I had two Vipers season ticket holders contact me on Friday and told me they contacted the Vipers office asking for information on training camp. They were told the Vernon Vipers won't be holding training camp this year. The Vipers will be holding practices over the September long weekend before travelling to Salmon Arm on September 4th 2022 for the teams first exhibition game. The Vipers will be making cuts through out the preseason.
Interesting concept for building a team. viper brass must be really sold on their comitted players . It will be interesting to see how they stack up against other BCHL teams. Looking with great hope for a successful season. GO VIPERS
ReplyDeleteNO TRAINING CAMP! what the hey! Years ago this was a big money grab for the team. Yet, was told they print their own, so called program, via the computer too save costs. Could the team just find a sponsor to get a nice program printed? Even the lower teams in the league have awesome programs. The programs from last year were a joke as far as I am concerned. Start cutting costs that is visible to the public ie all the fans and there is going to be some sort of backlash.
ReplyDeleteOne backlash is the loss of some longtime season ticket holders of which one sent me an email of why they no longer have them excerpts below…all these are pretty much the same from what I have heard from many others that no longer want their season tickets!
1. Not fans of the owners – do they do anything at all to support the community and do they do anything at all for their fans or season ticket holders? We simply don’t want to give those guys anymore of hard earned pension as they don’t seem to be making much of an effort to make improvements.
2. Not fans of the coach – He’s coached 3 years and his record is barely over 50% and yet, ownership appears to be satisfied with the product he is putting on the ice. I don’t like the way he treats the players, don’t like his boring systems, don’t like his line combinations and I don’t think he has any respect for the veterans. I mean, how discouraging was it when the team was down by a goal in the third and he kept putting Jack Glen out on the PP. The kid couldn’t even win a face-off and we were hoping to get a “W”?
3. Not fans of the BCHL anymore – we never heard an explanation as to why they left the umbrella of hockey Canada. What was the advantage for the players or fans in BC? The BCHL had such a storied history in the Canadian Championship and now there’s nothing. So what if your team wins the BCs? That’s it. Your season is over with nowhere to go. What’s the point? It seems pretty hollow.
4. Not fans of the schedule – OMG, I think the Vipers played Prince George 9 times last year and Salmon Arm about 8. I just find that really, really boring. Would like to see the Island and Lower Mainland teams at least once, preferably twice in a season. The schedule didn’t look any more interesting this year, so another reason to take a pass.
5. Tired of having to get to the game 45 minutes before the doors open just to get a decent parking spot, eating dinner in the car and freezing my butt off when it -15C.
ReplyDeleteWHY I, BUY SEASON TICKETS!!!!!
Theses quotes are from a football fan but, it also pertains to hockey in a way….by @SlobodaVic Coach Vic from Twitter.
People are talking about the low attendance at the game. This may have been a result of it being a Thursday night game. Potential of rain. Poor chance of the home team winning. Or a multitude of excuses to stay away. Here is my take on my attendance to the @GoElks games
I have cheered for the EE for over 45 years. Due to circumstances in my life it is only in the last 5 years that I have been able to have season tickets. I have gone to every game I could. Preseason and regular season. Now I have to admit we have lost more home games than we won
Some have asked me why I keep going if they are such a poor team? Send them a message that until they get better you won't be supporting them. Why waste your money? Aren't you tired of losing? Here is my answer.
I would have loved to be a season ticket holder in the glory days. All those wins. All those all stars I never got to see play in person. All those games where we had 50,000 fans at CWS. But I can't go there. All I can do is what I do today. Go to games as they are.
Last night I met a season ticket holder who had season tickets back in Clark Stadium. He is still coming. Why? Because he likes the people he sits with and the stadium event. We connected. He spoke my language. We understood each other in a blink of an eye momentary meeting.
That's why I go. It's the stadium event. It's the people I meet. It's the family I have made in my section. It's the friendships I've made with fans around the team. It's meeting the Alumni. It's meeting the cheer team members. It's the cheering until I'm hoarse.
It's the sights and sounds. The smell of beer and hot dogs. Popcorn and mini donuts. Pizza and poutine. It's the costumes people wear. It's the hope of a win. The roar of the crowd. The taunting of the enemy. The laughter and the tears. The jokes and sarcasm. The jeering the refs
The yelling instructions to the players from 300 yards away and wondering why don't listen. (Sarcasm Friends) The cold weather and the heat. It's the walk to and from the stadium. And that moment when they scan your ticket.
It's the moment you see a new superstar emerge from the team. It's that moment you see a team come together and start winning. It's that moment when your team has been struggling and they suddenly turn the corner.
It's that moment when through all the struggles and losses, they finally win a championship. And they will. It's not just about the team and the wins and losses....it's about the whole experience.
That's why I go. It's the overall experience. And I love that experience. So when you look at the two pictures taken 12 hours apart, one is a cold, lifeless concrete building. The other is a section of people who are involved in the experience.
It's the life of those fans that makes or breaks the experience. The team on the field feeds off it. But if the team on the field is struggling, it won't dampen my love for the game. Or my love for the experience at a stadium event. So come rain or shine I will be there.
Winning or losing on the field will not deter me from being a part of the one of the great experiences we can have in life. Being a part of a team. My team is the @GoElks and all that comes with them. Thank you Edmonton Elks Football. I will always #AntlerUp!!
End quotes!
When talking to season ticket holders who have not renewed, I agree with their point of view but, give them much of the above reasons why I do and will always, if I can afford them, buy season tickets.
The owner are typically used car dealers! At least they paid a college to take spoiled little Jack now the fans don't have to put up with the nepotism!
ReplyDeleteIts my understanding, No BCHL teams are allowed to start training camp before Sept 1 VDHF says the Vipers will be holding practices, playing exhibition games, making cuts,certianly sounds like a training camp ??? Guess we will see Sept 1 !!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised they are not having training camp this summer. If you look at the players that could possibly return from last year and the new recruits/committed players for this season, you have a possible 25 players. Why would you invite more kids and hold a regular training camp when your already over the maximum limit of players.
ReplyDeleteA lot of Vipers fans enjoy watching training camp, a chance to check out the new tryouts and new recruits/committed players and see who's returning from last season. Lot's of scrimmages held through out camp to check out and get out of the heat for a couple of hours. The Blue/White game is always fun to go to and get to see the kids in a real game situation.
I'm fine with not having training camp this year, but when were you going to let the fans know? Were two weeks away from the Vipers first exhibition game and no word on training camp, who's returning from last season and so on. The Vipers should have let the fans know who's returning and even go as far as to having a player profile every couple of days on the website. They could have had players profiles on players returning from last season or the new committed players. Keep the fans involved, interested and excited for the upcoming season.
Geez, DieHard you don’t want much do you?
ReplyDeleteYour talking about a club that was in second place in the BCHL when they were purchased, to a club that plummeted to tenth place since.
Your talking about a club who’s owner would meet and greet you as he mingled with the fans, to an owner who when he walks by you acts as if you, a paying customers, do not exists.
Your talking about a club that had recliner chairs, signed sticks and jerseys and local weekend resort give aways for the program draws to, wait for it, a BIg Mac.
Your talking about a club that had actual programs that you could read during the game and afterwards store away as a lifetime souvenir of the experience, to a so called program that consists of four printed eight by eleven sheets of paper printed by the office s computer and be lucky if they last the night.
Your talking about a club that had all kinds of fan interactions during stoppages in play and intermissions from t-shirt cannons, ATVs on the ice, drummer boys, live questions from the stands, acknowledgement of longtime season ticket holders, a dirigible dropping give aways in the stands, on and on excetera, to ……….. to ……….. to ……….diddly squat!
You talking about a club that was on top of the mountain, to a club that is skidding down to the bottom of a deep dark crevice with no end in sight.
What more do you want Diehard?
Will it all change this year?, buy a ticket, come out and support the players, who are now part of the Vipers alumni and Vernon residents, and enjoy yourself, despite what the club does or doesn’t do! I know I will.