Saturday’s Events; Questions Answered
September 18, 2019 | General
Pirate Nation!
I hope you are getting prepared for an exciting Saturday in and around Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. We have several new events planned that we hope you will enjoy.
As promised last week, I want to answer some of your questions concerning the fan experience at our home-opener. We received a ton of feedback and I appreciate you taking the time to reach out.
Before I begin, I want to take a moment and thank our athletics department staff. It has been a busy couple of weeks with meetings as we strive to provide a first-class experience for our fans. We are fortunate to have a staff that cares, that constantly seeks feedback, and are committed to giving our fans an enjoyable experience.
First, let's look at what we have scheduled for Saturday.
PGA Tour's Harold Varner and ECU Athletics to host contest with local golf clubs
PGA Tour golfer and East Carolina alum Harold Varner III is partnering with East Carolina Athletics to host a closest to the pin contest among local golf clubs on Saturday. The event will take place on the football turf practice field at 4:30 p.m. Fans will be allowed on the turf practice field during the event.
Four golfers each from Ayden, Brook Valley, Greenville and Ironwood country clubs will compete for the top prize of pregame field passes for Saturday's game and the chance to be honored on the field in the second quarter. The golfer with the overall closest to the pin will receive an autographed Wyndham Championships flag signed by Varner along with other prizes.
The contest will consist of a 70-yard shot with each golfer hitting three shots. Varner will hit a shot for each team. Members of the East Carolina men's and women's golf teams will also be in attendance to assist with the event.
Spare Change band to play leading up to kickoff
Spare Change will perform a concert on the Howard & Lyn Swain Pirate Promenade in front of TowneBank Tower prior to Saturday's game from 2:00-5:00 p.m. Spare Change, based in La Grange, NC, is a well-known band that has a diverse playlist from rock, country, beach, current Top 40 hits, and classic rock. While enjoying the music from your tailgate spot, there's a great chance the band will play one or possibly five of your favorites. The band consists of two guitarists, piano/syth, drums and bass, and a mandolin player.
Welcome back Marnie Oursler
Former East Carolina softball standout Marnie Oursler will attend Saturday's game. Oursler runs her own business, Marnie Custom Homes, and has a TV show on the DIY Network, "Big Beach Builds." The series is now in its third season. Oursler graduated in 2001 from East Carolina with a degree in business education and later earned her master's in business administration from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.
Coca-Cola to have interactive experience
A new addition for the William & Mary game will be a Coca-Cola virtual reality experience outside Gate 4. The experience will include interactive games, giveaways and sampling of Coca-Cola products.
Now, on to your questions, suggestions and room for improvement.
David from Greenville
PA system was extremely loud. Please turn it down a notch.
David, you are one of numerous people that provided feedback on the sound system. I heard it as well and we are working to fix it. The volume was turned down several times, but we didn't find the perfect mix. We have an audio engineer coming to campus on Thursday. He will work on redirecting some of our speakers away from the new structure of Towne Bank Tower in hopes that the audio will no longer bounce off the tower. They will also be looking at Minges Coliseum as well. Hopefully, we will have a more definitive answer this week. Trust me, it's on our radar.
Brayden from Dunn
Kudos for the new Pirate Walk. The energy was amazing with the band, cheerleaders and team. Hopefully, we can get more people out there for the William & Mary game.
Thanks, Brayden. It was exciting to see the support from Pirate Nation and I know it will continue to attract more people. Tell your friends! Will be at Howard & Lyn Swain Pirate Promenade at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, but I would tell people to get there by 3:15. When you hear the siren played from Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, it means the team is on the way and it's time to line up!
Alan from Greenville
Where were the boiled peanuts? Will they show up eventually? Sincerely, Boiled Peanut Fan.
Hey Alan, I'm also a boiled peanut fan. Unfortunately, they were not sold as advertised at the first game. We received assurances from our concessionaire that boiled peanuts will be sold at select locations on Saturday.
Bill from New Bern
Kudos for looking for fan input. Better signage would be nice outside TowneBank Tower. Got in a line unintentionally for the elevator.
Thank you, Bill. I witnessed first-hand some of the confusion outside Gate 2. We have an entrance for fans, an entrance for high school coaches and an entrance for football players family all at gate 2 adjacent to the Tower. Additional signs have been produced for outside the area this week to alleviate any confusion.
Richard from Raleigh
Kids Zone was an absolute hit! Thank you so much. I didn't get to see much of the game because my five-year old didn't want to leave the area. Really nice touch having Simply Natural Creamery nearby. I will now be attending every game, whether I get to watch it or not is another question!
Richard, thank you for providing the feedback. We are fortunate to have Eastern Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, Air U Trampoline Park and Greenville Utilities sponsor the Kids Zone for the 2019 season. Our marketing staff will be adding a couple new games on Saturday and a face painter. In addition, we will have increased lighting in the Kids Zone beginning on Saturday.
Donnie from High Point
We have used the Minges restrooms for years as gray lot patrons. My wife tried to use the Scales and Minges restrooms for premier lot and was told no.
Donnie, you are correct. You are permitted to use the Minges restrooms. We will make sure you encounter no issues having access to Minges this weekend. Scales Field House is not available as we have several different departments using the building. The restrooms inside Clark-LeClair Stadium are available for public use as well.
Sara from LaGrange
Overall, thought it was a positive experience. Concession lines being long weren't the issue but felt like they run out of some key items before halftime. Tried to get a pretzel at halftime and they didn't have any.
Thank you, Sara. We did run out of items at the Gardner-Webb game. We appreciate your feedback and I can assure you our concessionaire will be prepared on Saturday to handle the expected crowd.
John from Raleigh
Can you explain the Pirate Lights app? We were told at the beginning of the fourth quarter to open the App, but it never connected. Also, the popcorn refill tub was a family hit.
First, you can't go wrong with unlimited popcorn. It's a must at a sporting event. In terms of the Pirate Lights App, we take complete responsibility on it not working properly. User error. There's nothing wrong with the App and we are thankful to Coca-Cola for providing it. We are looking forward to using it on Saturday at the end of the third quarter. Just open your phone and enjoy the show. Pirate Lights is free; just search "Pirate Lights" in the app store. Fans must download the app in order to participate on Saturday.
Will from Greenville
Let's put the DJ in the Boneyard!
You are reading our minds. We are working to figure out a way to make it happen. Our hope is to have the DJ on the field pregame on Saturday. We are working through some technical issues in terms of the DJ being in the Boneyard, but we would like to make it happen in the future. By the way, the DJ is Travis Hixon from Still Life and we are fortunate to have him.
MacKinsay from Smithfield
Appreciate all the hard work and dedication you and your team have put in. You can tell the hard work has paid off. Only suggestion is Pirate Club area concessions was struggling when gates were opened.
Appreciate the comments. We have a talented staff that is working long hours to make sure we cover all bases. We all want to get it right. I have heard from numerous supporters about the concessions in the Pirate Club level and it has been addressed. In addition to beer and wine, you will be able to purchase additional items from concessions on Saturday in the Pirate Club level. The Pirate Club level will open at 12 p.m. on Saturday (six hours before kickoff) when parking lots open.
Jackie from Greenville
Was very excited to hear about the TVs on the north side, but they were not operational.
Jackie, I am excited as well to add televisions to the area outside the concession stands. We don't want any fan to miss a part of the action while they are waiting in line (hopefully not long). Unfortunately, we had an issue with power, and I am told all televisions will be operational on Saturday.
Jerry from Goldsboro
Ceiling fans in Pirate Club area. Heaters won't get much use, but fans will.
Completely agree, Jerry. You will notice two 12-foot industrial ceiling fans on Saturday when you visit the Pirate Club level. It was important to address this after the first game. Numerous people have commented about the area. When the original design was completed in 2016, it was not an enclosed area and there are no current plans to enclose it. We think it's a great gathering area for our loyal supporters.
Eddie from Charlotte
We visited the "refresher" stands that were advertised and they offered "hot/room temp" beverages. I visited two of these stations seeking a bottled water and a diet coke and receiving nothing but warm beverages.
Thanks, Eddie, for the feedback. I think you are referring to the hydration stations that Aramark advertised which offered locations to quickly purchase a bottled beverage or water. We have addressed this issue with our concession vendor.
Jeanie from Rocky Mount
Please thank all your staff from our family. It's been a long time since we attended a game and enjoyed it like Saturday. Obviously, we loved the new beer and wine options but just felt a different vibe all the way around.
I will pass on your kind words to our staff. We have a loyal, hard-working, and committed group. We knew going into the first game we would have some issues and we have worked hard to resolve them over the past week. Stop and say hello next time!
I look forward to seeing everybody on Saturday at 6pm in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
Go Pirates!
Jon
I hope you are getting prepared for an exciting Saturday in and around Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. We have several new events planned that we hope you will enjoy.
As promised last week, I want to answer some of your questions concerning the fan experience at our home-opener. We received a ton of feedback and I appreciate you taking the time to reach out.
Before I begin, I want to take a moment and thank our athletics department staff. It has been a busy couple of weeks with meetings as we strive to provide a first-class experience for our fans. We are fortunate to have a staff that cares, that constantly seeks feedback, and are committed to giving our fans an enjoyable experience.
First, let's look at what we have scheduled for Saturday.
PGA Tour's Harold Varner and ECU Athletics to host contest with local golf clubs
PGA Tour golfer and East Carolina alum Harold Varner III is partnering with East Carolina Athletics to host a closest to the pin contest among local golf clubs on Saturday. The event will take place on the football turf practice field at 4:30 p.m. Fans will be allowed on the turf practice field during the event.
Four golfers each from Ayden, Brook Valley, Greenville and Ironwood country clubs will compete for the top prize of pregame field passes for Saturday's game and the chance to be honored on the field in the second quarter. The golfer with the overall closest to the pin will receive an autographed Wyndham Championships flag signed by Varner along with other prizes.
The contest will consist of a 70-yard shot with each golfer hitting three shots. Varner will hit a shot for each team. Members of the East Carolina men's and women's golf teams will also be in attendance to assist with the event.
Spare Change band to play leading up to kickoff
Spare Change will perform a concert on the Howard & Lyn Swain Pirate Promenade in front of TowneBank Tower prior to Saturday's game from 2:00-5:00 p.m. Spare Change, based in La Grange, NC, is a well-known band that has a diverse playlist from rock, country, beach, current Top 40 hits, and classic rock. While enjoying the music from your tailgate spot, there's a great chance the band will play one or possibly five of your favorites. The band consists of two guitarists, piano/syth, drums and bass, and a mandolin player.
Welcome back Marnie Oursler
Former East Carolina softball standout Marnie Oursler will attend Saturday's game. Oursler runs her own business, Marnie Custom Homes, and has a TV show on the DIY Network, "Big Beach Builds." The series is now in its third season. Oursler graduated in 2001 from East Carolina with a degree in business education and later earned her master's in business administration from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.
Coca-Cola to have interactive experience
A new addition for the William & Mary game will be a Coca-Cola virtual reality experience outside Gate 4. The experience will include interactive games, giveaways and sampling of Coca-Cola products.
Now, on to your questions, suggestions and room for improvement.
David from Greenville
PA system was extremely loud. Please turn it down a notch.
David, you are one of numerous people that provided feedback on the sound system. I heard it as well and we are working to fix it. The volume was turned down several times, but we didn't find the perfect mix. We have an audio engineer coming to campus on Thursday. He will work on redirecting some of our speakers away from the new structure of Towne Bank Tower in hopes that the audio will no longer bounce off the tower. They will also be looking at Minges Coliseum as well. Hopefully, we will have a more definitive answer this week. Trust me, it's on our radar.
Brayden from Dunn
Kudos for the new Pirate Walk. The energy was amazing with the band, cheerleaders and team. Hopefully, we can get more people out there for the William & Mary game.
Thanks, Brayden. It was exciting to see the support from Pirate Nation and I know it will continue to attract more people. Tell your friends! Will be at Howard & Lyn Swain Pirate Promenade at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, but I would tell people to get there by 3:15. When you hear the siren played from Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, it means the team is on the way and it's time to line up!
Alan from Greenville
Where were the boiled peanuts? Will they show up eventually? Sincerely, Boiled Peanut Fan.
Hey Alan, I'm also a boiled peanut fan. Unfortunately, they were not sold as advertised at the first game. We received assurances from our concessionaire that boiled peanuts will be sold at select locations on Saturday.
Bill from New Bern
Kudos for looking for fan input. Better signage would be nice outside TowneBank Tower. Got in a line unintentionally for the elevator.
Thank you, Bill. I witnessed first-hand some of the confusion outside Gate 2. We have an entrance for fans, an entrance for high school coaches and an entrance for football players family all at gate 2 adjacent to the Tower. Additional signs have been produced for outside the area this week to alleviate any confusion.
Richard from Raleigh
Kids Zone was an absolute hit! Thank you so much. I didn't get to see much of the game because my five-year old didn't want to leave the area. Really nice touch having Simply Natural Creamery nearby. I will now be attending every game, whether I get to watch it or not is another question!
Richard, thank you for providing the feedback. We are fortunate to have Eastern Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, Air U Trampoline Park and Greenville Utilities sponsor the Kids Zone for the 2019 season. Our marketing staff will be adding a couple new games on Saturday and a face painter. In addition, we will have increased lighting in the Kids Zone beginning on Saturday.
Donnie from High Point
We have used the Minges restrooms for years as gray lot patrons. My wife tried to use the Scales and Minges restrooms for premier lot and was told no.
Donnie, you are correct. You are permitted to use the Minges restrooms. We will make sure you encounter no issues having access to Minges this weekend. Scales Field House is not available as we have several different departments using the building. The restrooms inside Clark-LeClair Stadium are available for public use as well.
Sara from LaGrange
Overall, thought it was a positive experience. Concession lines being long weren't the issue but felt like they run out of some key items before halftime. Tried to get a pretzel at halftime and they didn't have any.
Thank you, Sara. We did run out of items at the Gardner-Webb game. We appreciate your feedback and I can assure you our concessionaire will be prepared on Saturday to handle the expected crowd.
John from Raleigh
Can you explain the Pirate Lights app? We were told at the beginning of the fourth quarter to open the App, but it never connected. Also, the popcorn refill tub was a family hit.
First, you can't go wrong with unlimited popcorn. It's a must at a sporting event. In terms of the Pirate Lights App, we take complete responsibility on it not working properly. User error. There's nothing wrong with the App and we are thankful to Coca-Cola for providing it. We are looking forward to using it on Saturday at the end of the third quarter. Just open your phone and enjoy the show. Pirate Lights is free; just search "Pirate Lights" in the app store. Fans must download the app in order to participate on Saturday.
Will from Greenville
Let's put the DJ in the Boneyard!
You are reading our minds. We are working to figure out a way to make it happen. Our hope is to have the DJ on the field pregame on Saturday. We are working through some technical issues in terms of the DJ being in the Boneyard, but we would like to make it happen in the future. By the way, the DJ is Travis Hixon from Still Life and we are fortunate to have him.
MacKinsay from Smithfield
Appreciate all the hard work and dedication you and your team have put in. You can tell the hard work has paid off. Only suggestion is Pirate Club area concessions was struggling when gates were opened.
Appreciate the comments. We have a talented staff that is working long hours to make sure we cover all bases. We all want to get it right. I have heard from numerous supporters about the concessions in the Pirate Club level and it has been addressed. In addition to beer and wine, you will be able to purchase additional items from concessions on Saturday in the Pirate Club level. The Pirate Club level will open at 12 p.m. on Saturday (six hours before kickoff) when parking lots open.
Jackie from Greenville
Was very excited to hear about the TVs on the north side, but they were not operational.
Jackie, I am excited as well to add televisions to the area outside the concession stands. We don't want any fan to miss a part of the action while they are waiting in line (hopefully not long). Unfortunately, we had an issue with power, and I am told all televisions will be operational on Saturday.
Jerry from Goldsboro
Ceiling fans in Pirate Club area. Heaters won't get much use, but fans will.
Completely agree, Jerry. You will notice two 12-foot industrial ceiling fans on Saturday when you visit the Pirate Club level. It was important to address this after the first game. Numerous people have commented about the area. When the original design was completed in 2016, it was not an enclosed area and there are no current plans to enclose it. We think it's a great gathering area for our loyal supporters.
Eddie from Charlotte
We visited the "refresher" stands that were advertised and they offered "hot/room temp" beverages. I visited two of these stations seeking a bottled water and a diet coke and receiving nothing but warm beverages.
Thanks, Eddie, for the feedback. I think you are referring to the hydration stations that Aramark advertised which offered locations to quickly purchase a bottled beverage or water. We have addressed this issue with our concession vendor.
Jeanie from Rocky Mount
Please thank all your staff from our family. It's been a long time since we attended a game and enjoyed it like Saturday. Obviously, we loved the new beer and wine options but just felt a different vibe all the way around.
I will pass on your kind words to our staff. We have a loyal, hard-working, and committed group. We knew going into the first game we would have some issues and we have worked hard to resolve them over the past week. Stop and say hello next time!
I look forward to seeing everybody on Saturday at 6pm in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
Go Pirates!
Jon
Saturday, September 12
Thursday, September 10
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Thursday, September 03
