Meet The Dukes Day On Saturday
"Meet the Dukes Day is a great opportunity for the JMU Nation to catch a glimpse of the team prior to the season starting," says Alyssa Gerlando, Director of Athletics Marketing. "We have many family-friendly activities planned, including a post-scrimmage
autograph session, inflatable games, face painting, and caricaturists." This is a day where the football practice is open for everyone to come hang out and watch the team scrimmage. The team will start stretching at 9am and autographs will start at 11:15. For people coming from off campus, you can park in the stadium parking deck or the Godwin/Bookstore lot. Student Duke Club will also have a table for sign-ups. Here's a list of all that's happening:
autograph session, inflatable games, face painting, and caricaturists." This is a day where the football practice is open for everyone to come hang out and watch the team scrimmage. The team will start stretching at 9am and autographs will start at 11:15. For people coming from off campus, you can park in the stadium parking deck or the Godwin/Bookstore lot. Student Duke Club will also have a table for sign-ups. Here's a list of all that's happening:
- Free admission!
- Watch the Dukes scrimmage!
- Concession stand will be open, offering $1 hot dogs!
- Post-scrimmage autographs!
- Inflatable games for kids!
- Rosie the Clown will be face painting!
- Caricaturists!
- Single game tickets and mini plans will be on sale at Gate A!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
JMU 1787 2k9
Starting Tuesday afternoon, thousands of freshmen and transfer students have descended on campus for a week of getting to know the campus and each other through lots of fun and informative events. A full report on 1787 Orientation will be posted sometime next week. A quick thank you to all people involved with this, as it's a ton of work and is very important to the university. It also got us ranked in the recent U.S. News and World Report for having one of the best orientation experiences in the nation. I was able to stop by the first rotation for Quad Fest on Thursday and the Pep Rally last night and wanted to put up the photos. I've also started using an account dedicated to Windbreaker photos instead of just using my personal account and I'll be repopulating that with all my old JMU sports and events photos from the past couple years. Check back in a few days for the full report.
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