Let me give you an idea of what my fan experience was like at last season's men's hockey games.
My friends and I would arrive at the Kohl Center a few minutes before the puck dropped, in time to hear starting lineups and generally get pumped up for the game. As lowly freshmen, our tickets were somewhere in the rafters of the 300 level, so we'd try to find decent seats in the first few rows of the third deck.
Unfortunately, sometime during the second period, the rightful owner of those seats would almost always come kick us out of the seats we'd been in, and we'd have to find somewhere else to sit. Because of the university's old seating policy at hockey games, my friends and I were nomads of the 300 level: constantly moving around when someone a year ahead of us who didn't know how to manage his pregaming time showed up.
We could show up to the Kohl Center during the Badgers' morning skate, but sometime during the second intermission a belligerent sophomore or junior could just claim the seats, whether he deserved them or not.
Imagine if all the empty seats at the top of Camp Randall Stadium were in the best locations, and the people who pregame until long after kickoff got to come through and take them. That's basically the system the Kohl Center used to have.
But for this season, the policy for men's hockey games is different, and having experienced the Athletic Department's new policy firsthand over the weekend, it looks like those problems will be a thing of the past.
The policy mirrors that used for football games: Student season tickets are sold as vouchers, which students redeem at the gate for a ticket. The earlier fans show up for the games, the better their seats will be.
When my group arrived to the game Friday, we didn't have to worry about whether we would get kicked out of good seats. We just redeemed our vouchers for great seats near the back of the 100 level and enjoyed the game without wondering if a person coming down the aisle was a senior who would kick us out.
There were some hiccups in the first series—for instance, the student entrance gate is on nearly the opposite side of the Kohl Center from the student section. Although there are a few issues, they're minor problems: I'd gladly exchange a nicer seat for slightly more confusing entrances.
Most importantly, the Athletic Department's new policy is a success because it recognizes that the best and most passionate fans are not necessarily the ones who have had tickets for the longest time.
As a freshman last year, it wouldn't matter how much I cared about the game, there was no way I was going to sit right up on the glass, or even in the second deck. But if I were a senior, I could be as late as I wanted and still sit in the best seats in the house.
This new distribution method makes sure people aren't rewarded on the arbitrary basis of their year. Instead, the most dedicated fans who are excited to watch Wisconsin hockey get the best tickets, while those who think a 7 p.m. start time means staggering in at 8 sit up in the rafters.
It doesn't matter how many years you've had season tickets, if you can't get to the game on time, you don't deserve good seats. There's no need to camp out in front of the Kohl Center to get good tickets—just show up at 7 like everyone else, and you'll be fine.
And I don't want to hear that getting to the game on time interferes with students' God-given right to drink – even the heaviest drinkers should be able to get an adequate buzz before the evening start time. Turn your hockey pregame into a Friday After Class, speed through your pregaming, do whatever you have to do, just get there on time.
Thanks to this new policy, real fans are guaranteed good seats, while older ones are forced to show up on time. For all the flack the Athletic Department receives for its policies at Camp Randall Stadium, they have hit the nail on the head at the Kohl Center.
What do you think of the new ticket policy? E-mail Nico about it at savidgewilki@dailycardinal.com.
