My question is which of the two following scenarios would be the worst case?

 

(1) Overall attendance for the tournament drops off drastically

 

or

 

(2) Hundreds if not thousands of fans are turned away at the door because the gyme is simply to small to accomodate the crowd

My question is which of the two following scenarios would be the worst case?

 

(1) Overall attendance for the tournament drops off drastically

 

or

 

(2) Hundreds if not thousands of fans are turned away at the door because the gyme is simply to small to accomodate the crowd

 

 

I guess the answer to this depends on who you ask. I personally will not be affected by the loss of money but I'll be madder than an old wet hen if I don't get a seat.

I guess the answer to this depends on who you ask. I personally will not be affected by the loss of money but I'll be madder than an old wet hen if I don't get a seat.

 

Same here... especially if I drive over an hour to get there!

:fight:I have gone to the regional tourny for many years. I believe a lot of the schools around should be used to playing in the fieldhouse by now. I live in an area where we like to attend all the good games. We have done this for years. We don't just follow our home school. We like to watch good basketball games. I believe with high gas prices and the games being moved it will inconvenance a lot of people who want to attend. We will pick what games we want to see. We will eat in Flemingsburg or Paris. We will buy our gas there too. I would like to know what businesses will be fool enough to donate the money to schools to make up for low attendance. I do not live in Mason County. We may choose to stay home and listen to Maysville radio. I would rather do that than drive all that distance and not be able to get in the gym.

As I've said MANY times, Montgomery should get their shot. Like many folks here, this is my only worry:

 

What happens when the regional semi-final or final is Mason-Montgomery, Mason-Clark, or (perish the thought) Clark-Montgomery? What happens when (let's pick a number) 5,200 people show up?

 

I keep hearing "get there early". Well, if 5,200 fans get there an hour and a half before the game, how does "get there early" help? Not everyone will have the luxury of getting there 3 hours early, or 5 hours early, or whatever the magic number is. If 5,200 people show up sometime in advance of game time, a thousand of them are going to be upset. Accommodating the crowd is my only concern.

 

I've also heard the argument "it's about the kids". Pu-leeeze. If rotating the regional tournament was about the kids, we'd have it at Calvary Christian every 17 years. It's about conducting the tourney at the most sensible site.

 

The most cogent argument I've heard is the "home court advantage" theme. I will concede that Mason County has been afforded a slight advantage with the tourney being held at The Fieldhouse. However, it is generally the case that the best team wins. There have been times when Mason County was favored (Goldie, this is your cue:D) but didn't come out on top.

 

Again, I truly hope that everything works out. I'm fortunate that I probably DO have the luxury of getting to Mt. Sterling in enough time to get a seat. I won't have to drive 2 hours plus. I like the drive to Mt. Sterling, and I like the town of Mt. Sterling.

 

I know that the folks at Montgomery County will do everything in their power to stage a quality tournament - let's face it - the pressure's on. All I'm saying is that the one thing they CAN'T control is the size of the crowd.

As I've said MANY times, Montgomery should get their shot. Like many folks here, this is my only worry:

 

What happens when the regional semi-final or final is Mason-Montgomery, Mason-Clark, or (perish the thought) Clark-Montgomery? What happens when (let's pick a number) 5,200 people show up?

 

I keep hearing "get there early". Well, if 5,200 fans get there an hour and a half before the game, how does "get there early" help? Not everyone will have the luxury of getting there 3 hours early, or 5 hours early, or whatever the magic number is. If 5,200 people show up sometime in advance of game time, a thousand of them are going to be upset. Accommodating the crowd is my only concern.

 

I've also heard the argument "it's about the kids". Pu-leeeze. If rotating the regional tournament was about the kids, we'd have it at Calvary Christian every 17 years. It's about conducting the tourney at the most sensible site.

 

The most cogent argument I've heard is the "home court advantage" theme. I will concede that Mason County has been afforded a slight advantage with the tourney being held at The Fieldhouse. However, it is generally the case that the best team wins. There have been times when Mason County was favored (Goldie, this is your cue:D) but didn't come out on top.

 

Again, I truly hope that everything works out. I'm fortunate that I probably DO have the luxury of getting to Mt. Sterling in enough time to get a seat. I won't have to drive 2 hours plus. I like the drive to Mt. Sterling, and I like the town of Mt. Sterling.

 

I know that the folks at Montgomery County will do everything in their power to stage a quality tournament - let's face it - the pressure's on. All I'm saying is that the one thing they CAN'T control is the size of the crowd.

 

OK Papa, I will bite. ..but..remember 2 years ago when Pendleton Co was the favorite. We beat PC, then we were favored over Mason in the finals ...and Mason won. This is when I really feel that Mason Co had the home court advantage.

 

Like you, give Montgomery Co a chance. Yes there will be some problems. You can't compare Mason Co with having it for so many years and this is Montgomery's first year. To be honest, our kids last year didn't care where it was played, they knew they could win it all.

Mike Fields commented on this today

 

http://www.kentucky.com/289/story/282922.html

I thought this paragraph was interesting from the article ...

 

Mason County's Fieldhouse, with a capacity of 5,400, can hold at least 1,000 more fans than Montgomery County. Rison, however, said, "I don't think it's just about which school's gym is bigger. It also has something to do with competitive balance in the region. And from an amenities' standpoint -- restrooms, concession stands and parking -- our facilities are better."

I've gone on record several times on this issue. While Mason County has tradition, experience and a fairly centralized location (travel time will be two hours from NKY to Winchester), I have no problem with Montgomery County getting a shot.

 

There have been several instances over the years when The Fieldhouse was at or very near capacity in the tournament. By at or near capacity, I mean 5,000 or so in attendance. Several potential semi-final and final matchups have the potential to attract at least that many to Winchester. The "I won't travel that far" sentiment that I've seen from some of the NKY folks will more than likely be offset by the strong possibility that Mason, Clark and Montgomery will make the semis, depending on how the draw shakes out, and by the "Darius" factor. Might be more than a few folks from in and around Lexington that want to catch a game featuring a UK signee.

 

Here's one of many posts I made well over a year ago on the subject:

 

Here are the distances from the Region 10 high schools to Mason County and to Montgomery County, per Yahoo. I'll start with the 2006 10th Region qualifiers.

 

Covington Scott: 55 to Mason, 110 to Montgomery

Clark County: 61 to Mason, 17 to Montgomery

Pendleton County: 37 to Mason, 61 to Montgomery

Augusta: 18 to Mason, 66 to Montgomery

Bishop Brossart: 45 to Mason, 82 to Montgomery

Montgomery County: 50 to Mason, 0 to Montgomery

Mason County: 0 to Mason, 50 to Montgomery

Deming: 20 to Mason, 46 to Montgomery

 

Distance for the 7 teams other than Mason to travel to Mason: 286 miles

Distance for the 7 teams other than Montgomery to travel to Montgomery: 432 miles.

 

Other schools:

 

Calvary Christian: 57 to Mason, 112 to Montgomery

Campbell County: 46 to Mason, 82 to Montgomery

Bracken County: 16 to Mason, 67 to Montgomery

Harrison County: 43 to Mason, 39 to Montgomery

Nicholas County: 31 to Mason, 25 to Montgomery

Paris: 43 to Mason, 25 to Montgomery

St. Patrick: 3 to Mason, 50 to Montgomery

Bourbon County: 45 to Mason, 26 to Montgomery

 

Distance for these 8 teams to travel to Mason: 284 miles

Distance for these 8 teams to travel to Montgomery: 426 miles

 

It is clear that the addition of the Covington teams to the 10th Region has created a situation making Montgomery County even more of a geographical outlier than they were before.

 

I'll cut/paste my thoughts from another board regarding moving the 10th here:

 

 

As a long-time Mason County HS fan, I love the tournament here at the Fieldhouse. The athletic department runs a class operation, second to none. The 10th Region tourney is one of the great traditions in KY, if not national high school sports. I was friends (he passed away last month) with the gentleman whose construction company built the Fieldhouse.

 

When the tournament was held elsewhere for a brief time several decades ago, it was an absolute disaster. It has taken over 30 years for really serious discussion regarding moving the tourney site to get any traction; that's how badly it went.

 

With all that being said, if the regional powers-that-be really think that Montgomery County will have the facilities and everything else that goes along with putting on the 10th tourney (parking, hospitality, ticket management, concessions, nearby accomodations, etc. etc. etc.) in 2008; I say let them have their chance. If it turns out to be a gigantic flop like it was in the '70s; maybe it will be another 30+ years before the bad memories are erased.

 

If it runs smoothly, and thousands of fans aren't turned away, and the smaller schools in the region are satisfied with their share of the gate; then Montgomery County should be allowed into a permanent rotation. While it won't be the same; I'll still attend the tournament if Mason County is playing (although I'll attend whether or not the Royals are playing as long as the Fieldhouse hosts).

 

There's something to be said for tradition - especially when the majority consistently elects to keep the tradition.

 

Long story short - let Montgomery County host the tournament; if it works out, great; if not; well, we all know where it will be next time around.

 

 

Been offline for a while, but that is one of the best posts I have read on here. McPapa, great research and showing the stats!

I thought this paragraph was interesting from the article ...

 

Mason County's Fieldhouse, with a capacity of 5,400, can hold at least 1,000 more fans than Montgomery County. Rison, however, said, "I don't think it's just about which school's gym is bigger. It also has something to do with competitive balance in the region. And from an amenities' standpoint -- restrooms, concession stands and parking -- our facilities are better."

 

And, Rison is correct.

And, Rison is correct.

 

Disagree with you. Parking at Montgomery County is simply not on the plentiful side, concessions and space are not accomodating, and hospitality room is a mile and half long to get to. Maybe restrooms I can slightly agree with, heck you put a new toilet in any facility and it will be better than an old one. This will all be exploited and settled after their try in March. Facilities at Montgomery can't comfortably accomodate your media outlets which I think I seen at the fieldhouse last year 5 groups of media radio stations. They(Montgomery) have a new facility and will get their try. I thought the remark in the paper was a punch in the gut, especially after Mason's AD complimented Montgomery County on being great administrators and will do a fine job. The only thing he questioned was accomodating crowds which he has first hand knowledge of after hosting for so many years.

Disagree with you. Parking at Montgomery County is simply not on the plentiful side, concessions and space are not accomodating, and hospitality room is a mile and half long to get to. Maybe restrooms I can slightly agree with, heck you put a new toilet in any facility and it will be better than an old one. This will all be exploited and settled after their try in March. Facilities at Montgomery can't comfortably accomodate your media outlets which I think I seen at the fieldhouse last year 5 groups of media radio stations. They(Montgomery) have a new facility and will get their try. I thought the remark in the paper was a punch in the gut, especially after Mason's AD complimented Montgomery County on being great administrators and will do a fine job. The only thing he questioned was accomodating crowds which he has first hand knowledge of after hosting for so many years.

 

 

Its obvious the crowds could be an issue. I know the folks at Montgomery want it to work for the region, not for themselves.

 

I hope it happens at the new facility at NKU at some point.

Disagree with you. Parking at Montgomery County is simply not on the plentiful side, concessions and space are not accomodating, and hospitality room is a mile and half long to get to. Maybe restrooms I can slightly agree with, heck you put a new toilet in any facility and it will be better than an old one. This will all be exploited and settled after their try in March. Facilities at Montgomery can't comfortably accomodate your media outlets which I think I seen at the fieldhouse last year 5 groups of media radio stations. They(Montgomery) have a new facility and will get their try. I thought the remark in the paper was a punch in the gut, especially after Mason's AD complimented Montgomery County on being great administrators and will do a fine job. The only thing he questioned was accomodating crowds which he has first hand knowledge of after hosting for so many years.

 

Parking is better. They have it all around the parameter of the school, not just the one lot.

I read Rison's statement in the paper today as well. I must say that I didn't realize that people watched basketball games from fancy toliet seats. Maybe they should try this suggestion. Place t.v. monitors in those fancy bathrooms and maybe they can open up 10 or so more seats for the 1000 people who are standing outside trying to get in to see the game. Glad the priorities are in order there.

 

I've never met Rison nor do I anticipate doing so, but his comments in today's paper sounded ridiculous.

I read Rison's statement in the paper today as well. I must say that I didn't realize that people watched basketball games from fancy toliet seats. Maybe they should try this suggestion. Place t.v. monitors in those fancy bathrooms and maybe they can open up 10 or so more seats for the 1000 people who are standing outside trying to get in to see the game. Glad the priorities are in order there.

 

I've never met Rison nor do I anticipate doing so, but his comments in today's paper sounded ridiculous.

 

 

Agree on all accounts. Sounds a little ridiculous and out of line.