Tuesday Cardinal Couple - Favorite Fall Venues

Favorite Fall Venues

Saturday, Paulie gave us five of his wishes for fall for UofL athletics...and probably stretched it a bit by talking about Basketball and a catch-all at the end, but hey, its his site, he can do what he wants.

I'd like to riff on that theme a slight bit and talk a bit about the fall venues, with a look at which venues I'm most looking forward to visiting to watch fall sports.

#1 Lynn Stadium

OK, this one really can't be much of a surprise.  There's definitely a novelty factor here, but I truly am looking forward to watching UofL Soccer compete at the spiffy new Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Soccer Stadium.  The towering roof over the primary seating area teased me all through Lacrosse season.  With seating for approximately 5,300, this will be a significant upgrade for watching soccer from the Cardinal Park Stadium.  2,300 chairback seats more than equals the total built-in bench seating capacity in Cardinal Park.  Bleacher seating behind the east end-zone increases the capacity another 900, the rest is berm seating.  At Cardinal Park I've enjoyed both sitting in the bleachers and standing in the end-zones equally.  I can't wait to see what its like to do the same at Lynn Stadium.  I also get the privilege of experiencing press-box hospitality, and with the upgrade that happened at Ulmer Stadium for Softball, I can't wait to see what they've done for Soccer.

#2 Brown Rowing Center

For two years now, I've gone to Waterfront Park in October to the G. Garvin Brown III Rowing Center for the Red and Black Regatta.  The only real chance to see the UofL Rowing team in action, even if it is only a scrimmage, it also serves as an open house for UofL fans to see the amazing waterfront facility where the second largest team in the UofL Athletic Department practices.  The Brown Rowing Center is spectacular, and I don't want to pass up the opportunity to show my support for the UofL team that probably gets the least support from the fan base with the complete lack of home competitions.  Derek Copeland proved himself an excellent host last year with food for all, and of course with the various rowers around to answer questions and provide impromptu tours of the boathouse, its all a fan could ask for.

#3 Cardinal Arena

Sure, you knew Volleyball was going to make the list, but you probably figured I'd list the KFC Yum! Center, but to tell you the truth, despite it being an older facility...perhaps the least recently updated athletic facility at the University...I really relish the chances to watch Volleyball at Cardinal Arena.  There's a very definite charm to watching events at Cardinal Arena, obviously seating capacity is limited...too limited for UofL Volleyball, honestly...but that just makes the atmosphere electric.  Volleyball has drawn nearly 1,300, for a big match (Kentucky, in September of 2009), in a facility that officially seats 840, and you can imagine how loud a crowd like that was in an arena of that size.  You're right on top of the action at Cardinal Arena...enough so that you need to stay alert for volleyballs flying into the stands and if you're lucky enough to have a first-row seat in the west-side seating, maybe a player or two!  (Team benches and officials tables block the path to the east-side stands.)  Of course, any visit to the KFC Yum! Center is a treat and being able to have crowd sizes for Volleyball well upwards of 2,000 is a privilege that only a few teams have, but do yourself a favor and catch a match or two...or all six this year...at Cardinal Arena.

#4 Ralph Wright Natatorium

I've only ever been to one Swimming and Diving meet, and alas my visit got cut short by a crisis at my place of work.  Coming off of an amazing year, I hope to lend some more support to another team that doesn't typically get a lot of attention at UofL.  Free admission, concessions, and a typically great UofL facility to be proud of.  I didn't get the opportunity to see any of the diving competition in my previous visit, I plan to remedy that.

#5 Trager Stadium

Field Hockey is a sport that I'm still learning about, so every visit to Trager Stadium, in the Marshall Center/Field Hockey Complex is a fascinating experience.  Field Hockey, much like Lacrosse, is really a thrilling sport to watch, and Justine Sowry's rapid-fire substitution patterns only add to the excitement.  Whether you like to be right on top of the action, or elevated above to have a better view of the overall field, there's turf level bleachers, as well as elevated stands to accommodate your desires.  If you get excited enough that you prefer to stand, there's even some limited space for standing at mid-field.  Field Hockey is another sport that has free admission, along with a concession stand including a beer license, and fans that will gladly help you learn about the sport.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

I heartily agree with Worldwide Jeff's choices and it only takes your veteran Paulie a few minutes to remember all the Volleyball matches at one time were at Cardinal Arena, women's soccer was at Cardinal Park, when there was no rowing facility,  swimming meets were held in the pool in the basement of Crawford Gym and Field Hockey was battling it out in the MAC Conference and playing matches on the intramural football field.

UofL has come so far... it's hard to imagine what else Tom Jurich & crew can expand on. Stay tuned, though, and trust in Tom....if there is a will and a way, he will get it done. 

-Paulie 


-jeffmca