First impressions
Greetings, blog readers.
My only complaint about Stillwater so far–there’s no Target. There isn’t, right? But the fact that there is self-serve frozen yogurt (or “fro-yo,” as I like to say) more than makes up for it. Oh, there’s also a pretty decent football program here that I’m excited to dive into.
Honestly, I’m thrilled to live in Stillwater. I’ve always had a soft spot for college towns and an infatuation with their campuses. Every time I’ve traveled to attend/cover a college game, a self-guided tour of the campus is a must. I’m really looking forward to spending down time wandering around OSU and really immersing myself in the atmosphere of the school, athletic program and town. I really think that’s necessary to do this job the right way. So don’t be surprised to find me in the union or the student-run hotel. And say hi if you do.
Many of you already know that I’m a fairly recent graduate of Arizona State that grew up around that athletic program and covered just about every Sun Devil sport during college. I’ve been asked to compare ASU’s facilities to OSU’s facilities–or at least what I’ve seen from both schools. Here’s what I can offer up so far:
Where OSU has the edge
Boone Pickens Stadium vs. Sun Devil Stadium
There’s really no contest here. I don’t know what Boone Pickens Stadium looked like before the renovation, but I do know it’s absolutely gorgeous now. The suites, the football offices, the meeting/interview room, the views…just stunning.
Talks to renovate Sun Devil Stadium have been going on for years–I wrote about it during my junior year of college in 2008–but have never come to fruition. To be honest, the first time I saw Boone Pickens Stadium I thought, “Dang, this is what SDS would look like if it was ever redone.” Sun Devil Stadium has a larger capacity (about 72,000), but just needs a major facelift.
Gallagher-Iba Arena vs. Wells Fargo Arena
I can honestly say I did not realize how big, and nice, Gallagher-Iba Arena is. My jaw definitely dropped when I walked inside the first time during my interview trip last month. If it looks that great empty, I can’t imagine what it looks like packed. I can’t wait to find out.
Wells Fargo Arena is also due for a renovation. It’s completely suitable to house the ASU basketball programs–not to mention volleyball, wrestling, gymnastics, etc.–but just doesn’t have any sort of “wow” factor.
Football locker room
Granted, both locker rooms are very nice. But OSU’s is bigger and has so many cool personalized touches with the giant orange and black logo on the carpet, the lockers/chairs, etc. In short, it sparkles just a bit more.
Where ASU has the edge
Practice facilities
Big edge to ASU here. In the past three years or so, the school has finished construction on a football indoor practice “bubble” (formally known as the Dickey Dome) and a basketball practice facility (the Weatherup Center). Both are state-of-the-art buildings and huge recruiting tools. The Dome even survived being “popped”–as in it was ripped apart–during a summer monsoon storm in 2008. Of course, when OSU completes construction on the Smith Training Center, I will have to reevaluate.
Weight room
Again, this is close. I was surprised to read that OSU’s is actually bigger (25,000 square feet vs. 16,000), because ASU’s just feels like it’s larger and has more equipment. Maybe that’s because there was no one in OSU’s when I walked through it.
Even
Athletic Hall of Fame
Both schools have a great, and similar, setup to show off their athletic accomplishments. I’ve spent hours inside the Carson Athletic Center at ASU and plan to do the same at Heritage Hall. There is just too much history to take in and too many cool things to look at in one trip. The memorial for the OSU basketeball plane crash was beautifully done.
Enough about facilities. Let’s talk football…
I attended my first OSU practice today and met Mike Gundy for the first time. We only spoke for about five minutes, but it was nice to get the introductions out of the way before my first media availability tomorrow. Fun fact: Gundy used to live in the apartment complex I just moved into. In 1991. No I won’t tell you which apartment complex.
I’m looking forward to my first chance to interact with players tomorrow. About eight are expected to be in attendance, so I will certainly have plenty of folks to chat with. And from what I’ve seen, read and gathered from my colleagues, there are some very engaging personalities on this team. That’s fun as a reporter.
Lastly, please give me some feedback on what you’d like to see on this blog. I have some ideas planned that I think will be interesting, informative and fun, but I’d like to hear your thoughts as well. Don’t forget you can also follow me on Twitter at @ginamizell and interact with me there.
And, of course, I’ll have much more football-related news, notes and tidbits as I spend more time at practice and talk more with players and coaches in the coming days. Tomorrow will be a great start.
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Comments
I’m just glad there is going to be someone at this establishment who is to be devoted to OSU. About time. Seriously, it is great that you are living in Stillwater! No offense to previous writers, but they always seemed to hastily compile OSU stories just enough to balance out their more thought out and more frequent OU stories. I understand the popularity difference, I do. Its just nice that the gap is starting so close. Best of luck to you. I’m looking forward to seeing how you do!
Ask someone at NewsOK the Oklahoman what they were thinking publishing that odd article that was written in the wake Gundy v. Jenn that was a hogepoge of things slamming OSU about success in football and the medical program in Tulsa. I would have posed it to those persons directly but they closed the comment section. I haven’t really read or looked at anything to do with OKC news and NewsOK since that article.
The pistolsguy blog said some nice thing about you so I decided to check out your post.
My point here really is be wary of your new employer as they are dumb sea basses when it comes to most things involving Orange.
Gina… As an OSU grad and avid fan and having spent 16 years in Phoenix, I can say that your evaluation of OSU vs ASU is right on. It would have been much different before all the renovation programs that have gone on at OSU. You will find that the OSU fan base might actually be a little more diehearted than the ASU people. But ASU’s feeling about AU (which I am sure you are aware of) will give you a hint about how the OSU types feel about OU.
Forgot to add. One difference between Phoenix and Stillwater… this week’s high T. was 118oF. But it is a dry heat (or so they say) with humidity at a low of 13%. Still, it gives a different meaning to “conditioning drills.”
@Mike
Interesting, i obviously didn’t know that after reading the oklahoman for osu news for years. I’ll take a my bad on that one, but the rest of my comments i’m standing by – haha. Only took her one post to let me know. seems like a good start…
Welcome Gina! Excited to have you! You’ve got some big shoes to fill as Brandon Chatmon did an outstanding job, but I’m sure you’ll do great!
Keep up the good work, Gina.
My guess for the apts. where Mike Gundy lived in 1991? Casa Mia. But that guess is only based on their proximity to the stadium/practice field. You don’t have to tell me if I’m right.
You have some big shoes to fill as Brandon Chatmon was very good at what he did and what you now do. I really like hearing about the freshmen and the young guys and how they are progressing. A lot of times people seem to forget about these guys for 2 or 3 years and then they burst on the scene again. Updates on the younger players every now and then would be very exciting to me and to others as well I am sure.
Well I can tell you a few things about OSU.
#1 – We don’t like to be compared to OU in any way, shape or form.
#2 – Don’t refer to us as “Okies.” That was a derogative term given to people who fled Oklahoma during the Great Depression.
#3 – We are very, very loyal to our school. While OSU fans like to parade it, the majority of our fans are either graduates or employees of OSU or family of someone who is. That’s both a good thing and a bad thing, but it lends itself to a tighter knit group.
#4 – There are a few names that are held in highest regard by OSU fans – Boone Pickens, Barry Sanders, Thurman Thomas, Mike Gundy, Eddie Sutton, John Smith (wrestling coach), Henry Iba, “The Ten”
#5 – Homecoming is one of the biggest campus events you’ll ever witness.