Q. I was wondering where you thought the toughest place was to play when you were on the road?
A. That is a great question thanks for asking. The NSIC has developed into one of the most difficult and balanced leagues in the country. Teams that come out of the conference and region typically have an opportunity to win a national championship. Literally, each team needs to perform at the highest level every game in order to win. Road trips in the NSIC are extremely taxing and include long hours on a bus. Many times the team will have to leave immediately after a Friday night game and travel two to three hours to the next institution. With that being said I believe the most difficult stretch is Northern State and UMary. Northern by itself is the most difficult place to play with their 8,000 seat arena and tremendous fan base. Then you have to hop on a bus and drive three hours to Bismarck, ND. This has become a very difficult venue in which to play. They have a small gym with fans right on top of the court. This really makes it difficult to communicate and play as a team.
I was fortunate to play in some outstanding arenas during my career and my favorite place to play was Williams Arena as I grew up in the Twin Cities. Of course I didn’t mind the time spent at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield as well. Lastly, one of the most difficult stretches during my career was a road trip to Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, IN. The Richard F. Scharf Alumni Fieldhouse is a very small venue and it honestly felt like 100 degrees at tipoff. Again, much like UMary fans are fight on top of the court at Saint Joe’s. The Pumas beat us and were responsible for one of our four losses during the 2006 National Championship run. Thanks for the great question and I look forward to answering more in the future.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Men's Basketball
Q. The men's basketball team really looks like they are going in the right direction, landing two very solid D1 transfers in Anthony Tucker (Iowa) and Caleb Palkert (USC-Upstate). I really believe these two players will really give some versatility to the WSU lineup. Tucker is a pure scorer who will more than likely fill David Johnson's shoes and Palkert seems like a great guy we can implement into the lineup to give WSU a (2-big) feel with Vette. Especially with Vette's three-point shooting ability, it seems like we could use another big guy to crash the glass. With WSU already having two other D1 transfers in Vette and C.J. Erickson as well as a solid, veteran point guard in Ben Fischer, do you think WSU could make a possible Elite Eight run? If so, what do you think WSU needs to improve on to get back out to Springfield?
A. Thank you for another great question and a fan that has certainly done their research. One interesting fact is that the Elite Eight will open up for bids after this final year in Springfield, Mass. The NCAA has decided to seek a new venue for the Elite Eight thus moving from the current location of Springfield where it has been held for the past five years. The Warriors certainly will have a great group of student-athletes and as we all know a high caliber coaching staff. I do believe they can make a run to the Elite Eight and even the national championship… They have that type of talent. A couple of things I believe they can work on as a team will be chemistry and leadership. If they can master these two key components stay healthy and get some luck a run to Springfield is definitely possible. Lastly, I believe it takes buy in from all members of the team to play for a national championship. It’s imperative that everyone is working for the same common team goal. I’m really looking forward to basketball season as I believe this group is hungry to be the best they are capable of becoming.
A. Thank you for another great question and a fan that has certainly done their research. One interesting fact is that the Elite Eight will open up for bids after this final year in Springfield, Mass. The NCAA has decided to seek a new venue for the Elite Eight thus moving from the current location of Springfield where it has been held for the past five years. The Warriors certainly will have a great group of student-athletes and as we all know a high caliber coaching staff. I do believe they can make a run to the Elite Eight and even the national championship… They have that type of talent. A couple of things I believe they can work on as a team will be chemistry and leadership. If they can master these two key components stay healthy and get some luck a run to Springfield is definitely possible. Lastly, I believe it takes buy in from all members of the team to play for a national championship. It’s imperative that everyone is working for the same common team goal. I’m really looking forward to basketball season as I believe this group is hungry to be the best they are capable of becoming.
Integrated Fitness and Wellness Center
Q. Hey Travis, I was just curious as to how the new Health and Wellness Center (along with the WSU Hall of Fame) will make game day more enjoyable for the fans?
A. Great question and thanks for emailing about this topic. We are extremely excited about the opening of the new Integrated Fitness and Wellness Center. Besides being an excellent facility for the entire student body population it will serve as a great venue for home athletic events. There will be dramatic changes in the amount of time you have to wait in line for tickets and concession stands. The concourse area will provide an enjoyable area for fans to wait for tickets or a place to go during breaks in the action. The Hall of Fame and digital kiosks will enhance the fan experience by providing the history of our storied programs. These are fully interactive and will capture historical moments that have shaped Winona State Athletics. The long hallway will also serve as a walk of fame displaying accomplishments from each of our 14 programs and various forms of digital signage. The digital signage will act as a source of information for upcoming games and contain a live video feed of the current competition that is taking place. All in all this new facility is sure to make the fan experience more enjoyable. I almost forgot the new state of the art restrooms that will provide ample facilities for fans to use. Take a look at some of the pictures attached and we look forward to opening the new Fitness and Wellness Center this fall.
A. Great question and thanks for emailing about this topic. We are extremely excited about the opening of the new Integrated Fitness and Wellness Center. Besides being an excellent facility for the entire student body population it will serve as a great venue for home athletic events. There will be dramatic changes in the amount of time you have to wait in line for tickets and concession stands. The concourse area will provide an enjoyable area for fans to wait for tickets or a place to go during breaks in the action. The Hall of Fame and digital kiosks will enhance the fan experience by providing the history of our storied programs. These are fully interactive and will capture historical moments that have shaped Winona State Athletics. The long hallway will also serve as a walk of fame displaying accomplishments from each of our 14 programs and various forms of digital signage. The digital signage will act as a source of information for upcoming games and contain a live video feed of the current competition that is taking place. All in all this new facility is sure to make the fan experience more enjoyable. I almost forgot the new state of the art restrooms that will provide ample facilities for fans to use. Take a look at some of the pictures attached and we look forward to opening the new Fitness and Wellness Center this fall.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Men's Track and Field
Q. Hi Travis, I saw on your website that Winona State does not have a men’s track program. Is there any time in the future when one will be started up?
A. I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer; things have not slowed down a bit here at WSU. Our next major event is the Warrior Club Golf Classic on Monday, July 19th. This is a great opportunity to support the warriors, socialize with alumni/supporters, interact with the coaches, and connect with current student-athletes. Of course all money raised by this golf outing will directly impact student-athletes in the form of scholarships. I hope to see everyone at Cedar Valley for a fun filled day of golf and socializing. We are also keeping busy with the new integrated wellness center project. The project is reaching completion and our athletic department will begin to move in July 12th. What a difference this new facility is going to make for our campus… we are so very excited.
Men’s track has a storied history here at Winona State along with sports like swimming and wrestling. Expansion of our athletic programs is in our three to five year plan. It’s important to have a robust offering of programs that will best serve our student-athletes and fans. We are trying to manage through the difficult economic times along with Winona State’s enrollment being at capacity. However, we are actively looking at bringing back such programs at WSU. This is a great question and I will continue to update you on the progress of initiatives like a men’s track team. Presently Winona State University offers club and recreational programs for men’s track which are great programs. Also, many WSU student-athletes run unattached at meets throughout the spring season.
Thank you again for following the Ask Travis blog and we appreciate your questions. Happy Fourth of July to everyone!!!
A. I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer; things have not slowed down a bit here at WSU. Our next major event is the Warrior Club Golf Classic on Monday, July 19th. This is a great opportunity to support the warriors, socialize with alumni/supporters, interact with the coaches, and connect with current student-athletes. Of course all money raised by this golf outing will directly impact student-athletes in the form of scholarships. I hope to see everyone at Cedar Valley for a fun filled day of golf and socializing. We are also keeping busy with the new integrated wellness center project. The project is reaching completion and our athletic department will begin to move in July 12th. What a difference this new facility is going to make for our campus… we are so very excited.
Men’s track has a storied history here at Winona State along with sports like swimming and wrestling. Expansion of our athletic programs is in our three to five year plan. It’s important to have a robust offering of programs that will best serve our student-athletes and fans. We are trying to manage through the difficult economic times along with Winona State’s enrollment being at capacity. However, we are actively looking at bringing back such programs at WSU. This is a great question and I will continue to update you on the progress of initiatives like a men’s track team. Presently Winona State University offers club and recreational programs for men’s track which are great programs. Also, many WSU student-athletes run unattached at meets throughout the spring season.
Thank you again for following the Ask Travis blog and we appreciate your questions. Happy Fourth of July to everyone!!!
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