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Worst place to play or see a game


stu_bean
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Figured since we were talking about the best places, what about the worst ones?

Two come to mind for me.  Blacksburg I hated because it seems like you sit a half mile from the sideline and you need binoculars to see when they get within the 10 yd line.  Grayson Co, where to begin...Visitor bleachers are terrible the field is bad shape.  Could look at the lines running across the field and watching the dips and swags in it makes you wonder how it can be that bad.  Parking was great there though...

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21 minutes ago, stu_bean said:

Figured since we were talking about the best places, what about the worst ones?

Two come to mind for me.  Blacksburg I hated because it seems like you sit a half mile from the sideline and you need binoculars to see when they get within the 10 yd line.  Grayson Co, where to begin...Visitor bleachers are terrible the field is bad shape.  Could look at the lines running across the field and watching the dips and swags in it makes you wonder how it can be that bad.  Parking was great there though...

I liked the old Blacksburg in town though. You were right on top of the field there. 

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Unlike the list regarding the "best" places, this list is lengthy and cumbersome.

 

(1) Mount View.  Never have I seen a crowd shower an opposing marching band with beer bottles, beer cans, and tins of snuff.  And the dilapidated bleachers built onto an unsteady rock face are a sheer hazard, no matter how one looks at it.  The field was never adequately cut, especially if your team was faster than Mount View.  And after about 2 quarters, those poop brown and baby turd yellow uniforms are a visual nuisance.  Just an absymal setting, and this comes from a fan whose team slaughtered Mount View.

 

(2) Carroll County.  Worst field ever.  The number of injury timeouts I've seen for sprained ankles on Tommy Thompson field is staggering.  I sure hope it's improved in the last 8 years.

 

(3) Grayson County.  Second worst field ever, but also the second worst bleachers ever, so it's a real lose/lose.  You can tell the administration, on a county and school level, have little pride in that facility.

 

(4) Pocahontas.  The setting for their old stadium was absolutely gorgeous, in that clearing in a grove.  But the grass was never less than 8" high, and the bleachers were something out of a Stephen King novel.  It's a shame that such a beautiful backdrop was so poorly maintained.  I really wanted to like that place, but couldn't.

 

(5) Richlands.  I'm just putting Ernie Hicks here just to piss people off.  I really don't think Ernie Hicks is that bad, especially since the mountain running down the center of the field has been leveled, but it's my list and I say Richlands is 5th worst.  Prove me wrong.  :)

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50 minutes ago, UVAObserver said:

(1) Mount View.  Never have I seen a crowd shower an opposing marching band with beer bottles, beer cans, and tins of snuff.  And the dilapidated bleachers built onto an unsteady rock face are a sheer hazard, no matter how one looks at it.  The field was never adequately cut, especially if your team was faster than Mount View.  And after about 2 quarters, those poop brown and baby turd yellow uniforms are a visual nuisance.  Just an absymal setting, and this comes from a fan whose team slaughtered Mount View.

Had occasion to visit that field back in 2015 as part of a commemoration of the old Welch-Gary rivalry.  Among other things that struck me, the responsible parties have apparently given up on maintenance to the point that they stopped trying to cut the vines growing down into the stands from the hillside.  They had actually constructed a chain-link fence along the bottom quarter of the existing stands (which is probably all they really need in terms of attendance) and allowed the vines to take over.

My youngest son was the only member of my household who accompanied me on that trip with my parents.  It definitely made a major impression on him -- and I think I'll just leave it at that.

As for Mount View's color scheme....  Among the seemingly endless poor decisions made by the leadership of The County, that choice of brown and gold is yet another one that makes you ask, "What were they thinking?"

Edited by RichlandsAlum
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16 minutes ago, UVAObserver said:

(4) Pocahontas.  The setting for their old stadium was absolutely gorgeous, in that clearing in a grove.  But the grass was never less than 8" high, and the bleachers were something out of a Stephen King novel.  It's a shame that such a beautiful backdrop was so poorly maintained.  I really wanted to like that place, but couldn't.

 

(5) Richlands.  I'm just putting Ernie Hicks here just to piss people off.  I really don't think Ernie Hicks is that bad, especially since the mountain running down the center of the field has been leveled, but it's my list and I say Richlands is 5th worst.  Prove me wrong.  :)

LMAO about Richlands... :)

As I mentioned on the basketball thread, never got to make that trip to Pocahontas back in the Haysi days.  One of these days when I am around Bluefield, I am going to take a drive out of the way down to Pocy just to see what I can see.

My five worst:

1. Galax (sorry sixcat) -- Terrible seats home/away, long concession lines because there's not enough of them

2. The stadiums of the Cumberland District with the exception of Eastside and Thomas Walker -- J. I. Burton = sucks, Twin Springs = middle of nowhere, no cell signal, sucks, Castlewood = meh, Rye Cove = see Twin Springs, plus cow pasture and rock quarry field, Ervinton (now defunct) = horrible

3. Wise Central -- Not nearly enough seating to be a new stadium.  Parking is abysmal.  Get there at least 2 hours before kickoff or be faced with having to walk up the steep hill from the Walmart.

4. Elkhorn City, Kentucky (now defunct consolidated to form East Ridge)  -- A softball/football field.  Seemed like half of the field was made up of sand.  Never have the words "Three yards and a cloud of dust" been more truer

5. Holston -- Not really a bad stadium or seating, but severe drainage issues.  Shouldn't have to wade across a small lake to get to your seat.

 

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56 minutes ago, UVAObserver said:

(2) Carroll County.  Worst field ever.  The number of injury timeouts I've seen for sprained ankles on Tommy Thompson field is staggering.  I sure hope it's improved in the last 8 years.

Won't argue that one.  Don't think I ever watched a game there that didn't have an injury to us.  Of course the horrible lighting didn't help either.  Field wasn't lit well enough to see the pitfalls.  Don't think that I ever attended a game there where I didn't end up with a splinter in my butt because of the crappy bleachers.

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I have to say as a fan the worst experience I ever had at a stadium was Gate City.  Don't know why we were different but students and others were constantly harassing our cheerleaders and the fans that were trying to protect them.  Was so bad the police even came over but they jumped on our people instead of the ones causing the issue.

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5 minutes ago, swva_havok_fan said:

The stadiums of the Cumberland District with the exception of Eastside and Thomas Walker -- J. I. Burton = sucks, Twin Springs = middle of nowhere, no cell signal, sucks, Castlewood = meh, Rye Cove = see Twin Springs, plus cow pasture and rock quarry field, Ervinton (now defunct) = horrible

 

This x1000, Along with Thomas Waker having the best back drop in SWVA. Especially from the home bleacher.

FB_IMG_1500039692245.jpg

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I'll choose three:

(3) Gate City- two words train horn. Not sure if it's still there. Don't wanna go back to find out. Coeburn-GC 2011 was enough for me.

(2) JIB - nuff said. 

(1) Wise Central- seating and field not so bad. The fact that entering and leaving I sat in 2 hours round trip of traffic. Hopefully gets better with time. 

 

Honorable Mention: Twin springs, Castlewood, and Ralph Cummins at Clintwood. 

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1 hour ago, Hoosyadaddy said:

I'll choose three:

(3) Gate City- two words train horn. Not sure if it's still there. Don't wanna go back to find out. Coeburn-GC 2011 was enough for me.

(2) JIB - nuff said. 

(1) Wise Central- seating and field not so bad. The fact that entering and leaving I sat in 2 hours round trip of traffic. Hopefully gets better with time. 

 

Honorable Mention: Twin springs, Castlewood, and Ralph Cummins at Clintwood. 

It's still there and even louder. Just hope they get to blow it this year.

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Pound - The parking was horrible. I was still blocked in after they turned the lights out in the stadium one night. 

Central - Nice setting, but the sight lines are terrible. If you are standing at the fence, you almost need a pair of binoculars. 

Galax - Went to a game there last year and was shocked at the lack of seating. Wound up watching the game from up on the hill in the end zone.

St. Paul - Terrible drainage. I thought my brother in-law was going to drown there one night when he got tackled and was face down with some other guys on top of him.

 

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5 hours ago, stu_bean said:

I have to say as a fan the worst experience I ever had at a stadium was Gate City.  Don't know why we were different but students and others were constantly harassing our cheerleaders and the fans that were trying to protect them.  Was so bad the police even came over but they jumped on our people instead of the ones causing the issue.

 

2 hours ago, Hoosyadaddy said:

I'll choose three:

(3) Gate City- two words train horn. Not sure if it's still there. Don't wanna go back to find out. Coeburn-GC 2011 was enough for me.

The first time Gate City had to come to Haysi in the late 1990's I think it was, for a playoff game, a few of their "rowdies" sat on the Haysi side and tried to stir up trouble.  Dickenson County cops came and ejected them.  Didn't matter.  They just got in the truck equipped with the train horn, went across the Russell Fork to the highway and blared the whistle from over at the convenience store across the river.

Gate City didn't bring the horn to Ridgeview a couple of years ago though, not sure if it just stays at the home games now or what.  Lee High however has one of their own and DID bring theirs to Ridgeview two years ago.

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5 hours ago, stu_bean said:

I have to say as a fan the worst experience I ever had at a stadium was Gate City.  Don't know why we were different but students and others were constantly harassing our cheerleaders and the fans that were trying to protect them.  Was so bad the police even came over but they jumped on our people instead of the ones causing the issue.

That is true. Fortunately on GC home side, it doesn't really occur. If it does then it isn't nearly as bad. But there are incidents that do happen at GC sometimes and clearly, not all GC fans are insufferable. The ones who post on here are not. 

 

I do not mind the train horn. It is a fan tradition which adds to the atmosphere. As long as the people operating it use common sense and courtesy, what is the problem?

As as bad as a part of the fan base can behave over there, it definitely is not the worst. That is at Breathitt County, Kentucky. I guess our band director did not take time to find out and nobody thought to tell him that Kentucky has a strictly enforced policy about bands playing in the stands. Not the issue. 

 

We had 77 people in band at PV that year. It seems like a smack in the face to stick us on tiny little league bleachers instead of marking off a section on the main bleachers where both fan bases sat. 

 

Central's field is good. However their seating and parking situations are terrible. 

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6 minutes ago, swva_havok_fan said:

 

The first time Gate City had to come to Haysi in the late 1990's I think it was, for a playoff game, a few of their "rowdies" sat on the Haysi side and tried to stir up trouble.  Dickenson County cops came and ejected them.  Didn't matter.  They just got in the truck equipped with the train horn, went across the Russell Fork to the highway and blared the whistle from over at the convenience store across the river.

Gate City didn't bring the horn to Ridgeview a couple of years ago though, not sure if it just stays at the home games now or what.  Lee High however has one of their own and DID bring theirs to Ridgeview two years ago.

I think if you sit with the other fan base, it's your right but it should be obvious to show a little respect to the other fan base. Some  people like to cause trouble. 

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6 hours ago, stu_bean said:

Seems they went the exact opposite with the new stadium...

Let's be real, soccer is the reason the stands are so far away. Blacksburg have dominated the 3A soccer scene on both sides of the gender line. The soccer pitch they use at the field is considerablely wider than the football lines. 

I called a lot of soccer games on ESPN Blacksburg this year and it fits perfectly for soccer, while having a good capacity for football. I thought the stadium was well done for both sports. 

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6 hours ago, swva_havok_fan said:

 

The first time Gate City had to come to Haysi in the late 1990's I think it was, for a playoff game, a few of their "rowdies" sat on the Haysi side and tried to stir up trouble.  Dickenson County cops came and ejected them.  Didn't matter.  They just got in the truck equipped with the train horn, went across the Russell Fork to the highway and blared the whistle from over at the convenience store across the river.

Gate City didn't bring the horn to Ridgeview a couple of years ago though, not sure if it just stays at the home games now or what.  Lee High however has one of their own and DID bring theirs to Ridgeview two years ago.

Different set of train horns and people back then. The train horns there now have not been to any road games. I think that game was in 2001. GC was Division 3 until then. 

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3 hours ago, UVAObserver said:

Y'all must marry young in Wise County.  ;)

Ha! We do. It was my wife's younger brother who was a senior at the time. I think we were 24. Miserable night in St. Paul. Raining sideways at times with temps in the 40's. 

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(5) Richlands.  I'm just putting Ernie Hicks here just to piss people off.  I really don't think Ernie Hicks is that bad, especially since the mountain running down the center of the field has been leveled, but it's my list and I say Richlands is 5th worst.  Prove me wrong.  :) "

This is one Blues fan you wont piss off about it.  I love Ernie because of the history and atmosphere, and it is home,  but it does need some work and updating...........especially the bathrooms and the visitor side seating.  I doubt there is much can be done for the seating because of the road behind it,  but a couple of port-a-potties would help and a concession stand of some sort.............and maybe a speaker or 2 would help also.  I sat over there a couple of years ago with my wife during one of the Richlands vs honaker games and got a whole new perspective on a game at Ernie.  It's great on the home side,  but not so much on the visitor side.  

Of course that can be said about 90% of the high school stadiums I've been too !

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18 hours ago, Hoosyadaddy said:

I'll choose three:

(3) Gate City- two words train horn. Not sure if it's still there. Don't wanna go back to find out. Coeburn-GC 2011 was enough for me.

 

That was 2010 not 2011. It's still funny that Coeburn fans got tore all to hell when GC rang bells, blew the train horns, and hit the Knights in the mouth. I remember them saying that we deleberatly knocked their QB out on the GC sideline (ain't that the point of football?) and continued to kick/stomp him after Seaver Elliott lit up his world (legally). Coeburn was wayyy over their head in that playoff game. 

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As a player and fan. 

1) Riggs - It spoke for itself. 

2) Ralph Cummings - I remember having to duck to navigate through the old locker room underneath the home bleachers, man that sucked. Also that stupid hill behind the visitors sideline gave you little room to move up and down the field. 

3) Lebanon - Is this not the weirdest set up footballs stadiums you ever seen? I remember as a child the away side was on one side, then as a player the away side was flipped. 

4) Erine Hicks - I remember playing on the big jump in the middle of the field. It was funny standing on the away side and only being able to see the Richlands players/coaches from the waist up on the other side. But it became a nicer place to play once they turfed it and used GC blue instead of Richlands blue lettering. But I still hate it as a fan cause you can't see! 

5) Like someone else stated, the Cumberland district excluding Coeburn/Eastside, I haven't been there since 2006, but it was a decent place then. 

Wildcard) Buckingham County: By far the worst of the worst I've ever been to as a fan. Worst facilities, worst fans, worst coaches, worst sportsmanship, worst everything. I hope Gate City NEVER has to go back. 

Edited by Leatherhead Larry
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7 hours ago, Leatherhead Larry said:

That was 2010 not 2011. It's still funny that Coeburn fans got tore all to hell when GC rang bells, blew the train horns, and hit the Knights in the mouth. I remember them saying that we deleberatly knocked their QB out on the GC sideline (ain't that the point of football?) and continued to kick/stomp him after Seaver Elliott lit up his world (legally). Coeburn was wayyy over their head in that playoff game. 

Over their head? Not necessarily. If that how you classify a good/decent team against that team well I say that is not a fair assessment. The 2010 GC team were men. We were not. If you'd like a modern day showing watch the week 10 matchup of Alabama-Mercer. And yes newberry was "lit up". 

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