Ask the AD... some tweaks to the game day experience...

[WXAPP]

Each month, Appalachian State fans and supporters can reach out to Director of Athletics Doug Gillin with questions regarding Appalachian State Athletics. Please submit questions via email at AskTheAD@appstate.edu.

OCTOBER 2018 – ASK THE A.D.

Family Weekend will be our first visit to The Rock this year. Is there anything different that I need to be ready for?

We've been working to create the best game day atmosphere possible at Kidd Brewer Stadium. That includes several new events that were unveiled in September for the home opener against Gardner-Webb and Homecoming weekend against South Alabama, and we're excited to have another opportunity to showcase them on Oct. 20 with Louisiana coming to The Rock for Family Weekend.

Appalachian Food Services has taken over the operation of concessions for home football games this year, and it has done a lot to upgrade the consumer experience. The Mountaineer Concessions locations have many new menu options to go along with the familiar staples that are popular for fans on game days at The Rock.

We have received a lot of feedback from you regarding souvenir cups and ice. There was a new ice station located on Miller Hill for the Homecoming game against South Alabama. There will be two additional ice stations where cups with ice can be purchased during the next home game on Family Weekend.

We have also heard from you regarding the congestion on the East side concourse. We will increase points of sale on the East side for the next home game with a goal of creating shorter lines and decreasing congestion near the main stand.

We review all game day operations following each home game at Kidd Brewer Stadium and will continue to make adjustments to serve our fans. We appreciate your feedback, and it's an ongoing process to enhance the game day experience. Each game, we want to make it a better experience for everyone who comes to The Rock.

As we get closer to Oct. 20, stay tuned to AppStateSports.com for more details and information on ways in which we are working to improve the fan experience.

Will the new additions to football games to start the season still be there in October and November?

We've received very positive feedback about the new Game Day Camp for Kids and the experience those campers have had. The camp is held at the Sofield Indoor Practice Facility, where parents attending a home football game can drop off their children (ages 5-14) and have them go through sports instruction with our App State student-athletes, coaches and staff. We've lowered the price to $30 per camper, with $5 discounts available to siblings, Junior Mountaineer Kids Club members and children of Yosef Club members, so it's a win-win for parents and their children.

We are also excited about the new Rock Garten, a pregame beer garden that has beverages from local and national breweries. The Rock Garten is set up near the "Rock" and the pregame radio set on the East Plaza, and it was a popular spot for fans during the first two home games, especially for those fans who didn't have a tailgating spot.

There are several other events that will continue later this season, like our fans being invited onto the field to interact afterward with our student-athletes and coaches. We had a great turnout after the home opener, and the same opportunity will be available after the Nov. 24 game against Troy.

After receiving many suggestions for songs that should be played in Kidd Brewer Stadium, we've been encouraged by the response we've gotten from those collaborative selections, and fans are pleased that the band is on the same side of the stadium as our students. Thank you for taking the time to participate in our offseason surveys and outreach efforts on social media — your input is very valuable to us.

Also keep in mind that, on the remaining Tuesdays before home games, we will host an "Inside the Huddle" luncheon at the Boone Golf Club. With three of those noon lunches left, resuming with another one Oct. 16, you get a delicious meal from the good folks at Casa Rustica and the chance to hear educational, behind-the-scenes info from App State Football coaches and student-athletes for just $10. It's a great deal, and the first three lunches have been successes thanks to the support of so many people in the local community.

These luncheons and other events are part of an effort by App State Athletics to be out in the community more and grow an already loyal, passionate fan base. We need everyone to come out, attend games and give our hard-working student-athletes the support they deserve.

What are the Each 1 Reach 1 postcards about?

Each 1 Reach 1 is an effort to double our Yosef Club membership by Dec. 31. To do that, it's as simple as getting each current Yosef Club member to find one non-member to join.

Competition is fierce on and off the fields of play in intercollegiate athletics, and it's often harder to sustain comprehensive excellence than it is to reach the top. We have to continue to grow the Yosef Club, and to do that, we need your help.

This effort already has some positive momentum thanks to your work and support, and it's essential that we get more people on board. We're currently funding only about half of our scholarship needs through the Yosef Club.

To join yourself or help a friend join, all you have to do is call the Yosef Club at 828-262-8075, email yosefclub@appstate.edu or visit the "Give Now" tab at AppStateSports.com.

What went into canceling the Southern Miss game and will it be made up in December?

Certainly, the safety of everyone was the top priority at that point, and our thoughts are with the people in the Carolinas who are still being affected by Hurricane Florence.

With so many needs across the state, many of the first responders and security personnel who would normally be at Kidd Brewer Stadium on a Saturday afternoon were better served being available to assist with Hurricane Florence. And there would have been safety risks and concerns for any team attempting to travel and return home following a game played that Saturday, whether it be in Boone or elsewhere.

While we did explore options with Southern Miss to change the date and venue of the game, we never got to a place where we could make it work. Likewise, in exploring options to reschedule the game for later this year, the schedules didn't make that a reasonable possibility, so we have a tentative agreement to complete that home-and-home series during a future season. In reaching that conclusion, we wanted to be able to give our ticket holders answers as quickly as possible.

Customer service is incredibly important to us, because we're nothing without our fans and your support. We wanted to make sure to give you as many options as possible with those tickets, because we care about our customers and need people at The Rock, so we communicated the ways in which the Southern Miss tickets could be exchanged for future tickets or used toward a discount on future tickets.

We're moving forward from a weekend in which we celebrated 50 years of women's sports at Appalachian State, and the Trailblazers Dinner on that Friday night was one of the coolest events I've had the privilege of attending in my time here. As we continue to celebrate that history, there are a lot of exciting things happening in the High Country this month.

With football on the road Tuesday playing a nationally televised game on ESPN2, it will be a great weekend to come out and cheer on our App State teams that will be playing in Boone. Volleyball and women's soccer have home matches Friday night and Sunday afternoon, with Volleyball behind held at Varsity Gym on Friday before returning to the Holmes Center on Sunday, while men's soccer has a home match Saturday night.

Volleyball is 4-0 in league play, women's soccer has a 3-0 conference record and men's soccer is 3-0 at home this season, so let's give our student-athletes a great homefield and homecourt advantage.

Go Mountaineers!


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[WXAPP]

On the upside, we actually have an AD who listens and wants feedback. DG, a good egg.

[Boone Goon]

We’ve got a fantastic AD!

[T-Dog]

I knew this was going to happen. Gillin does an "Ask the AD," and everyone loves him again without actually doing anything substantial.

I appreciate what he does and I know this makes me sound like a sour puss, but this whole concessions thing has been a miss so far.

[Boone Goon]

I knew this was going to happen. Gillin does an "Ask the AD," and everyone loves him again without actually doing anything substantial.

I appreciate what he does and I know this makes me sound like a sour puss, but this whole concessions thing has been a miss so far.

The fact that our chief complaint is related to cups tells me things are in a great place! Need proof? Check in on stAte’s board, or GaSo’s...or just about any other board in or out of the Belt.

[Saint3333]

I knew this was going to happen. Gillin does an "Ask the AD," and everyone loves him again without actually doing anything substantial.

I appreciate what he does and I know this makes me sound like a sour puss, but this whole concessions thing has been a miss so far.

Sounds like cherry picking one bad thing in a sea of great moves.

[Appstate88]

In DG we trust! It’s great to be a Mountaineer!

[asu66]

On the upside, we actually have an AD who listens and wants feedback. DG, a good egg.

Amen to that!

[mneer]

Action more than words. These guys have all kinds of staff and resources at their fingertips. Use it ! Let’s see what you can do when you really work.

[Oldlknapp]

To the AD: “THANK YOU” for addressing the east side concession congestion.

[DaphneUrquhart]

Action more than words. These guys have all kinds of staff and resources at their fingertips. Use it ! Let’s see what you can do when you really work.

If you're speaking of the athletic department, you're not exactly correct on "all kinds of staff and resources at their fingertips".

The Yosef Club only funds about half of our scholarship commitment. That means that athletics has to get about $4 million in other revenue just to meet the scholarship bill. That $4 million could add quite a few services and staff. The key to freeing up that $4 million for cups and ice and shorter lines is growing our Yosef membership.

[AppinVA]

Action more than words. These guys have all kinds of staff and resources at their fingertips. Use it ! Let’s see what you can do when you really work.

If you're speaking of the athletic department, you're not exactly correct on "all kinds of staff and resources at their fingertips".

The Yosef Club only funds about half of our scholarship commitment. That means that athletics has to get about $4 million in other revenue just to meet the scholarship bill. That $4 million could add quite a few services and staff. The key to freeing up that $4 million for cups and ice and shorter lines is growing our Yosef membership.

What? If we had an extra $4 million dollars we could have cups and ice AND shorter concession lines? I’m sorry, but not providing basic gameday/event necessities (for sale, not gratis) is a quicker way to need an extra $6 million than the other way around.

[Stonewall]

Everyone knows the consessions situation is a screwup .There are numerous other game day issues as well . DG and crew whiffed at the first two pitches , I doubt they strike out. The LaLa game should be much improved. And yes , our conference mates would love to have our “ problems”.

[appstatealum]

Action more than words. These guys have all kinds of staff and resources at their fingertips. Use it ! Let’s see what you can do when you really work.

If you're speaking of the athletic department, you're not exactly correct on "all kinds of staff and resources at their fingertips".

The Yosef Club only funds about half of our scholarship commitment. That means that athletics has to get about $4 million in other revenue just to meet the scholarship bill. That $4 million could add quite a few services and staff. The key to freeing up that $4 million for cups and ice and shorter lines is growing our Yosef membership.

I will continue to increase my donations as my finances permit and I appreciate administration’s attentiveness to most issues. But I also agree with the sentiments that if you provide a great game day experience, it will lead to increase attendance and lead to more donors. It’s not a bad game day experience, but it has some glaring issues that can be resolved. I’ll beat that dead horse again, but the player Interactions on the field are a great way to engage fans and create lasting memories that in turn leads to Yosef donations and more season ticket holders....