As many outlets—including us on Facebook and Twitter—have noted, tickets for any seat in the Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center on Friday night at 7pm will be FREE. Any seat, upstairs or downstairs is FREE. I’ve had a number of questions via email, phone, and Facebook, so this is your Q&A on the ticket situation.
Q: Are tickets really free?
Yup. Would I lie to you? [I get this question in incredulity, and it’s a fair question.]
Q: How do I get tickets?
This answer depends on where you’d like to sit:
- General Admission (Upper Bowl): You can get a ticket at the door. All we’re doing there is counting noses.
- Reserved Seating (Lower Bowl): There’s a number of ways these go.
1. Season ticket-holders have already been sold their seats, and please don’t take their seats. Cool?
2. Your best bet is to call (256-551-2345) or visit the VBC Box Office (M-Th 10a-5p and F 10a-gametime). The tickets will still be free, but you’ll get a printed ticket with your seat assignment on it, and you’ll have the rights to your seat.
3. Watch for open seats early in the game and move down from general admission if you like. Be prepared to relinquish your seat to someone with a ticket for it. Please be pleasant if this happens. - Ice Suites (at glass): The University has bought the remaining ice suites. I believe that these will be distributed to faculty and staff. Please plan on viewing the game from one of the bowls.
When should I try to get Reserved Seating?
I’d say that you should do it as soon as possible. I do not know for sure if the VBC will put reserved tickets at will call, but I fully expect that they will do so. You can always ask when you call—256-551-2345 is the number.
Where should I sit in General Admission?
Anywhere is fine. There’s a lot of noise from Sections 304 (Pep Band) and 305 (Crazy Alumni, including the TALAH Boys). These sections are a lot of fun, but the commentary can veer into off-color at times, so attendees with impressionable ears would best be staged no closer than 307 on the penalty box side. The VBC has a handy seating chart for the Propst Arena (PDF).
People generally accumulate along the sides opposite the player benches (307, 308, 309) and penalty boxes (322, 323, 324). This gives you a general view of the ice, but it does put you equidistant from each goal, meaning that you never see either goal terribly well. If you sit in the corners (303-305, 311-313, 318-320, 326-328), you’ll have a great view of action at one goal. If you want to see the goal that UAH shoots on twice, 303, 305, and 326-328 are your choice seating locations. The Pep Band sits in 304 because that gives them a reflector behind them to project throughout the area. Also, our sections like being in the goalie’s earhole.
If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments or call me at 256-542-1436.