$3 Million Gift Commitment to IPF

glenn_ma

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The inflatable dome should be the first step. Getting all the infrastructure in place: field/turf, electrical, gas/heat, plumbimg/restrooms, etc.
If planned correctly, in the future it should allow for an upgrade with a replacment of a permanent roof. Baby steps.
 

Total Red

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Give this dept a chance to redeem its laughable history and set the goal higher than a cheezy inflatable dome.
I've posted this before but clearly it's time to post it again. The University of Cincinnati just finished a 13-1 season ranked #4 in the country. They beat Notre Dame and went undefeated in conference. Their only loss was to Alabama in the College Football Playoff. Not too shabby. They practice in a "cheezy" inflatable dome. These things work.

 

dpdoughbird06

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I've posted this before but clearly it's time to post it again. The University of Cincinnati just finished a 13-1 season ranked #4 in the country. They beat Notre Dame and went undefeated in conference. Their only loss was to Alabama in the College Football Playoff. Not too shabby. They practice in a "cheezy" inflatable dome. These things work.


Can we have the best of both worlds? Ideally we design the bubble with a proper foundation and entrance on an expandable plot of land so an adjacent physical building could be added down the road. MBB/WBB still need improved practice spaces, as does Volleyball.
 

Total Red

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The inflatable dome should be the first step. Getting all the infrastructure in place: field/turf, electrical, gas/heat, plumbimg/restrooms, etc.
If planned correctly, in the future it should allow for an upgrade with a replacment of a permanent roof. Baby steps.
Can we have the best of both worlds? Ideally we design the bubble with a proper foundation and entrance on an expandable plot of land so an adjacent physical building could be added down the road. MBB/WBB still need improved practice spaces, as does Volleyball.
Doable. All it takes is money.
 

RedbirdFan

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I've posted this before but clearly it's time to post it again. The University of Cincinnati just finished a 13-1 season ranked #4 in the country. They beat Notre Dame and went undefeated in conference. Their only loss was to Alabama in the College Football Playoff. Not too shabby. They practice in a "cheezy" inflatable dome. These things work.


Here is what they have at Northern Illinois, just for comparison as well. Projected cost at one point was 9.5 million, but not sure what it ended up being.

 

Birddog

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Don’t you think IPFs, no matter what the type is just as important, if not more so, for recruiting and retaining coaches? Keeping the team’s off-season and in-season preparation on schedule is a real benefit for routine oriented and structured task type of people that coaches are.

Besides, what middle-aged man wants to fight the elements if there is an alternative?

I was reading opinions on why most NFL teams have bubbles, speculation is owners are cheap and teams don’t have to recruit players. The second reason isn’t totally true but you get the point.

Does anyone know how many FCS teams have IPFs of any type? My guess is few.
 

MadBird

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Don’t you think IPFs, no matter what the type is just as important, if not more so, for recruiting and retaining coaches? Keeping the team’s off-season and in-season preparation on schedule is a real benefit for routine oriented and structured task type of people that coaches are.

Besides, what middle-aged man wants to fight the elements if there is an alternative?

I was reading opinions on why most NFL teams have bubbles, speculation is owners are cheap and teams don’t have to recruit players. The second reason isn’t totally true but you get the point.

Does anyone know how many FCS teams have IPFs of any type? My guess is few.
My guess is that there are more FCS schools w/o domes than those w/inflatable. Just a guess. I could be wrong. Might be more "permanent" domes than inflatable, but I wouldn't be so sure about that either.
 

Total Red

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And a hard body top never leaks or collapses? Lots of sports venues are thriving in air supported structures. A hard-sided building would be more than double the amount. Unless you have 12-13 million in additional dollars lying around it's a false choice. The Athletic Dept gave this serious consideration and it was decided to move forward now. They made the right decision.
 

fourthandshort

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I understand both arguments, but it still seems shortsighted. A real building will last longer and look better to recruits as well as less chance of injury due to something happening to the structure. Recently the university has been doing very good at fundraising in all aspects so keep it going with this and a real building would probably open up wallets more. You can't count on the IPF making the team better, but you can count on more money making the IPF better than a bubble.

I also disagree, we don't need it now or we would have always needed it and I know need wasn't meant in the literal sense, we have been very competitive under Spack without one. Besides, bubble don't offer everything or the quality a real building does and there's a reason they have fallen out of favor. To help bridge the gap and put us closer we could sell the naming rights to Hancock.
Not sure you can conclude, we didnt need one until now because we've been competitive. We could have been more competitive. We could have been more consistent. We could have had better recruits, etc ...
 

TIMMY

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According to my Googles machine, 25/32 NFL teams have IPF's. I don't think most NFL players would give a crap if it has hard walls or not as long as they're not outside in the cold. The Cincinnati Bengal Cats are the only northern city franchise not to have one. They're using UC's aforementioned tent to prepare for the Super Bowl. Good year to be a Cincinnati football fan.
 

MadBird

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According to my Googles machine, 25/32 NFL teams have IPF's. I don't think most NFL players would give a crap if it has hard walls or not as long as they're not outside in the cold. The Cincinnati Bengal Cats are the only northern city franchise not to have one. They're using UC's aforementioned tent to prepare for the Super Bowl. Good year to be a Cincinnati football fan.
Big truth - they all look the same from the inside.
 

Total Red

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Until it comes crashing down like the Cowboys’ bubble a few years ago…
A tornado can take out any roof in Illinois and we've spent millions replacing/repairing hard top structures like Horton Field House. Yes a bubble is more vulnerable but there are major college and NFL teams that practice in bubbles and it's helping them win. Right now we have nothing. What we would be able to do inside a permanent structure that we can't do inside a bubble? The price difference is substantial - about 11.5 million vs 25 million or more. In case you haven't noticed prices have been going up lately. I do not want to gamble on raising the other 13 million plus. We have a chance to do something rather rare in Redbird Athletics. We're scoring a Capital Improvement Win with private donations. Take the Win - Build it Now.
 

Total Red

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Until it comes crashing down like the Cowboys’ bubble a few years ago…
btw the rooftop patio is coming along nicely. You could have made it 200 ft high and the first revolving rooftop patio in downstate Illinois but I'm glad you went with the scaled down version;). It will be a great addition to uptown normal but I'm not sure how much I'll use it. It's probably more for the 35 and under crowd so I'm not a near miss. Possibly ready this spring? #BREWPUB #DPROCKS #BUILDITNOW
 

dpdoughbird06

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btw the rooftop patio is coming along nicely. You could have made it 200 ft high and the first revolving rooftop patio in downstate Illinois but I'm glad you went with the scaled down version;). It will be a great addition to uptown normal but I'm not sure how much I'll use it. It's probably more for the 35 and under crowd so I'm not a near miss. Possibly ready this spring? #BREWPUB #DPROCKS #BUILDITNOW
I’m 40 so I’d hate to exclude myself by too aggressively targeting the college crowd. All are welcome, and we’ll see what develops.

Target opening in April at this point. About to check in on whether last week’s blizzard pushed us back at all.
 

dpdoughbird06

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A tornado can take out any roof in Illinois and we've spent millions replacing/repairing hard top structures like Horton Field House. Yes a bubble is more vulnerable but there are major college and NFL teams that practice in bubbles and it's helping them win. Right now we have nothing. What we would be able to do inside a permanent structure that we can't do inside a bubble? The price difference is substantial - about 11.5 million vs 25 million or more. In case you haven't noticed prices have been going up lately. I do not want to gamble on raising the other 13 million plus. We have a chance to do something rather rare in Redbird Athletics. We're scoring a Capital Improvement Win with private donations. Take the Win - Build it Now.
I’m fine with the bubble, and you’re right about all of the above. Cowboys’ collapse came to mind, so I went for the cheap shot.
 

Manchester Matt

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You literally don't understand that the roof of a brick & mortar building doesn't collapse when the power goes out. LOL
So you cherry picked the ONE example of where the backup generator didn't work. LOL. What about the hundreds of facilities like this that didn't have that problem?
 
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