The athletic department will initiate a new program in order to distribute hockey tickets to students who were unable to purchase season tickets when they went on sale last month. The Sun has learned that a raffle system will be initiated with the intent of distributing single game tickets to students who do not currently own season tickets.
“After the sale this year, where demand way outstripped the expectation of everybody, and a lot of the kids were turned away,” said Frank Araneo, Associate Athletic Director for Business and Finance. “We decided to put our heads together and come up with a way to make some games more available to the student population.”
The way the new system will work is at selected home athletic events throughout the fall and winter seasons, several names will be drawn in the form of a raffle. These events will include football, field hockey, men’s soccer, and men’s and women’s basketball home games.
Students whose names are drawn will be required to pick up a certificate at the event that will then enable them to purchase a ticket to a selected men’s hockey game. The purchase must be made within five business days of the drawing.
In addition to the tickets made available at each fall or winter event, one ticket to the Dec. 6 game against Harvard will be raffled off.
“We’re going to announce in advance what game we’re raffling off, also with the understanding that we’re going to give one ticket to the Harvard game,” said Gene Nighman ’81, Director of Athletic Tickets and Events.
In order to enter this raffle, students may fill out an entry form at the athletic ticket office during business hours. Entry forms will also be available at Saturday’s football game against Colgate, the first event at which the raffle will be drawn.
“At the football game Saturday, we’re going to give out 10 tickets to the Under-18 game [on Oct. 25],” said Nighman. “We’ll give certificates that the students can bring in to buy a ticket. And I’ll give to one lucky winner, a certificate to buy a ticket to the Harvard game.”
Only full-time students with a valid student ID will be eligible to enter this raffle, which will be ongoing throughout the fall and winter seasons. Students who currently own season tickets will not be eligible to enter. Once entered, a student will be included in each drawing thereafter, unless his or her name is selected.
Students must be present at the athletic event at which their name is called in order to obtain the certificate.
“One of stipulations is, student whose names are called at a game, they have to be there to pick up a certificate that will enable them to purchase hockey tickets,” said Araneo. “What we’re doing here is trying to boost attendance.”
“It’s not like a line number where someone else can hold it for you, the idea is you entered the contest, you’re supposed to be at the game,” Nighman added.
Tickets to specific games will be raffled at each particular event. The specific games will be announced in advance over the Big Red Bulletin e-mail list as well as cornellbigred.com. Students may sign up for the Big Red Bulletin by sending an e-mail to [email protected]. In the body of the message, individuals should type “subscribe bigredbulletin-L First Name Last Name,” replacing “First Name” and “Last Name” with the individual’s name.
Archived article by Owen Bochner