03-08-2005, 09:30 PM
this is a story about some friends of mine who get to go to the ACC tourny. fukkers.
they also haven't missed a VT home game in over 20 years.
http://www.roanoke.com/sports/vtbasketball/19725.html
Melinda Talley of Moneta is going to the ACC Tournament for the first time to root on the Virginia Tech men's basketball team. She can't wait.
"I packed two weeks ago," she said with a laugh at last weekend's Tech game at Cassell Coliseum.
Only Hokie Club members who have donated at least $50,000 in their lifetimes will get to go to the first ACC Tournament that includes the Hokies. Tournament tickets aren't available to the general public.
Melinda Talley and her husband, Ed, fund two athletic scholarships at Tech, so the Hokie Club gave them the opportunity to buy two tournament ticket books for $325 apiece. Ed Talley can't go because of work, so his wife is taking a girlfriend to the tournament, which begins Thursday at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. They never went to the Big East or Atlantic 10 tournaments when Tech was in those leagues.
There is a discrepancy over how many books ACC newcomers Virginia Tech and Miami got from the league. Tech and Miami officials each said Monday their schools were given 595 books. They were supposed to get one-third of the allotment of the nine returning ACC members, but that would be 647 books, not 595. ACC assistant commissioner Fred Barakat said the two schools did indeed get 647 books.
Of Tech's 595 tickets, 498 were sold to Hokie Club members. The rest went to the Tech president's office; athletic department officials; coaches; and the school's broadcast rights holder, ISP.
In January, the Hokie Club offered its top 250 donors - those who have donated from $2 million to $100,000 in their lives, as of Dec.31 - the chance to buy two tickets apiece. The 500 next-largest donors - those who have given from $50,000 to $100,000 - were offered the chance to order tickets on a stand-by basis. Not all of the top 250 donors wanted to buy tickets, and some of the stand-buy group did wind up with tickets. Donors weren't allowed to buy more than two tickets.
Throughout the league, ACC Tournament tickets are used as incentives to get people to make hefty donations.
"The tournament has been an important part of our fund-raising process for years," said Giles graduate John Montgomery, the executive director of North Carolina's booster club, the Rams Club. "The tournament is so meaningful for our donors."
"It's definitely a selling point," said Ryan White, assistant director of Virginia's booster club, the Virginia Athletic Foundation.
Tech's allotment includes seats in two luxury suites. The other schools got seven suites apiece. One 18-seat suite is being used by Tech officials, with the other being shared by 18 Hokie Club members.
The ACC will give Tech and Miami a two-thirds share of tickets next year and a full share in 2007. Boston College joins the ACC for the 2005-06 school year, which will affect each school's portion.
This is the first year the tournament is being held at the 20,000-seat MCI Center. Last year it was at the 23,500-seat Greensboro Coliseum, which is where the tournament will be held next year.
Because of the two additional schools and the smaller arena, the nine returning members got fewer tickets than last year. That meant some fans had to increase their donations in order to get tickets.
The nine returning members got 1,941 tickets apiece. Last year, UVa got 2,420 tickets. About 1,600 tickets were sold this year to members of UVa's booster club - about 350 fewer tickets than UVa boosters got last year.
To be guaranteed the opportunity to buy two tickets this year, a UVa booster had to give at least $5,500 a year. To have the chance to order two tickets on a stand-by basis, a UVa booster had to give at least $2,200 a year - twice as much as last year. Donors that give at least $20,000 a year were only allowed to order six tickets, down from eight last year. Donors that give at least $11,000 a year were only allowed to order four tickets, down from six last year.
North Carolina set aside 1,500 tickets this year for members of its booster club - 600 fewer tickets than last year. In order to buy two tickets this year, donors had to have given at least $130,000 in their lifetime as of Jan.15; last year the minimum was $90,000. In order to buy four tickets, donors had to have given at least $200,000 in their lives, up from $120,000 last year.
Each of the 11 schools gets an additional 100 tickets for players' families, but those are only good for that school's sessions and not for the entire tournament.
Other tickets go to the ACC office; corporate sponsors; and Raycom, the league's TV rights holder.
they also haven't missed a VT home game in over 20 years.
http://www.roanoke.com/sports/vtbasketball/19725.html
Melinda Talley of Moneta is going to the ACC Tournament for the first time to root on the Virginia Tech men's basketball team. She can't wait.
"I packed two weeks ago," she said with a laugh at last weekend's Tech game at Cassell Coliseum.
Only Hokie Club members who have donated at least $50,000 in their lifetimes will get to go to the first ACC Tournament that includes the Hokies. Tournament tickets aren't available to the general public.
Melinda Talley and her husband, Ed, fund two athletic scholarships at Tech, so the Hokie Club gave them the opportunity to buy two tournament ticket books for $325 apiece. Ed Talley can't go because of work, so his wife is taking a girlfriend to the tournament, which begins Thursday at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. They never went to the Big East or Atlantic 10 tournaments when Tech was in those leagues.
There is a discrepancy over how many books ACC newcomers Virginia Tech and Miami got from the league. Tech and Miami officials each said Monday their schools were given 595 books. They were supposed to get one-third of the allotment of the nine returning ACC members, but that would be 647 books, not 595. ACC assistant commissioner Fred Barakat said the two schools did indeed get 647 books.
Of Tech's 595 tickets, 498 were sold to Hokie Club members. The rest went to the Tech president's office; athletic department officials; coaches; and the school's broadcast rights holder, ISP.
In January, the Hokie Club offered its top 250 donors - those who have donated from $2 million to $100,000 in their lives, as of Dec.31 - the chance to buy two tickets apiece. The 500 next-largest donors - those who have given from $50,000 to $100,000 - were offered the chance to order tickets on a stand-by basis. Not all of the top 250 donors wanted to buy tickets, and some of the stand-buy group did wind up with tickets. Donors weren't allowed to buy more than two tickets.
Throughout the league, ACC Tournament tickets are used as incentives to get people to make hefty donations.
"The tournament has been an important part of our fund-raising process for years," said Giles graduate John Montgomery, the executive director of North Carolina's booster club, the Rams Club. "The tournament is so meaningful for our donors."
"It's definitely a selling point," said Ryan White, assistant director of Virginia's booster club, the Virginia Athletic Foundation.
Tech's allotment includes seats in two luxury suites. The other schools got seven suites apiece. One 18-seat suite is being used by Tech officials, with the other being shared by 18 Hokie Club members.
The ACC will give Tech and Miami a two-thirds share of tickets next year and a full share in 2007. Boston College joins the ACC for the 2005-06 school year, which will affect each school's portion.
This is the first year the tournament is being held at the 20,000-seat MCI Center. Last year it was at the 23,500-seat Greensboro Coliseum, which is where the tournament will be held next year.
Because of the two additional schools and the smaller arena, the nine returning members got fewer tickets than last year. That meant some fans had to increase their donations in order to get tickets.
The nine returning members got 1,941 tickets apiece. Last year, UVa got 2,420 tickets. About 1,600 tickets were sold this year to members of UVa's booster club - about 350 fewer tickets than UVa boosters got last year.
To be guaranteed the opportunity to buy two tickets this year, a UVa booster had to give at least $5,500 a year. To have the chance to order two tickets on a stand-by basis, a UVa booster had to give at least $2,200 a year - twice as much as last year. Donors that give at least $20,000 a year were only allowed to order six tickets, down from eight last year. Donors that give at least $11,000 a year were only allowed to order four tickets, down from six last year.
North Carolina set aside 1,500 tickets this year for members of its booster club - 600 fewer tickets than last year. In order to buy two tickets this year, donors had to have given at least $130,000 in their lifetime as of Jan.15; last year the minimum was $90,000. In order to buy four tickets, donors had to have given at least $200,000 in their lives, up from $120,000 last year.
Each of the 11 schools gets an additional 100 tickets for players' families, but those are only good for that school's sessions and not for the entire tournament.
Other tickets go to the ACC office; corporate sponsors; and Raycom, the league's TV rights holder.
prolly
