2008 Woodie Awards
A night with the Riders
Natalie Niemeyer
Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: Sports
The Rough Riders have been in Cedar Rapids since 1999 but it was only three years ago that the Tier 1 junior team and Kirkwood Community College paired up to offer students discounted tickets.
"A gentleman came out here [to Kirkwood] and asked if we wanted to buy out a portion of the yellow zone," Shirlee Tschiggfrie, coordinator of Clubs and Organizations and Student Life, said. "The students who love to go to the hockey games get a discount."
The Rough Riders play a 60-game schedule, starting in October and ending in April. The team is made up of athletes from all over the United States, Canada and Europe.
The Cedar Rapids Ice Arena, located on the westside of town, is home to the Rough Riders. Student tickets are available in the yellow zone. This designated area is a bleachered portion of the arena behind each team's goal. The tickets are available for $7 to Kirkwood students instead of $10, which is what the tickets normally sell for. Kirkwood buys out about 70 tickets per game.
Kirkwood is not the only area organization that has an agreement with the Rough Riders. Colleges like Coe, Mount Mercy and area businesses like Rockwell Collins and General Mills also get discounted tickets.
"We try to get a lot of people from our community in our building. We like to be pretty flexible in the ticket prices we offer," Vice President of the Rough Riders Jim Calpin said.
The Rough Riders have special promotions going on every game. They have played games in pink jerseys in support of breast cancer research and even donned black and yellow jerseys in honor of the Hawkeyes. In between every second and third period, there is a puck chuck, where fans can throw pucks onto the ice to try and hit a target to get a prize. Along with the nightly food specials, there is also a smaller skating rink in the foyer where fans can skate before and after games.
"We want people to know that it's a fun night out," Calpin said. "We are very fortunate with the participation of all of the colleges in the Eastern Iowa area and hope to keep attracting people from that demographic."
"A gentleman came out here [to Kirkwood] and asked if we wanted to buy out a portion of the yellow zone," Shirlee Tschiggfrie, coordinator of Clubs and Organizations and Student Life, said. "The students who love to go to the hockey games get a discount."
The Rough Riders play a 60-game schedule, starting in October and ending in April. The team is made up of athletes from all over the United States, Canada and Europe.
The Cedar Rapids Ice Arena, located on the westside of town, is home to the Rough Riders. Student tickets are available in the yellow zone. This designated area is a bleachered portion of the arena behind each team's goal. The tickets are available for $7 to Kirkwood students instead of $10, which is what the tickets normally sell for. Kirkwood buys out about 70 tickets per game.
Kirkwood is not the only area organization that has an agreement with the Rough Riders. Colleges like Coe, Mount Mercy and area businesses like Rockwell Collins and General Mills also get discounted tickets.
"We try to get a lot of people from our community in our building. We like to be pretty flexible in the ticket prices we offer," Vice President of the Rough Riders Jim Calpin said.
The Rough Riders have special promotions going on every game. They have played games in pink jerseys in support of breast cancer research and even donned black and yellow jerseys in honor of the Hawkeyes. In between every second and third period, there is a puck chuck, where fans can throw pucks onto the ice to try and hit a target to get a prize. Along with the nightly food specials, there is also a smaller skating rink in the foyer where fans can skate before and after games.
"We want people to know that it's a fun night out," Calpin said. "We are very fortunate with the participation of all of the colleges in the Eastern Iowa area and hope to keep attracting people from that demographic."
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