Dallas Championship suggestions

[tamu33]

OK, I am starting a forum so that issues from the past tournaments can be resolved at this year's tournament.

Below are suggestions that I have figured to be on the agenda:
1. Field setup
2. Trainers
3. Scoreboards
4. Bleachers
5. Also, tell me what you think of the recognition ceremonies?

Keep in mind that some issues will up to other entities. (i.e. refs, us lacrosse)

I meant to put '06 and '07 in the poll

[Daniel Morris]

I just hope we can have a return to the media presence the tournament had in years past. Articles and full stats written for every game, with multiple spotlight articles written for the semi-finals and finals teams. Unfortunately, the budget and manpower were less last year than in the past, and Sonny did a great job with what was available, but with the growth of the league and improvement in the level of play across the board, I would argue more resources need to be allotted to show the exciting product we have.

[OAKS]

Anyone know if CSTV is gonna do coverage again? And will it be more than just a highlight show?

[JW]

Of course the Media will show. The DFW metroplex is a top Five media market in the US. The Crowds will be big, the games are going to be exciting.

[monkeylax]

Me so excited!! Hope they make T-shirts. I still have mine from the Lou!

[Sonny]

Of course the Media will show. The DFW metroplex is a top Five media market in the US. The Crowds will be big, the games are going to be exciting.

Don't be so sure JW. The local media (newspapers, radio, TV) never showed in St. Louis or the Twin Cities. It has nothing to do with the size of the media market. For the most part, they just thumb their nose at non-varsity sports.

Also, the crowd support will be limited for the early games (Tues-Fri) - especially if they are played exclusively during the day. Current players are in school then and parents are working during morning and early afternoon starts. This would be true in any venue across the country and isn't a slight of the DFW area. The best hope is to get decent crowds for Friday evening semi's and Saturday's finals.

[UofMLaxGoalie11]

I only selected no for my own selfish reasons, being that I dont get to go since I dont live in texas and im not paying to go down there. otherwise I dont mind.

[LaxC21]

I am not going to say there will be a lot of media coverage, but the Dallas Morning News does cover some non-varsity sports (H.S. lacrosse and some H.S. and College Hockey). I think if the proper methods are used and if it features the right angle, we could see at least some coverage.

[DanGenck]

Of course the Media will show. The DFW metroplex is a top Five media market in the US. The Crowds will be big, the games are going to be exciting.

Don't be so sure JW. The local media (newspapers, radio, TV) never showed in St. Louis or the Twin Cities.quote]

What exactly are we looking for from the media? Twin Cities had a news story cover the event for the evening news, but they lacked the paper media. Do people want stories and articles in local newspapers? Is that the goal?

[laxfan25]

Being married to a marketing and public relations manager who always seems to get coverage for events she puts on (even things like charity Monopoly tournaments), I'm sure she would be happy to lend her opinions on how to get coverage.
#1 would be good press releases to all the media outlets, targeted to the editors, sports reporters, etc.
#2 Direct follow-up phone calls as the event approaches - letting the TV guys know that this will produce interesting footage.
#3 - looking for "hooks" to build a story on - local players making good, parapelegics playing for a team, etc. (Bad taste, I know). These human interest stories grab non-lacrosse fans attention.
#4 - In our local paper there is a Weekend Guide that comes out on Thursdays with a Top 5 Things to Do list. My wife has gotten her events on that list several times, partly because she calls the writer directly, and now he knows her.
#5 - Getting a local sports reporter (TV especially) to come out and try the game. Our little Grand Rapids club team did this twice over the years. It helps if you can make them look good - like actually catch a pass and shoot! This then gives them a lead-in to talk about the exciting National Championships going on in town, with teams from all over the country in hard-hitting action with lots of blood and broken bones. THAT'LL boost attendance.
You have to assume that in order to draw a crowd in a "new" lacrosse area, you've got to draw people with no previous exposure to the game. It can be done, but it takes work.
Good luck! Hope this helps...

[byualum]

Being married to a marketing and public relations manager who always seems to get coverage for events she puts on (even things like charity Monopoly tournaments), I'm sure she would be happy to lend her opinions on how to get coverage.
#1 would be good press releases to all the media outlets, targeted to the editors, sports reporters, etc.
#2 Direct follow-up phone calls as the event approaches - letting the TV guys know that this will produce interesting footage.
#3 - looking for "hooks" to build a story on - local players making good, parapelegics playing for a team, etc. (Bad taste, I know). These human interest stories grab non-lacrosse fans attention.
#4 - In our local paper there is a Weekend Guide that comes out on Thursdays with a Top 5 Things to Do list. My wife has gotten her events on that list several times, partly because she calls the writer directly, and now he knows her.
#5 - Getting a local sports reporter (TV especially) to come out and try the game. Our little Grand Rapids club team did this twice over the years. It helps if you can make them look good - like actually catch a pass and shoot! This then gives them a lead-in to talk about the exciting National Championships going on in town, with teams from all over the country in hard-hitting action with lots of blood and broken bones. THAT'LL boost attendance.
You have to assume that in order to draw a crowd in a "new" lacrosse area, you've got to draw people with no previous exposure to the game. It can be done, but it takes work.
Good luck! Hope this helps...

All good points...I spent 5 years as a TV sports producer in Denver. Dallas is similar to Denver in the number of teams you have to cover.

I'd start with a press release, but it must be followed up with a personal phone call to the editor/producer. I used to get 10-15 press releases every day. You've got to find a way to make yours stand out. I always did a "shooter's piece" on Vail (no reporter, just a photog using natural sound and interviews). The speed of lacrosse makes a great visual story.

It is very likely the Mavs and Stars will both be in the playoffs in May...that will mean sports departments are spread a little thin. You might try and get on the morning shows that do more feature-type pieces. A lot of morning shows do a lot of in-studio interviews. The North Texas chapter should try and get their president an interview on-air prior to the championships or maybe with John Paul or one of the other USLIA officers when they get to Dallas.

Just a couple of thoughts...

[LaxC21]

I also work in Marketing and Public Relations and those are all great ideas that will work if someone, people, whoever, takes the time to do those things.

If this is of serious interest to US Lacrosse or MDIA...it might be worth the money to invest in Bacon's public relation service. You can get a pretty basic service for relatively cheap and you reach as many TV, Radio and Print contacts as you would like...all with the click of a button. However, as the previous posts have mentioned, the follow-up calls are key.

[Sonny]

Of course the Media will show. The DFW metroplex is a top Five media market in the US. The Crowds will be big, the games are going to be exciting.

Don't be so sure JW. The local media (newspapers, radio, TV) never showed in St. Louis or the Twin Cities.

What exactly are we looking for from the media? Twin Cities had a news story cover the event for the evening news, but they lacked the paper media. Do people want stories and articles in local newspapers? Is that the goal?

We had the same, one-shot TV story on local news in STL once or twice in the past. The cameras show up shoot one quarter of a game... the local report jokes about the fastest game on two feet and the story closes. While the coverage was nice and appreciated, it didn't seem to positively effect attendance.

I think daily coverage in the sports section of the newspaper(s) is what will greatly aid attendance. One daily article with basic stats/box scores and the upcoming schedule would be perfect. Think about how many times you decide to go to an weekend event (on a Friday or a Saturday) during the week (say Tues-Thurs timeframe).

We sent plenty of faxes thru the years to the local media in STL, but didn't get much support or interest from them . I also think you would get some additional foot traffic at the site if you had a local station (FM music or AM Sports Talk) do a local remote at the local venue.

[Dan Wishengrad]

I hate to be cynical but...

Since we had record cold weather in Minneehaha last year for the MDIA tourney, I fully expect a record heat-wave in Texas this time around, with temperatures in the triple-digits all week long.

[CyLaxKeeper00]

Is this tournament held for media coverage or to celebrate the success of the teams in the USLIA??? Please bring the expectation out of the clouds and back down to earth. This is a college club tourney, not the superbowl.