Hey ASB! We would love to have your input on Spikefest this past week.
Please tell us:
-What you liked and why you liked it
-What you think could be improved
-Suggestions for the future
Thanks to all the volunteers who helped out during the event, we truly appreciate it!
<3 athletics
I wasn't able to attend a lot of Spikefest, but I was able to briefly glance at the game during Thursday in the quad at lunch. I think this was a smart idea - usually, I would be busy walking somewhere and wouldn't have time to stop by the gym to check up on the score. However, with the game conveniently in the quad, I could still support my favorite team with friends.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how the players liked playing in the quad though, as it seems a lot of them were hesitant to dive even with knee pads. I would just ask next year's Spikefest players when they sign up what they thought about the game being outside. We'd have to weigh these benefits with how many extra people that we've supposedly reached out to, keeping in mind that it was a Thursday Lunch when a lot of students leave early to go home. If dedicated Spikefest fans are going to show up to the game regardless of whether it was in the gym or the quad, then we should try to keep the game in the gym.
To summarize: I liked the game in the quad at lunch but I think that the players should have first priority over the location because they are the ones most affected by it. If they are fine with whatever, games in the quad should definitely stay for future Spikefests!
I loved that some of the games were in the quad! It really drew a lot of attention from people who normally wouldn't attend Spikefest (from myself included).
ReplyDeleteNext time, it would be nice if the referees had a microphone so that the calls could be obvious to everybody watching because sometimes it got confusing on who's point it was.
I think for the future, it would be nice if all the games were held in the quad. It gets people excited and interested without making an effort to go to the gym. It does suck that there is no diving for the players, but maybe in the future we can get a hold of the mats and that won't be an issue!
Great job athletics!!! It was a crazy couple of weeks but you guys put on a really great event :)
I really liked how we played the games in the quad because that definitely increased student interest. Also next time I feel like we should definitely review the rules of volleyball before being a ref just to prevent rematches. In general however, I thought it worked really well even with all the discrepancies. Good Job Athletics!
ReplyDeleteI really liked how some of the games were in the quad. The games are more accessible to the students and it's a lot more convenient to watch. I think one thing that could be improved on is maybe bringing some kind of mat to the quad for dives. Good job on a great spikefest!
ReplyDeleteFrom a player's perspective:
ReplyDeleteThere is room for improvement with communication.
As a player, I had no idea what was going on until the weekend before spikefest began, and only because I searched up the spikefest event on facebook.
Suggestion for next year: Collect player's emails and contact the players using email to lessen the dependency on facebook. (a schedule of games through email and an email reminder about picking up tanktops would've been very helpful)
I know there was some confusion about tank top sizes.
Next year it'd be helpful to have a print-out of the spreadsheet we all filled out when ordering our tank tops and including on that document whether or not that player paid.
Athletics could then share a view-only version of this out to the players. (That way discrepancies about payment can be solved early)
I personally didn't mind playing in the Quad ^^. Liked the commentary from the speakers, although the music didn't suit the atmosphere too well.
For the staff game: A school loop blast or announcement day-of about the staff game would inform/excite students of the teachers playing.
As well, I know that at the very end we decided to play 6 v 6 against the staff team because the staff had 6 players and we only had 4, but we had to choose last-minute who would fill in. We got lucky in that there were two random players in the quad early.
For next year(s), teams should be aware that the staff game will be 6 v 6 and be given a notice before-hand. I don't know how we would've chosen if more than 2 people wanted to play.
(Either that or tweaking the number of players required/on the staff team would help)
I really liked Justin's daily updates on the spikefest page of results, as well as Anshul's game commentary in the gym. Helped add to the atmosphere.
The facebook page did not seem to get too much publicity though.
Perhaps pictures of games + mentioned specific players of the teams playing would help?
Overall as a player, I had a great time and would play again next year.
As a player, I personally disliked the games in the quad because of the low-key intensity. However, looking from the perspective of a non-participant, it definitely did a lot for publicity, and if a few more logistics were tweaked out (ex. possibly find a sport court to borrow, and the issue with the net height/setup), then it'd definitely be something to continue in the future!
ReplyDeleteOne big thing I think could be pushed more is the promo: even as a player actively looking for updates, I felt like I really only knew what was going on the week before the actual event. If the details could be released earlier to the public, more people would have time to gather teams or plan to attend, and general hype would have room to increase instead of being rushed in last minute.
Execution was great! I loved the announcements and I feel Athletics did a great job handling questionable calls between the players and the refs (although a side note: it would be good to specifically go over the rules with both the refs and the players, ex. tipping)
One quick comment on Will's post above, I think the staff team was originally planning to rotate in and only have 4 on the court, but the two student players were there and the two teams spontaneously agreed to have a 6v6 game. I do agree though, that even though the game was a lot more fun, if it's a 4v4, it should be kept that way out of fairness to other players who were eliminated in the student games.
It was a great week and a half!! Props to Athletics for hosting a fabulous tournament, I had loads of fun and I'm definitely coming back next year.
As many people have said, I think holding the games in the Quad would be the best choice for multiple reasons. First, holding it in the Quad ensures reaching a wider audience. People normally hang out near the Quad and they can enjoy the game while spending time with friends. Plus, people who are walking by can quickly catch up on the score and they might even be interested enough to sit and watch. Second, students can't eat in the gym and that sometimes stops people from coming. Holding it in the Quad allows student to eat and watch at the same time. Quick suggestion: During the final game, I sometimes was not aware of the calls being made. I think using microphones to announce calls or having an ongoing commentary would make the game easier to understand.
ReplyDeleteI understand that holding it in the Quad could cause complications for the players but talking to players and understanding how to accommodate their needs would be the best route to solve that problem.
Overall: The planning and execution of the games were great! Athletics definitely put a lot of work into organizing the event and dealing with game disputes. Good job Athletics!
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ReplyDeleteThere are many benefits to having game in the quad, such as a much larger audience and that students can eat their lunches. However, the "stars" of this event are the players, in which this idea may be sacrificing too much on their part. I also agree that the refs who volunteer should review the rules of volleyball beforehand, if they don't already know them, to ensure credibility and prevent rematches. As a whole, planning and execution were great! Good job!
ReplyDeleteSpikefest was great as always. It was wonderful to participate this year. I know there were a lot of concerns regarding the rules. It may be helpful to publish a rule book online.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, I hope we can get more teacher involvement, whether that's a small shout-out during class or actually participating.