Dinner Plans?
2007 Football Team Dinner
HONORING THE 2007 COLUMBIA LIONS
In the rotunda of Low Library on the Columbia University Campus
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2007
Program will Start at 6:00pm
posted by Jake @ 3:24:00 AM
25 comments
25 Comments:
Jake, as a serious longstanding fan but not a former CU player I have felt that this dinner was really for players and ex-players, and their families, but not really for dedicated non-football alumni. Please advise.
6pm on a Sunday night? That's difficult (if not impossible) for many "out-of-towners" who must to be back to work on a Monday morning!
But it's convenient for the players. That's who this is really for.
In reply to the post:
Fri Nov 30, 06:58:00 AM PST
You are mistaken. (If you are a player or a coach, a less-than-pleasant response was unnecessary and it doesn't work towards gaining the support you say you desire for the team.)
Invitations were sent by mail to NON-players and included the following details:
"Honoring the 2007 Columbia Lions Football Team."
and
"Every Fan of Columbia University and its Football Team is welcome. "
and
"For more information, please contact the Football Office at 212 854 7062 or email jk2643@columbia.edu"
To the poster above, Nov 30th, 8:19AM, you are correct. Perhaps the response you are referring to was written by a parent, and not a coach or a player -not that it makes it any better, and not that it was so bad to begin with. In any case, everyone is welcome. I think fans who come will be happy to see how unified the team is and the positive direction of the program.
-From a current parent
everyone,
please calm down
I'm pretty sure we are arguing over nothing and that nothing until the 819PM post was meant rudely.
It is meant for the players--i.e. the outgoing seniors who poured their hearts into the program for 4 years. As a past player, it is a night I remember fondly even 20 yrs later even on the heels of an 0-10 season. All the Seniors get up and give speeches on what CU and the program meant to them, great plays and games they remember etc. I'm sure they would love to have all the support they can get.
Sacred Heart spanks us for their first win of the year. Just unreal. That doesn't bode well for any realistic shot at competing in Ivies. What is Joe Jones doing????....
Forget the Ivy League Championship, the basketball team will be lucky to win any games if they don't get it going. The problem is that except for John Baumann the six seniors have not improved much since their freshman year. Football is different. Guys gets bigger and stronger year to year and it significantly impacts their play, particularly the linemen and linebackers. That's usually not the case in basketball.
I'd have to agree with the lack of foresight on the part of scheduling. It's lousy for any out of town parents, and if the point is honoring players, wouldn't you want as many fans as possible attending?
As a parent, we've felt like afterthoughts. Even when our son recieved an award we weren't even encouraged to attend.
Thank you - sincerely.
The ticket price of $50.00 per person (or a Sponsorship at $500.00) would indicate "fund raising". So it seems that every effort would be made to plan on filling the rotunda of the Law Library with as many fans as possible. More fans = more revenue = more honoring of the players.
We would have gladly incurred this additional expense to champion the efforts and accomplishments of the athletes. Yet we experienced the same as noted above - instead of capitalizing on opportunities to welcome parents to the campus on behalf of the Athletic Dept, parents are largely ignored. No one is saying this is intentional on the part of the Football Department, but when it happens it sends the wrong message to families. "Support" should be strong, mutual, and actively engaged on both sides throughout the college career. The recruiting experience showed all of us that the department knows how to make parents feel welcomed and valued; and we are not talking about the things that cost money or are prohibited by NCAA rules. That they should continue to acknowledge the parents is important.
In any profitable endeavor, bringing in "new business" is huge, but retaining those in the existing base has long term benefits that many times out weighs the "new business". The goodwill it fosters extends far beyond the 4 short years in college and wouldn't a strong, respected, supported/supportive parent base be a recuiting asset?
What is going on with JJ and the basketball team? Is Big Ben in shape? Is it the coaching? The start of the season has been an unmitigated disaster. Except for Bauman Nobody is playing well. Is it the coaching, or are we just not that good? We are much worse than last year, with the same players!
Re basketball, Niko Scott has been playing well, too. The current problem appears to be the injury to Foley, which cost the Lions their primary threat to drive to the hoop. Without him, the offense tends to pass the ball around the outside looking for a shot, and it doesn't break down the defense. Needless to say, even with Foley's absence, the team is grossly under-performing. Let's hope it can pull out of its swoon this week.
LionFan
Well, it was bad, very bad, Friday night. I watched it on Sacred Heart's generous feed. Perhaps some other posters will now join me Tuesday night at easy-to-reach Wagner, for another chance at a victory?
In the e-mail I received from Roar-Ee (whom I helped name), however, there is both a dinner invite for December 10 (sorr-ee, I'm too old to be a Little Lions Club member) and the expressed confidence that this dinner with the mascot will be followed by victory over St. Francis. Perhaps the CU Athletics Dept. knows something that we don't?
rs
Basketball: Except for John Baumann, we do not have any great ballplayers. Except for John Baumann we have no one who crashes the offensive boards. Except for John Baumann, the six seniors on the team have not improved much at Columbia. Meanwhile, the other seven Ivies have recruited some really talented players the last three years while we've been basically standing still with our seniors. If you want to look at things positively, there's still a chance we'll be ok in the Ivy League this year provided (a) Foley returns and starts shooting more, (b) Mack Montgomery, Joe Bova or Niko Scott start scoring 15+ points per game consistently and (c) Ben, Mack, Justin and Joe start crashing the offensive boards.
I love and respect the "PARENTS'" fire and spirit regarding the young men on the CC football team. We all need your enthusiasm.
But, ranting on this blog gets nothing changed. Please call and write/ email the people who run the Athletics dept. Email N.W. and he will respond.
Maybe if the parents didn't express these problems, the problems wouldn't exist and you could continue living in your "pollyanna" world!
Is the basketball problem coaching? Isn't it the job of the staff to make the players better? Mack looks like he should be an All Ivy caliber player. Big Ben looks like he can play in the NBA. But there are too many combinations, no offensive patterns except one or two passes and then nothing. When is Foley coming back?
Difficult to say where the basketball problem lies. Joe would look like a genius if more shots dropped thru the hoop. However, it is very surprising that after nearly four years of playing time some of the seniors still look very uncomfortable on the floor. By now I would think that highly intelligent guys like Ben and Mack would know exactly what to do and where to be on the floor to fully utilize their talents, specially on offense.
Anyone willing to share any insights on how our football recruiting is coming?
In case you haven't seen it (and are old enough to remember him), there's a good article in Columbia College Today of Archie Roberts: http://www.college.columbia.edu/cct/nov_dec07/features1.php
Archie Roberts was a phenomenal athlete. He would be the best player in the Ivies today. He played both ways and could do everything. He was accurate, mobile, plaayed hard and hurt, a nd was the best player in the league for three years. He was on the cover of the Princeton program when we played Princeton at Palmer Stadium that year; that was the respect in which he was held.
Roberts was also a great baseball player. Some called him the top collegiate athlete in the country.
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