Sept. 30, 2004

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Ian,

I wanted to say how excited I am about Baylor's choice to add women's equestrian as a varsity sport. I've been riding and competing since I've been a small girl and I've dreamed about competing on the collegiate level, but I fell in love with Baylor, despite the lack of equestrian. I know it has just been implemented but I am extremely interested about how to qualify to be on Baylor's team. It would just make my college life complete. Please keep me posted as what to do, and thank you for your time.

Sara
McGregor, Texas

Editor's Note: An equestrian question was also received from Christian Bjornees (Dallas, Texas)

Sara,

Thanks for your e-mail. We have received a very strong and positive response to the Board of Regents announcement last week that women's equestrian will become Baylor's 18th varsity team effective with the 2005-06 academic year. Equestrian is experiencing strong growth, not only on a regional and national level, but within the Big 12 Conference. In fact, it is the fastest growing sport in the Big 12 Conference with three schools adding the program since 1999. In addition, the State of Texas will provide strong feeder programs as we develop this program in the coming years. We have already initiated the search process to find a qualified head coach for the program. Once the head coach is in place all interested Baylor students and prospective student-athletes will be contacted and provided more information. We will announce the hiring on BaylorBears.com when it occurs.

Ian

First off, I want to congratulate the athletic department on the strides taken this year to improve the game-day quality at Floyd Casey.

My real concern is something that is bugging many fans, however: it seems very disrespectful and against tradition for the Bears to not stay on the field for the Baylor Line after the games. We have all heard of the regulations, but we are talking about two minutes here - any chance of this changing?

Also, just as an after thought, how about getting another sign like the one that use to hang in the stadium that read "This is Bear Country?" I thought that sign really instilled some pride in folks previously.

Larry Taylor
Waco, Texas

Editor's Note: A similar question was received from Randy Gonzalez (Corpus Christi, Texas)

Larry,

Thanks for your kind e-mail and question.

Our marketing and game management staffs have worked extremely hard to make great progress in the game day experience and they deserve a lot of credit. We have been especially pleased at how the strong student marketing efforts have enhanced the atmosphere at Floyd Casey. We have also received positive feedback regarding the video boards, fireworks, concessions and merchandising areas.

"That Good Ol' Baylor Line" issue has been discussed repeatedly. Our coaching staff favors leaving the field immediately following the game for both team and game management reasons. As you may know, they raise their helmets and sing "That Good Ol' Baylor Line" prior to the game.

We are still considering the "This is Bear Country" idea.

All the best!

Ian

Thank you for the super job you have done and are doing as our Athletic Director. Please explain to me why we cannot have more night football games. In my view, at least half of our football schedule, including the homecoming game, should be played at night with a starting time of no earlier than 7:00 p.m.

It makes no sense at all to me to have our homecoming parade begin at 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning to allow for a late morning or early afternoon kickoff. While I understand that some time changes are required for T.V., I would hope that at least some of the games could be scheduled for a 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. kickoff.

Thank you again for your hard work and dedication.

Gregory A. Shumpert
Terrell, Texas

Editor's Note: A similar question about the late start of the Missouri game and specific promotions for that game was received by David Gibson (Waco, Texas)

Gregory,

I appreciate your kind words and the e-mail. Baylor's first three games will be played at night, including two 6:00 starts and another at 9:00. The late start for the Missouri game was dictated by a national television window that was offered to us by Fox Sports Net.

Two special promotions have been set to encourage attendance. Baylor's annual student Battle of the Bands contest will be held beginning at 6 p.m. in the student tailgating zone at Floyd Casey Stadium. This event, featuring six student bands, is presented by Kappa Delta and The Place 2BU. Free prizes will be given to attendees and the winning band will be presented a $1,000 cash prize at halftime of the football game. In addition to the Battle of the Bands contest, each Baylor football season ticket holder will be receiving via mail two additional tickets for the Missouri game as a thank you for their continued loyalty and support to the program.

The Homecoming game has traditionally been a 2:00 p.m. start in order to accommodate other campus events including the parade in the morning and the Pigskin Review in the evening. The remaining three home games will be played in the afternoon unless television dictates a later start. Something else to keep in mind with evening kicks is that your coverage in the state's Sunday papers is usually diminished because of early press runs to accommodate the large Sunday editions. I do believe that this year we have a good balance between afternoon and evening start times.

Ian

No question...Just two comments...First, thanks for the great job you are doing...The Strategic Plan is superb...I'm quite impressed...Second, in regards to the concourse improvements at Floyd Casey Stadium...I'd love to see all the "sheet metal" removed around the snack areas and replaced with a combination of "stone & brick", give it a Central Texas look...Plus, give each snack area a name...Just a couple of thoughts...I think good ones, but that's just my opinion.

David W. Hardage
Hewitt, Texas

David, I appreciate your comments. We are pleased with the outcome of the strategic planning process. Our staff did a terrific job developing the document and we believe that it will serve as the blueprint for building a highly successful future for Baylor Athletics.

We have completed the first phase of the Grant Teaff Plaza project and that has led to a number of aesthetic improvements in the concourse area. We are seeking funding to complete the remaining phases that will complete the plaza and make improvements to the concourse, roadways and infrastructure at the stadium.

This is an important project to complete in order to appropriately honor Coach Teaff, enhance recruiting and improve the game day experience for fans. Anyone interested in supporting this project should contact either Doug Smith or me at 254-710-1222.

Ian

Justin Randolf
Waco, Texas

Justin,

As you pointed out, we have recently constructed a sign in front of the tennis center that commemorates Baylor winning the 2004 NCAA men's tennis championship. In addition, we have a billboard on I-35 that celebrates our national championship tennis team and our two Olympic gold medalists citing "Baylor, Home of Champions."

We are in the process of exploring some other billboard opportunities that will promote Baylor Athletics both north and south of Waco. As you may know, we had a banner on the BaylorBears.com website honoring the tennis team and Olympians. Our media relations staff attempts to rotate banners in order to promote our in-season sports.

Ian

Thanks to you for being available in this forum. It is much appreciated.

On Sept. 13th Ask Ian posting a question was asked of you in which you either chose not to discuss or perhaps overlooked by accident. I personally would like to have the question addressed as the issue has been a thorn in my side for a long time. The question was from a Nancy D. Franklin.

" And, why can't we sell the south end zone? When my kids were little, they could buy tickets for a nominal fee and occupy that otherwise empty space. Wouldn't it be better to GIVE AWAY tickets to the south end zone & have it filled, than to have it look so barren & empty?"

An answer to this question, no matter how Baylor fans may like it, is better than no answer at all.

Regards,

Ron L. Hooper
Ft. Worth, Texas

Editor's Note: A similar question was received from Clif Wigley (Robinson, Texas)

Ron,

Thank you for the e-mail. It is my pleasure to answer questions for and I did not intend to overlook the portion of the question that you are referencing, so here goes my answer.

We are not currently selling south end zone tickets for two primary reasons. First, we have another 45,000 available seats and are working hard to fill up these stands and create a great atmosphere for our fans. We have been encouraged by the attendance at the first two games with the largest crowd being just over 33,000.

The second reason is that we have added fireworks and located them in the south end zone seating area. The fireworks have become a popular addition to our game day atmosphere, however, they require a significant radius of space around each launch site. With that, it would not be safe to have fans in this portion of the stadium.

I appreciate your follow-up in this question.

Ian