Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Ahhh...
Well, that's enough posting for today...off to the gym...damn rain. Here's to you and yours from the Lovely Island. You will have a place to stay during the Zombie Apocalypse...good luck getting across, however, all the Bridges will be raised.
Cases for NSSBC Hosting Sites (Part 2)
Miami, FL
One of the most recognizable skylines in the entire world, South Florida in general would offer a lot in way of fun for a NSSBC. Outside of Miami proper you've got Marathon and Key West, very entertaining and gorgeous sites to attract some R&R after a long Steel Bridge season. Deep sea fishing, the Beaches, and of course, the 1,484,992 nightclubs to go get your drink and freak on. There is hurricane season to worry about, but in late May there shouldn't be too much to worry about, as hurricane season "officially" starts on June 1st. Florida Atlantic, Florida International and The U could possibly pool efforts to bring a dynamite NSSBC to the greater Miami area.
Baton Rouge, LA
One of the most recognizable skylines in the entire world, South Florida in general would offer a lot in way of fun for a NSSBC. Outside of Miami proper you've got Marathon and Key West, very entertaining and gorgeous sites to attract some R&R after a long Steel Bridge season. Deep sea fishing, the Beaches, and of course, the 1,484,992 nightclubs to go get your drink and freak on. There is hurricane season to worry about, but in late May there shouldn't be too much to worry about, as hurricane season "officially" starts on June 1st. Florida Atlantic, Florida International and The U could possibly pool efforts to bring a dynamite NSSBC to the greater Miami area.
Baton Rouge, LA
Strong college town with a unique southern flavor. Proximity to New Orleans without being in New Orleans is the biggest plus. Strong engineering program at LSU with perhaps some help from UNO, this could be a Cajun paradise for an NSSBC, just don't forget to bring the rust proofer. Can also jet along the Gulf coastline to Lafayette, Lake Charles, Beaumont and Houston to the West...Gulfport, Biloxi, Mobile and Pensacola to the East. NSSBC in the Maravich Center?
Bozeman, MT
Where? Why? If for nothing else, for the proximity to Yellowstone Park. Montana State may not have the student power to pull it off, so perhaps the students at Montana Tech in Butte could share the burden. Bozeman and Butte are both beautiful frontier towns, and if you haven't seen Southern Montana or Yellowstone in late spring, early summer, it's gorgeous. Average weather can be cool and perhaps even a hair rainy, but by in large the temperatures are nothing extreme on average. This could be a case for a mid to late June NSSBC, give the local weather a chance to warm up. This is a Big Sky, enjoy the country type of NSSBC...it's all about seeing some beautiful country, meeting and establishing great relationships with awesome people and focusing on the competition.
San Jose, CA (Bay Area)
Not located smack dab in the middle of Bay Area craziness, San Jose hosts a young, technologically advanced mix of culture in the South Bay. Home of the San Jose Sharks, the San Jose Earthquakes and of course, the San Jose State University Spartans, you're in one of the best locations for a NSSBC. They are a hop skip up the 101/280 to San Francisco, or the 880 to Oakland/Berkeley, and across the mountain on 17 lies the Pacific Coastline and lovely Santa Cruz, CA, or if you're feeling adventurous, you can jet even further down the coastline on Highway 1 to Monterey, Carmel and Big Sur. To make it even better, SJSU has one of the best spirited ASCE Student Chapters west of the Mississippi. Typically, the weather is dry and temperate, but there can be patches of rain that come through in May. One last thing: WINE.
The Trailer of All Trailers
Hope to see a resurgence from Clemson soon...UC Davis and Cal have a healthy rivalry, Lakehead and NDSU have a healthy rivalry, and it would be nice to see Georgia Tech go at it with Clemson every year...
The "innovation" theme in the video is epic. If you don't know the story of the 2004 Clemson SBT, then you're missing out, legendary maverick stuff that the Chrome Ollie Old Guard irrevocably reveres.
http://blog.gamemastermedia.com/post/.../#
Ha Ha Bitches!
Yeah, so Google Chrome, yes Chrome...which has probably been out for almost 10 years, and Generation XY fuckers like me are always slow on the technological uptake, so, all is resolved in Chrome O land. Go Raiders. Go Ags. Go NSSBC.
Furthermore, if your article got sent to the comments section in previous posts, so sorry. Had to do something to keep it as real time as possible...that being said, they will not be updated to full post status, because I'm lazy, and besides Lakehead's run is already up and that's kind of the money post for now. Good luck with Finals all you NON-SEMESTER college students, as for the rest of you who have what, like 8 months to complete 5 classes, you can all suck it. (j/k)
Furthermore, I supplemented the Cases for NSSBC Hosts (Part 1) with some video etc. Google Chrome and Blogger obviously have a better sync when it comes to code and script...this will mean better posts.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Cases for NSSBC Hosting Sites (Part 1)
So there are obviously some factors that come into play when a host is picked for the NSSBC:
1) ASCE/AGC/AISC Student Involvement
It's no secret that an NSSBC needs a high level of commitment and person-power to pull off a successful hosting job. You look at Texas A&M, Clemson, Colorado School of Mines, Wisconsin Madison, Purdue, Florida, CSU Northridge etc. etc. and you see Universities with strong student leadership in the student club ranks.
2) Facilities & Logistics
You have to be able to house everybody under one roof for the competition. It's ideal to have access to a huge arena, but Colorado School of Mines and Purdue managed to pull it off in spaces that were, shall we say, not entirely ideal, but still very functional. Then there's the banquet which has to house several hundred people comfortably. Every college campus has an outdoor and indoor space that can fit all the bridges for Display judging, so that's not that huge of an issue. Furthermore, it's good to have a place that isn't overly busy with traffic...like say New York City. Being able to stay mobile around the host City and get in/out of the loading docks is a big plus. Most college campuses outside of major cities don't have this issue obviously.
3) Location That Offers Some Off the Field Fun
It's pretty well known that NDSU, one of the powers in the NSSBC over the last decade go denied a hosting gig. While some people would enjoy the Fargo/Moorhead area, it's probably safe to say a lot would, uh, not. Clearly, you need to have a little more to offer in the general area. Looking at the past: College Station had Austin nearby, Colorado School of Mines had Denver nearby, Purdue had Indy and Chicago nearby, Florida had all the fun in Orlando nearby, Clemson's right there by Atlanta. The only possible exception would be Salt Lake City...very isolated, so you're banking on the City itself, which wasn't bad...and the 1st floor being solely dedicated to the NSSBC party by the hotel staff was "Winning".
4) Bribes
Yes, I'm kidding.
...
Portland, OR
Portland State and University of Portland, this means you. Like Salt Lake City, it offers a unique blend of urban environment and functionality...the only thing standing in the Portland Metro Areas' way is where to have the competition. The Viks were having a hard time getting Jerry Glanville's football team enough time and space to practice in the 2000's and now you're looking to bring in about a 150 to 200 cars with easy access to a site downtown. One option could be the Oregon Convention Center, but unlike the Salt Palace, IT IS HELLA BOOKED IN MAY. Portland is a great draw worldwide as a conference/event hosting city because of it's green attitude, scenic beauty and relatively easy going traffic circles. Another high profile option is the Rose Garden...but that's also a popular venue. So there in lies an idea, UOP has the Chiles Center. It's a nicely domed indoor venue with the capacity of 20,000 sq. feet when seats get rolled back. Could work. The only knock on Portland is that it could be raining a bit about 0.06 inches historically on Memorial Day weekend, and the weather is about 60 degrees on average at that time...so, I say move it up to June!...or just allow practice time inside at the Chiles Center or elsewhere around town. Also, there are the Portland Timbers...who will tell you that there's No Pity in the Rose City.
...
Seattle, WA
University of Washington, UBC or Seattle University. All the classic taste of the Northwest and obviously has hella venues at UW. On average the weather is about the same as Portland, but there is more to do, like Mariner's games and Seattle Sounders games. The cool part about Seattle is that you're basically right there on the Sound and the Pacific. Portland is about an hour or so from a beautiful coastline, whereas Seattle is right up on the inlets. Tons to do in Seattle, so many ways to get lost and see the City. One knock on Seattle is the traffic, it is not very good. However, all the on campus venues for UW are away from downtown on the north side of I-5. They could really swing a nice NSSBC if the commitment were there. One more thing to say about UW is that it is one of the most beautiful campuses you will ever see.
...
1) ASCE/AGC/AISC Student Involvement
It's no secret that an NSSBC needs a high level of commitment and person-power to pull off a successful hosting job. You look at Texas A&M, Clemson, Colorado School of Mines, Wisconsin Madison, Purdue, Florida, CSU Northridge etc. etc. and you see Universities with strong student leadership in the student club ranks.
2) Facilities & Logistics
You have to be able to house everybody under one roof for the competition. It's ideal to have access to a huge arena, but Colorado School of Mines and Purdue managed to pull it off in spaces that were, shall we say, not entirely ideal, but still very functional. Then there's the banquet which has to house several hundred people comfortably. Every college campus has an outdoor and indoor space that can fit all the bridges for Display judging, so that's not that huge of an issue. Furthermore, it's good to have a place that isn't overly busy with traffic...like say New York City. Being able to stay mobile around the host City and get in/out of the loading docks is a big plus. Most college campuses outside of major cities don't have this issue obviously.
3) Location That Offers Some Off the Field Fun
It's pretty well known that NDSU, one of the powers in the NSSBC over the last decade go denied a hosting gig. While some people would enjoy the Fargo/Moorhead area, it's probably safe to say a lot would, uh, not. Clearly, you need to have a little more to offer in the general area. Looking at the past: College Station had Austin nearby, Colorado School of Mines had Denver nearby, Purdue had Indy and Chicago nearby, Florida had all the fun in Orlando nearby, Clemson's right there by Atlanta. The only possible exception would be Salt Lake City...very isolated, so you're banking on the City itself, which wasn't bad...and the 1st floor being solely dedicated to the NSSBC party by the hotel staff was "Winning".
4) Bribes
Yes, I'm kidding.
...
Portland, OR
Portland State and University of Portland, this means you. Like Salt Lake City, it offers a unique blend of urban environment and functionality...the only thing standing in the Portland Metro Areas' way is where to have the competition. The Viks were having a hard time getting Jerry Glanville's football team enough time and space to practice in the 2000's and now you're looking to bring in about a 150 to 200 cars with easy access to a site downtown. One option could be the Oregon Convention Center, but unlike the Salt Palace, IT IS HELLA BOOKED IN MAY. Portland is a great draw worldwide as a conference/event hosting city because of it's green attitude, scenic beauty and relatively easy going traffic circles. Another high profile option is the Rose Garden...but that's also a popular venue. So there in lies an idea, UOP has the Chiles Center. It's a nicely domed indoor venue with the capacity of 20,000 sq. feet when seats get rolled back. Could work. The only knock on Portland is that it could be raining a bit about 0.06 inches historically on Memorial Day weekend, and the weather is about 60 degrees on average at that time...so, I say move it up to June!...or just allow practice time inside at the Chiles Center or elsewhere around town. Also, there are the Portland Timbers...who will tell you that there's No Pity in the Rose City.
...
Seattle, WA
University of Washington, UBC or Seattle University. All the classic taste of the Northwest and obviously has hella venues at UW. On average the weather is about the same as Portland, but there is more to do, like Mariner's games and Seattle Sounders games. The cool part about Seattle is that you're basically right there on the Sound and the Pacific. Portland is about an hour or so from a beautiful coastline, whereas Seattle is right up on the inlets. Tons to do in Seattle, so many ways to get lost and see the City. One knock on Seattle is the traffic, it is not very good. However, all the on campus venues for UW are away from downtown on the north side of I-5. They could really swing a nice NSSBC if the commitment were there. One more thing to say about UW is that it is one of the most beautiful campuses you will ever see.
...
The Entire Northeast Region
MIT, Northeastern, Tufts, NJIT, Rutgers, Drexel, Delaware, Lafayette...the whole of the Boston/NY/East Pennsylvania/Maryland/Delaware area would be full of liquid fun as a NSSBC location. Logistically, however, it could be a nightmare...then again, if MIT can't figure it out nobody can. I'm guessing there are plenty of venues despite the tight spaces, perhaps, an outlying University could host to keep it out of the Cities for the event itself...but seriously...the Northwest and the Northeast haven't hosted ever, and those are two areas that use a shiteload of steel in their infrastructure.
MIT, Northeastern, Tufts, NJIT, Rutgers, Drexel, Delaware, Lafayette...the whole of the Boston/NY/East Pennsylvania/Maryland/Delaware area would be full of liquid fun as a NSSBC location. Logistically, however, it could be a nightmare...then again, if MIT can't figure it out nobody can. I'm guessing there are plenty of venues despite the tight spaces, perhaps, an outlying University could host to keep it out of the Cities for the event itself...but seriously...the Northwest and the Northeast haven't hosted ever, and those are two areas that use a shiteload of steel in their infrastructure.
Monday, May 23, 2011
O Face.
Just to Cover It...
GT and BQ already have these up, but just to put it up:
http://www.nssbc.info/History/2011NSSBCResults.pdf
http://www.nssbc.info/History/2011NSSBCResults.pdf
Sunday, May 22, 2011
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