2006 MDIA National Championship - location

[benji]

The ones in Plano have bleachers with press/ scorer box and scoreboards. The Highland Park field is very nice also.

All this aside, it won't be 30 degrees outside either.

[shrekjr]

The ones in Plano have bleachers with press/ scorer box and scoreboards.

You're at the wrong place.

[Bluevelvet]

All this aside, it won't be 30 degrees outside either.

I am much more concerned with an average temperature of 84 degrees in May in Dallas than an aberration like occurred last year in Minneapolis. Even St. Louis wasn't that hot.

[benji]

What's wrong with 84 degrees? Honestly, it's really not that hot.

[Bluevelvet]

84 degrees is pretty hot when most teams never play in 84 degree heat all year.
I remember in 2003 in St. Louis when the semi finals were played in 85 - 90 degree heat and it had an extremely adverse effect on the final.
84 degrees is an average temperature for Dallas in May. It could easily get into the 90's. 84 is hot in my book and it is not a once in a generation extreme (like the cold in MN last year), it is the norm. What about shade for spectators? What about water and refreshments for the fans. Will that be available at a city rec center?
All I'm saying is that hot weather is not necessarily an asset, it could be a problem.

[Danny Hogan]

the 03 heat impact had a lot to do with the final being played on the turf. it was a lot hotter @ field level than it would have been on the main field.

[LaxTastic]

quit being a baby... there's a reason why people move to florida and hotter states when they're old; it's easier to deal with

[Bluevelvet]

quit being a baby... there's a reason why people move to florida and hotter states when they're old; it's easier to deal with

Wow. OK. You convinced me.
I now really like the idea of standing inside a chain link fence, in a city rec center, in 84 degree heat, with no shade or shelter, no bleachers, no scoreboards or clocks. I also love the idea of moving the entire tournament to a new venue for the finals and semis, a high school foootball field. That is my idea of a really classy event.
Listen, you guys from Texas should be able to realize that hot weather is not necessarily an asset in the minds of other people. I was miserable in the cold in Minneapolis last year. And there were other shortcomings of the tournament there.
In St. Louis in 2001, the temperature was in the high 80's and low 90's for the entire tournament. It was not at all pleasant to be a spectator or player that year.
My point is that Dallas, from what I've read here, is not a definate upgrade.

[Zeuslax]

With all the weather talk, I decided to run a bin calculation to see what ranges and temperature possibilities could be encountered. This data is weather data collected for over 75 years, on an hour-by-hour basis, in 239 cities nation wide. It is used by HVAC consultants (me), utilities, ect..... to calculate the cost and occurrence of different design strategies. Gets a little more complicated than that, but you get the gist. Below is the monthes, temp ranges, and total hrs that a temp falls in that range over a 24 hr period. As you can see for May. The chance of the temp being cooler than 84 degrees F is more likely than it being hotter. However, the avg temp I would say will be at least 80 deg's F during the day.(Note: The total hours column is not accurate due to the deletion of Feb., but for the higher temps it is accurate. )

Conventional Binning : Dallas data
Units: I-P 03927 FORT WORTH N 32 50 W 97 3 538.084 ft
Date: Nov 28,2005 # hrs: 3600

Total March April May June
Mid-pts DB (F) Hrs Hrs Hrs Hrs Hrs
99.0 98 to 100 2 2
97.0 96 to 98 21 21
95.0 94 to 96 10 10
93.0 92 to 94 16 16
91.0 90 to 92 68 68
89.0 88 to 90 42 42
87.0 86 to 88 56 11 45
85.0 84 to 86 86 3 34 49
83.0 82 to 84 98 1 15 28 54
81.0 80 to 82 151 3 32 56 60
79.0 78 to 80 162 4 37 40 81
77.0 76 to 78 108 13 24 39 32
75.0 74 to 76 173 17 37 62 55
73.0 72 to 74 261 13 87 84 71
71.0 70 to 72 195 18 60 76 31
69.0 68 to 70 188 28 64 60 31
67.0 66 to 68 186 45 65 47 21
65.0 64 to 66 176 46 52 51 17
63.0 62 to 64 173 62 51 41 10
61.0 60 to 62 162 59 47 35 4
59.0 58 to 60 99 42 20 20
57.0 56 to 58 157 56 44 18
55.0 54 to 56 191 78 37 17
53.0 52 to 54 128 64 18 4
51.0 50 to 52 148 44 11 5
49.0 48 to 50 106 34 6 8
47.0 46 to 48 73 33 5 2
45.0 44 to 46 95 23 5 5
43.0 42 to 44 62 15 1
41.0 40 to 42 32 15
39.0 38 to 40 47 13
37.0 36 to 38 54 16
35.0 34 to 36 27 2
33.0 32 to 34 23
31.0 30 to 32 12
29.0 28 to 30 3
27.0 26 to 28 5
25.0 24 to 26 4

[benji]

Wow. OK. You convinced me.
I now really like the idea of standing inside a chain link fence, in a city rec center, in 84 degree heat, with no shade or shelter, no bleachers, no scoreboards or clocks.

Has there even been a definite answer to date as to whether there wouldn't be scoreboards, shade, or clocks????

I think you're being a little presumptuous. I agree, some people just can't handle the heat. For what reasons?... I'm not sure, but whatever. You talk about the intolerability of the heat in St. Louis, however; I remember losing feeling in my face watching the final game in Blaine. I think most people would rather sweat than shiver.

Also, the whole standing inside a chain-link fence thing? Its not like there is a fence bordering the field on the side/end lines. For what its worth, it would at least prevent some over-zealous shots from sailing into oblivion. The city of Plano's, as well as the majority of North Texas areas', recreational facilities are extremely well kept and maintained.

Classy event? Its a lacrosse tournament, honestly. Unless we're gonna bring in catering, half-time shows, and cheerleaders (which btw would be awesome!), I don't think we need to worry about the "classiness" of the tournament.

... we might wanna look into the whole cheerleader thing though

[LaxRef]

I think you're being a little presumptuous. I agree, some people just can't handle the heat. For what reasons?... I'm not sure, but whatever. You talk about the intolerability of the heat in St. Louis, however; I remember losing feeling in my face watching the final game in Blaine. I think most people would rather sweat than shiver.

I'll say again: you can always add more layers, but once it gets to a certain point you can't take off any more clothes to get cooler.

From a purely physical standpoint, there's no question that people can perform activities that require a lot of running better when it's 50 rather than 90. Look at times for running races. I'll concede that some people might feel like they have less control over their sticks when it's colder, but that's not the kind of thing that puts people in the hospital. Sprinting repeatedly in hot, humid weather does.

[Andy Sharp]

On wunderground.com I found a nice feature that gives one an idea of what kind of weather to expect over a range of days, I entered May 10th to 15th, here's what the results were:

Minneapolis Weather
Average High Temperature is 65 F
Average Low Temperature is 46 F
There is a 6% chance of a Hot Day (temperature over 90°F)
There is a 2% chance of a Freezing Day (temperature below 32°F)
There is a 44% chance of a Precipitation Day
There is a 52% chance of a Cloudy Day
There is a 35% chance of a Windy Day (average wind over 10 mph)
There is a 13% chance of a Humid Day (dew point over 65°F)
MSP Weather Data

Dallas Weather
Average High Temperature is 82 F
Average Low Temperature is 62 F
There is a 6% chance of a Hot Day (temperature over 90°F)
There is a 0% chance of a Freezing Day (temperature below 32°F)
There is a 22% chance of a Precipitation Day
There is a 37% chance of a Cloudy Day
There is a 52% chance of a Windy Day (average wind over 10 mph)
There is a 74% chance of a Humid Day (dew point over 65°F)
There is a 31% chance of a Sweltering Day (dew point over 70°F)
DFW Weather Data

[tamu33]

Hot humid weather is not the way I would describe dallas weather in May. St. Louis and Houston are HUMID, dallas has an airy breeze during May that is quite nice. And if dallas is so horrible, why is it host to a vast majority of regional tournaments for soccer (a sport that involves alot of running and endurance) in the summer.

Blaine, had its ups and downs. For one, I think the tent city idea would have worked well if it had been warmer. But, Blaine had big field problems (i.e. scoreboards, seating compacity for early round games and others that have been discussed at length in this forum). Also, the back set of fields were very uneven and the grass was not up to "championship" form. Grass that far north is barely begining to sprout after the winter season, so it is easier to tear up (and wear and tear happens in a big tourney). Overall, Minneapolis and its surrounding suburbs were great hosts and the stadium was a nice touch but the problems didn't just stop at the weather in some peoples' opinions.

As for the texas site, wouldn't you think that the Exec board and US LAX event planners are trying to improve the tourney. So, I find it hard to believe that the board would over look things such as weather, field locations (if the finals are in the same place or not) and atmosphere (i.e. tent city). The board is obviously taking their time in deciding because they are going over many factors. And I know for a fact that even if dallas doesn't get the site for this year, they will push even harder the next time around.

Bluevelvet and others make very valid points. And I am sure that a tournament in California would be great. But dallas has a more central location and a strong up and coming lacrosse community so, I could easily see it become a success here too.

Most importantly, where ever the tourney is located.... the goal of the entire MDIA and WDIA will be to get there.

[Nick B]

Maybe its cause I'm originally from Texas, or the fact that ive been out here in the desert for the past 3 yrs. (yall wanna talk about hot?), but my vote goes to Dallas. Vegas odds say that Dallas will have nicer weather than Minneapolis come May... All I know is that 70's looks better than 50's... However, I will also agree with the idea of rotating the tourney to a different city each year, its good for exposure.

[TexOle]

The problem with rotating it is that you never get a consistent base for volunteers and other host necessities. I think many of us forget how much volunteering and other coordination goes in to this event. The local chapters have to provide a lot of support. Think about who runs the table. It is local volunteers that help get officials to games. They provide entertainment for visiting workers. It is not just about fields and other fan amenities, but what can a group do to help those that make the tournament a success.