01 September 2010

Letters of Recommendation


***UPDATE*** I emailed the DECC staff last night and got an awesome response today that they had received my postcard. Can I just say again that I LOVE the DECC staff?

Exciting news!!!


Yesterday I got my seat selection information for AMSoil Arena!

I am practically last on the list. I pick 26 October at 4:45 PM. I should have donated some money earlier so that I could increase my priority points. However, that donation request came during the Buttmidji series. Recall here. Anyway, I don't really care except since I have to take time off work to drive up, I'd prefer to have picked on the 25th, which is a Monday. Or on the 27th, which is my birthday. Whatever. The things I do for this team...

Anyway, I got an entire master's thesis on ticket ordering from the ticket office. It included a gold postcard that I MUST SEND BACK BY SEPTEMBER 10TH OR I WILL BE KILLED AND MY SEASON TICKETS GIVEN TO WAR ORPHANS, a hand-coloured map map that I thought was hand-coloured but I believe was either scanned or photo-copied in colour, a money-grubbing form and self-addressed (but not stamped!) envelope, a Threatening Letter, and a set of frequently asked questions.

They should have included a cute little note signed by the team or something else fun. I wonder if there will be refreshments or something. I hope so. I'm feeling entitled.

This is sort of irrelevant because readers fall into one of two categories: recipients of the letter (as STHs) or unaffected persons (who are not STHs and in fact may not even be Bulldog fans), but whatever. I'm on a posting roll here. Maybe I will make it to 40 nonstop days again.

First, the map. I wish I had a scanner. I think the library does. Perhaps I may go there this weekend. Maybe let's save that for another post.

Then, the Threatening Letter. Threatening Letter tells me (in BOLD font, RED font and BOLD RED font) only decision makers are allowed to attend. Perhaps I should bring a team of psychiatrists. I have to send the postcard back, which is small and flimsy, and if I don't send it then I am screwed and they will just tell me another day to come, but they also won't confirm they got it. Marvelous. I cannot wait to drive up to Duluth after taking a vaca day only to be embarrassed as they tell me they didn't receive my postcard. Well, I emailed the ticket office already to see if I can get an exception and be allowed one phone call. Surely if a prisoner is afforded one, I can be too. I also MUST arrive 20 minutes early (which is really, really hard for me to do), be of legal age, and wear a hard hat, long pants, glasses/goggles, and hard-soled shoes. They specifically say no Crocs. I love it. Also, I will be topless.

The Money-Grubbing Form (which is really hard to read because it's printed on top of a collage of photos) tells me that each year, Bulldog fund contributions raise $425,000 for athletic scholarship funds. I wish they did this in a different format. Perhaps there would be a photo of a Bulldog athlete, with their stats and such, and a sob story about how they are very poor and need my money, and then a has-been celebrity could start begging. It doesn't say whether my name will be listed in the program or ask me how I want it to appear. I need to investigate this because I totally want it to say Runnin' with the Dogs.

The FAQ are four pages long. They includes "Will there be an area in the new arena that serves alcohol?" Amazing. I really love tUMD fans AND the DECC/ticket office staff for knowing us so well. You think this would be included in a letter to Rodent STHs? There will be a bar outside the arena which appears to be called the DECC Bar. Creative. I should buy the naming rights. There is no membership fee for it or anything. Also you can buy a membership to the Bulldog Club for $300. It is actually called the Bulldogs Club Members ONLY Lounge, which sounds both 70s and 80s at once. Only 250 people can do this, though. Sucks to be me, I guess. Another question: "Will I have to climb any stairs?" God forbid. It also states that we will have 20 minutes to select seats before they release the hounds, but in the Threatening Letter it says 15 minutes. Odd. The FAQ also notes that the upper bowl is not wheelchair-accessible, yet there is a small section of seats labeled wheelchair accessible in section 227, which would denote an upper bowl seating. Hmm.

Good times. I can't WAIT to see this for myself. Provided the golden postcard arrives.

8 comments:

USAFA Bulldog said...

Don't worry, once UMD is terrible (hopefully that's a ways off) you'll have no problem getting better seating, since so many people will have dropped their season tickets. Sadly, this is a fact of life for UMD hockey.

"Also, I will be topless."

I've often wondered about showing up naked in the groin area for places where they say "no shoes, no shirt, no service". They clearly state you need shoes and a shirt, but they say nothing about pants.

Then again, given the way the country has been since 2000, I'd probably have a SWAT team show up, riddle me with uzi, and then throw me in jail for 50 years.

Anonymous said...

Got my "pack" the other day. The seating for one night ticket holders sucks. Are there REALLY that many season ticket holders for both nights that can fill the areas they have set aside? I am thinking that last year there were, what, maybe 8 sections with season ticket holders?

DC said...

Brad, I'm not worried and don't really mind my date, just was wishing I could have a long weekend or something. I want to sit in the upper bowl anyway. They said that there are 3200 lower bowl seats available, and that is about how many season ticket holders they had last year, so I'm sure I could get lower bowl seats if I wanted to.

Anon, I am kind of amazed that there are allegedly so many STHs, and it is kind of lame that they don't have more seating for half-season holders, but I suppose they are trying to pressure them into buying full season. Maybe next year half-season holders can upgrade?

Anonymous said...

You should learn how to spell color or go back to Canada...

DC said...

Canada wouldn't have me.

Recommendation Letters said...

Nothing to worry, but you would have made a donation ..

Anonymous said...

the more I look at this (and as a Saturday only 5 seat holder) I think it is more of a shake-down than anything else. There is no way by looking at the hand writt...eeeerrrr photocopied map that there are that many 2 night holders.

I can see it now, well you COULD sit in these crappy seats, BUT if you upgrade to two nights you could sit in these glamorous seats.

Also, will I have to buy an outdated maroon jacket in order to get in the "Members Only" lounge???

Anyone want to bet that us 1 night holders will be sitting center ice lower lever within 3 years and enjoying a beer at the "Club" without showing a membership card within 2?

DC said...

I'm sure, Anonymous, and it sucks! I am sure that, to some extent, they don't want half-season holders in certain areas because they want to make sure they don't have any gaps in those seats, but why not just the lower-level nice seats? I don't know. Maybe there are way more two night holders than we think?

I don't think I'd want to be a member of the club, I think I would stick out like a sore thumb.

I am hoping that the team can have some sustained success, certainly, but it hasn't happened yet. :( We'll see!