Published: Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Cup holders return at arena
Fans' complaints convince Comcast staff to reinstall the devices, which had been removed because of theft and damage.
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Mark Mulligan / The Herald
You can stop worrying about dropping your beer on your feet while watching the Everett Silvertips, because cup holders are being re-installed in the club seats at Comcast Arena.
EVERETT -- The fans of the Everett Silvertips have spoken, and their voices have been heard.
They're getting their cup holders back.
Silvertips fans launched a wave of objections after they discovered the cup holders had been removed from a majority of the seats at Comcast Arena. The response prompted the building's management to start putting the holders back in.
"We've decided to put them back based on all the feedback we've gotten from the fans," Kim Bedier, general manager of Comcast Arena, said Monday. "We've gotten a few calls and we want to make sure the fans are happy."
The 8,149-seat arena, which has been home to the Silvertips since the hockey team began play in 2003, originally contained cup holders for all spectators. For most of the arena those holders were plastic contraptions that slid between the seat backs, giving patrons in the row behind places to set their drinks.
However, various issues cropped up with the cup holders, which are removable. That led to the decision to take them out during the offseason.
"It was mostly because they were continuing to break or fall off," Bedier explained. "We felt they were becoming more of a hazard than a help. And for some reason some people would take them home and we'd find them being sold on eBay."
So when Silvertips fans arrived for the home opener Sept. 24, most found they no longer had a place to put their drinks. Rows 1-8 in the lower level retained cup holders because, since the seats are retractable, the holders are built into the seats. But everyone else, including everyone in the upper level, had to do without.
The fans responded with something of an uproar, inundating both Comcast Arena and the Silvertips with phone calls and emails complaining about the loss of the cup holders.
The removal of the cup holders resulted in larger messes as the number of spills increased. It may even have changed the level of crowd noise at games. Comcast has a reputation of being one of the loudest arenas in the Western Hockey League. But some fans said the removal of the cup holders affected their ability to cheer for the team.
"As a season ticket holder for several years, (the drink holders) never seemed to be a problem before," Silvertips fan Cathy Nairn said in an email to The Herald. "Several folks in the row in front of us had their drinks kicked over by people going in and out. It's also pretty hard to cheer for our guys when holding a beverage."
But that should not be an issue much longer. The building began reinstalling the cup holders Monday, returning them for the club seats in sections 108, 118, 205 and 206.
Bedier said she did not know how many seats would get their cup holders back or by when. She did say the current solution of reinstalling the same cup holders is temporary as management is exploring the possibilities for a more-permanent fix.
"We're working with the seating provider to find a solution," Bedier said. "We'll install what we have, then hope we can have a permanent update by the end of the year."
Check out Nick Patterson's Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at NickHPatterson.
They're getting their cup holders back.
Silvertips fans launched a wave of objections after they discovered the cup holders had been removed from a majority of the seats at Comcast Arena. The response prompted the building's management to start putting the holders back in.
"We've decided to put them back based on all the feedback we've gotten from the fans," Kim Bedier, general manager of Comcast Arena, said Monday. "We've gotten a few calls and we want to make sure the fans are happy."
The 8,149-seat arena, which has been home to the Silvertips since the hockey team began play in 2003, originally contained cup holders for all spectators. For most of the arena those holders were plastic contraptions that slid between the seat backs, giving patrons in the row behind places to set their drinks.
However, various issues cropped up with the cup holders, which are removable. That led to the decision to take them out during the offseason.
"It was mostly because they were continuing to break or fall off," Bedier explained. "We felt they were becoming more of a hazard than a help. And for some reason some people would take them home and we'd find them being sold on eBay."
So when Silvertips fans arrived for the home opener Sept. 24, most found they no longer had a place to put their drinks. Rows 1-8 in the lower level retained cup holders because, since the seats are retractable, the holders are built into the seats. But everyone else, including everyone in the upper level, had to do without.
The fans responded with something of an uproar, inundating both Comcast Arena and the Silvertips with phone calls and emails complaining about the loss of the cup holders.
The removal of the cup holders resulted in larger messes as the number of spills increased. It may even have changed the level of crowd noise at games. Comcast has a reputation of being one of the loudest arenas in the Western Hockey League. But some fans said the removal of the cup holders affected their ability to cheer for the team.
"As a season ticket holder for several years, (the drink holders) never seemed to be a problem before," Silvertips fan Cathy Nairn said in an email to The Herald. "Several folks in the row in front of us had their drinks kicked over by people going in and out. It's also pretty hard to cheer for our guys when holding a beverage."
But that should not be an issue much longer. The building began reinstalling the cup holders Monday, returning them for the club seats in sections 108, 118, 205 and 206.
Bedier said she did not know how many seats would get their cup holders back or by when. She did say the current solution of reinstalling the same cup holders is temporary as management is exploring the possibilities for a more-permanent fix.
"We're working with the seating provider to find a solution," Bedier said. "We'll install what we have, then hope we can have a permanent update by the end of the year."
Check out Nick Patterson's Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at NickHPatterson.
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