Comments by icefshnak
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Posted on May 21 at 1:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'd give up two UAF-UAA games to play other nationally ranked schools ANY DAY OF THE WEEK! I think this schedule will give us a good indication of where we are as a team very early in the season. It will also help with strength of schedule in the pairwise rankings. I see it as a win-win in my book!
Posted on April 13 at 3:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
There ARE good things that happen from UAF Athletics. And each time UAF shows up on a scoreboard somewhere or at an out of town event...our school benefits.
I think people fail to realize that our program suffers because we don't have our own on campus facility. Yes, there's the Patty center. It holds all of about 250 people? Don't think for a moment that we get a break at the Carlson Center. It's incredibly expensive to be there and the University sees very little of the proceeds generated in dasher boards and concessions. I'm curious how much we'd save if we didn't have to pay the borough those fees, could rent unused space to user groups, and hold events to offset costs in less busier times?
We suffer because we try and run a competitive college athletic program on a shoe string budget. I stand by the idea that despite the successes the rifle team has maintained over the years, our PREMIER SPORT at UAF is Division I Hockey. Do you believe Michigan' premier sport is Hockey? Heck no! It's Football. All other programs benefit and thus fall in line behind football. Why is that concept so hard to accept? How much revenue does the rifle team with all its national championships generate for our athletic program?
Instead of bickering about which sport is better. All athletics fans need to understand that should hockey go by the wayside....so too will the other sports. We've been walking a fine line of acceptable funding for a long time. When is the administration going to untie the coaches hands from behind their back and give them the tools and resources to be successful? How about equal levels of funding for both UAF and UAA for starters....that's an incredible injustice in my mind.
Great article Bob! I think you hit the nail on the head!
Posted on April 10 at 11:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Fairbanks, wake up! We can only pray we get a GREAT coach to walk in the door and be willing to fight the good fight for his program. Because that's what its going to take. Our coaches are expected to do far more than just Coach. We're not going to find many that are going to be willing to come in and do everything that is asked of them by this administration with an underfunded program and an underpaid Coach. It's only been since Gadz was here that they Fairbanks coach was paid the same as the Anchorage coach....yeah in the same UA system! How insane is that?? Don't think for a minute that those that sign the checks for this program feel that Hockey is an important aspect to education. It's clear they don't in their expectations of whats appropriate funding levels for a Division I program. In other schools across the country you will find the "premier sport" and all other sports fall in line behind it. At our school its more about equality and making sure that everyone gets treated fairly. No disrespect to those other sports....but why should a DII Basketball program or a rifle program that maybe has 20 fans at a match be treated equally with a hockey program that averages 3,000 fans?
Hockey should be our "premier sport". It's a sad day for UAF Hockey. We're going to find very few people that are willing to step up and endure the headache to get this program back on track. I suspect we'll have plenty of coaches that can't cut it elsewhere stepping up....and it probably looks pretty good right now.
My take is this: A DI Hockey Program brings in a tough nosed coach, expects immediate results, parts ways after one season. Underfunded, understaffed, underpaid....tell me who do you know wants that job???
Posted on April 10 at 3:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is a huge blow to the UAF Hockey program! Until this University gets serious about wanting a legitimate Division I Hockey Program we'll continue to have a swinging door at the helm. The good coaches will come, see what the administration does and how it treats the program, and then leave. The coaches that aren't going to make it anywhere else will come and find this a happy haven. WAKE UP UAF!
Posted on April 3 at 8:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So why do people insist on bypassing the current regulations? Is anyone out there even aware of the real motivations of the person leading the charge on the Renewable Resource Coalition? Go look. The primary financial backer is a lodge owner in the Bristol Bay area. Talk about a conflict of interest! Its really not about mining at all. It's about protecting his business venture fronting as a concerned environmental group.
Remember the problems POGO ran into with getting their permits passed through a very tough permitting process? I wonder the wisdom in bypassing those already tested scientific methods and rewording them to suit ones own personal agenda? Where's their scientific proof that the existing regulations are insufficient? Why must there be any comrpomise for the sake of good PR?
I think this is bad legislation and until they can come up with solid data to support their logic, I think we should not be moving forward with any additional regulations of an industry that is already heavily regulated.
Posted on March 23 at 12:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"Word is that the goal judge ducked out quickly after the game to escape the wrath of bitter fans and Proffitt."
Funny I don't recall it happening that way. In fact I waited about 15 minutes in the front lobby for my family. The fact is, the puck hit the cross bar and popped out. The mistake I did make was to incorrectly anticipate the puck going in, thereby turning the light on. Having been a goal judge for some years I can attest to the fact that mistakes happen. I can also attest to the fact that the point of even having a goal judge is to be impartial. The Ref saw what I saw and made his decision. As for Coach Proffitt he knows how to reach me if he wants to discuss it further.
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Posted on August 5 at 11:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Frankly, a $1200.00 subsidy is a slap in the face. 250 gallons put in the tank last week was just over $1100.00. That won't last the winter. There are some legitimate questions about energy costs in the interior. Take a look at an average electric bill ten years ago and one today. The fuel surcharge is more than a monthly electric bill for our neighbors to the South. We've got a refinery in our own back yard and more wealth in this state than most and yet we have people facing serious financial crisis because it's not just heating fuel or gas at the pump. Our groceries are more expensive because....right, transportation, fuel, heating, etc.... I have yet to run into a business that's willing to keep their prices low for the consumer and eat the increasing costs of doing business. Our dollar isn't buying what it did a year ago. Not even 6 months ago. Big Oil gets richer, the State gets Richer and the people get poorer. What's Fairbanks going to do when the mass exodus starts heading South? Who's gonna pick up the slack? It isn't going to get cheaper because there's less people here that's for sure! I don't see Big Oil jumping in there...
Rather than finding band aids to stop the bleeding we need to figure out what's causing the blood. Why are our costs higher than other metropolitan ares of the state? Why is oil going down and fuel hasn't even dropped a dime/gallon? Why isn't something being done to get GVEA off diesel generated power? Why create a program to "help" Alaskan's make their residences more energy efficient but have huge bottle necks (like staffing and a cumbersome application process) in order to participate? That particular program costs 1000.00 in inspection costs to be eligible for reimbursement. In a time where money is tight...why? Those same inspections were free a year ago.
I've never understood why Anchorage has lower fuel prices at the pump. Or lower heating costs. It's always about equality in other aspects of our state (game laws, etc) but when it comes to oil...it's every man for himself (Big Oil) and forget who gets in the way of that.
I don't see an end in sight either. Those we've asked to represent us can't seem to grasp the gravity of the situation here in the interior or other remote areas of the state. Not sure if they'll ever get it at this point.
On Clock ticking for Alaska lawmakers to draft energy bill