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Post by DiMarz on Jan 15, 2022 11:07:24 GMT -5
WORCESTER, Mass. — Holy Cross Athletics has amended its spectator attendance policy at all athletic events. The tiered return guidelines listed below will be effective beginning on Friday, Jan. 14, until further notice.
Spectator attendance at events will be limited to team complimentary pass lists and season ticket holders for men's and women's basketball and men's ice hockey. Attendance at women's ice hockey games will be limited to a team pass list.
No additional tickets to games will be sold and complimentary tickets for Holy Cross students, faculty and staff will not be made available at this time.
Existing single-game ticket holders will receive a refund for tickets already purchased. Refunds will be automatically processed by the Holy Cross Ticket Office on a game-by-game basis.
In the interest of player safety, courtside seating will not be available at basketball contests. Those with pre-purchased courtside seats may choose any open seat in the venue.
Proof of vaccination and a booster shot must be shown upon entry to the venue. The vaccine card must show two dates for Moderna, Pfizer or AstraZeneca and one date for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, in addition to one dose of a booster.
Proof of vaccination may come from showing a vaccine card, a photo of the card or a digital vaccine record such as VaxYes.
Negative COVID-19 tests will not be sufficient for entry.
Children 5 years and under are not permitted to attend at this time.
Holy Cross is now requiring all visitors to wear surgical masks (or better). Standard surgical masks are appropriate; N95, KN95 and KF94 masks are encouraged, but not required. Cloth masks may not be worn unless accompanied by a surgical mask.
Concessions will not be available until further notice, and outside food is not permitted in the venue. One water bottle per spectator is allowed, and masks may be lowered only while actively drinking.
Operations staff reserves the right to ask guests to move to a different area of the venue in order to ensure appropriate physical distancing between groups at all times.
Guests who are unable to adhere to mask or vaccine requirements, or who are showing any symptoms consistent with COVID-19, are asked to remain at home.
Season ticket holders who would like to request a refund for a single game should contact the Holy Cross Ticket Office by email at tickets@holycross.edu.
For those unable to attend who would still like to follow Holy Cross Athletics events, all men's and women's basketball contests will be broadcasted on ESPN+, men's ice hockey games will be streamed on FloHockey, and women's ice hockey games are available on College Sports Live.
The fan policy will continue to be evaluated, and updates will be posted on goholycross.com.
Statement from Director of Athletics Kit Hughes:
With the support and guidance of College and medical advisors, we are grateful for the opportunity for spectators to return to our venues on a tiered basis. We are confident that the necessary guidelines are in place to safely return to limited capacity, and are excited to welcome season ticket holders and families back to support our Crusaders as they compete on the court and ice. We appreciate our community's patience and understanding as we continue to navigate these challenging times, and will communicate additional updates as they are available.
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Jan 15, 2022 12:26:29 GMT -5
Its absolutely ridiculous that HC students and faculty can't attend these games.
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Post by longsuffering on Jan 15, 2022 16:00:44 GMT -5
Perhaps five attended today's women's game. Probably the season ticket holder and four family members. Not clear if "team" means visiting team family members are shut out in this new policy. A shame if a visiting player is from NE and the family has circled the game on the calendar for months.
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Post by timholycross on Jan 15, 2022 20:29:29 GMT -5
Aren't family members of the players on the "complimentary pass lists"?
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Post by longsuffering on Jan 16, 2022 13:00:59 GMT -5
Aren't family members of the players on the "complimentary pass lists"? But does "Team complimentary pass list" include the visiting team or just the home team? Do visiting college players get to add names to a team complimentary pass list or do their friends and families have to purchase single game tickets for away games?
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Post by Tom on Jan 16, 2022 14:52:20 GMT -5
Aren't family members of the players on the "complimentary pass lists"? But does "Team complimentary pass list" include the visiting team or just the home team? Do visiting college players get to add names to a team complimentary pass list or do their friends and families have to purchase single game tickets for away games? Visiting teams are allowed a guest list just like the home team
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Post by longsuffering on Jan 16, 2022 14:54:25 GMT -5
But does "Team complimentary pass list" include the visiting team or just the home team? Do visiting college players get to add names to a team complimentary pass list or do their friends and families have to purchase single game tickets for away games? Visiting teams are allowed a guest list just like the home team So that probably means visiting team family members could attend but few if any braved the weather and Omicron to do so. Makes sense.
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Post by gerry on Jan 16, 2022 21:06:49 GMT -5
I am in my mid 40's. Been going to Holy Cross sports since the mid 80's with my dad. Saw the incredible Duffner era football, but too young for the Ronnie Perry hoop era. My dad passed nearly a decade ago, but my love for Holy Cross sports continued afterward. I went to the Regis and Siena games this year with my son, and generally attend 6-7 games a year. I will not attend any further games. I don't like the losing, but still enjoy rooting the team on, and would never let that deter us from attending. I am done with the Holy Cross hoop and hockey "experience." The fact that a school that has been so incompetent on the hardwood and ice would alienate some of the final handful of fans with this ridiculous "policy" for "public health" is enough to burn my bridge forever. I have found a new local team to spend my money on 30 minutes up the road in Lowell. Little better team, friendly Gameday staff, and an institution "smart" enough to understand that this is not the plague, vaccines, masks, and other measures are here, and the virus is getting weaker, despite the ridiculous panic induced by the media and "experts" like the elderly Holy Cross alum who has been consistently wrong. Life needs to move on. Definitely gonna miss going to the Hart Center, but there are many other college teams around to support, and I will do just that. I hope to go to Fitton this fall, but if these cockamamie policies continue in the fall, we will gladly become fans of URI, Bryant, or Merrimack going forward
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Post by newfieguy74 on Jan 16, 2022 21:54:13 GMT -5
I am in my mid 40's. Been going to Holy Cross sports since the mid 80's with my dad. Saw the incredible Duffner era football, but too young for the Ronnie Perry hoop era. My dad passed nearly a decade ago, but my love for Holy Cross sports continued afterward. I went to the Regis and Siena games this year with my son, and generally attend 6-7 games a year. I will not attend any further games. I don't like the losing, but still enjoy rooting the team on, and would never let that deter us from attending. I am done with the Holy Cross hoop and hockey "experience." The fact that a school that has been so incompetent on the hardwood and ice would alienate some of the final handful of fans with this ridiculous "policy" for "public health" is enough to burn my bridge forever. I have found a new local team to spend my money on 30 minutes up the road in Lowell. Little better team, friendly Gameday staff, and an institution "smart" enough to understand that this is not the plague, vaccines, masks, and other measures are here, and the virus is getting weaker, despite the ridiculous panic induced by the media and "experts" like the elderly Holy Cross alum who has been consistently wrong. Life needs to move on. Definitely gonna miss going to the Hart Center, but there are many other college teams around to support, and I will do just that. I hope to go to Fitton this fall, but if these cockamamie policies continue in the fall, we will gladly become fans of URI, Bryant, or Merrimack going forward The ICU's in Worcester hospitals are full, and while 70% of the COVID patients there are unvaccinated that means 30% are not. It's promising that the Omicron variant seems to be waning but vaccinated people continue to get very sick, although typically they don't die. It's nice that you've been loyal to HC sports for years, but as your education and expertise evidently put you in a better position than Dr. Fauci and other experts to assess the pandemic perhaps you're right that it's best for you to enjoy college sports at other campuses.
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Post by gerry on Jan 17, 2022 2:02:15 GMT -5
ICU capacity is always high in January. This was true in 2018. I will gladly move my business to other schools that understand that COVID is here forever, and that we need to learn to live with it. 19,000 people jammed to capacity at the Garden for Celtics games every other night, but Holy Cross is saving the world by banning 400 fans from attending a Friday night barnburner against Lafayette. Well, when fans are allowed back, that total will be further decreased, maybe to a level that makes it unfeasible to continue at the D1 level, but they can thump their chests with pride by virtue signaling to the world. And Fauci should, at minimum, resign for lying under oath to Congress... I am in my mid 40's. Been going to Holy Cross sports since the mid 80's with my dad. Saw the incredible Duffner era football, but too young for the Ronnie Perry hoop era. My dad passed nearly a decade ago, but my love for Holy Cross sports continued afterward. I went to the Regis and Siena games this year with my son, and generally attend 6-7 games a year. I will not attend any further games. I don't like the losing, but still enjoy rooting the team on, and would never let that deter us from attending. I am done with the Holy Cross hoop and hockey "experience." The fact that a school that has been so incompetent on the hardwood and ice would alienate some of the final handful of fans with this ridiculous "policy" for "public health" is enough to burn my bridge forever. I have found a new local team to spend my money on 30 minutes up the road in Lowell. Little better team, friendly Gameday staff, and an institution "smart" enough to understand that this is not the plague, vaccines, masks, and other measures are here, and the virus is getting weaker, despite the ridiculous panic induced by the media and "experts" like the elderly Holy Cross alum who has been consistently wrong. Life needs to move on. Definitely gonna miss going to the Hart Center, but there are many other college teams around to support, and I will do just that. I hope to go to Fitton this fall, but if these cockamamie policies continue in the fall, we will gladly become fans of URI, Bryant, or Merrimack going forward The ICU's in Worcester hospitals are full, and while 70% of the COVID patients there are unvaccinated that means 30% are not. It's promising that the Omicron variant seems to be waning but vaccinated people continue to get very sick, although typically they don't die. It's nice that you've been loyal to HC sports for years, but as your education and expertise evidently put you in a better position than Dr. Fauci and other experts to assess the pandemic perhaps you're right that it's best for you to enjoy college sports at other campuses.
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Post by sader1970 on Jan 17, 2022 7:02:11 GMT -5
I happen to be a fan of the Crusaders not the Celtics, so I wouldn’t be going into an arena with 19,000 people in any case
While it saddens me that Holy Cross will be losing a long-time fan, it’s also sad for the reason you are giving up on the team.
And while I often disagree with many decisions made by TPTB at Holy Cross, I agree with what was decided on here and also recognize that the situation needs to evolve as circumstances warrant.
You say ICUs have more people in January. That’s perhaps true but if you think there aren’t a lot more people there now due to Covid, then there’s no arguing with you on any rational basis.
Good luck rooting for other teams as you apparently can’t make a distinction between the Holy Cross players and the Holy Cross administration.
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Post by newfieguy74 on Jan 17, 2022 8:41:33 GMT -5
The ICU's are full of Covid patients, which wasn't the case in 2018. Sports boards at URI and Bryant, I imagine, are eagerly awaiting Gerry's nastiness and ignorance. Don't let the Luth door hit you on the way out.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Jan 17, 2022 8:53:34 GMT -5
Let's not jettison Gerry just yet. Let's give hima chance to rethink about how much he has enjoyed rooting for the Crusaders in the past as he contemplates a post-pandemic return to normalcy at the Hart
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Jan 17, 2022 9:17:07 GMT -5
Aren't family members of the players on the "complimentary pass lists"? But does "Team complimentary pass list" include the visiting team or just the home team? Do visiting college players get to add names to a team complimentary pass list or do their friends and families have to purchase single game tickets for away games? Ask our friends at Bucknell
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Post by gerry on Jan 17, 2022 9:24:53 GMT -5
"Nastiness"? If sharing an opinion is "nastiness" then you need to grow thicker skin....As for the ICU crisis, why has Governor Baker not setup field hospitals at the DCU Center and Boston Convention Center as he did in 2020? Not only has he not set those up, he isn't even considering it. The staff shortages are the primary reason for the limited bed capacity. Regardless, we are already past the Omicron peak in Massachusetts, and the hospital numbers should be on the downward trend by the end of the month. The ICU's are full of Covid patients, which wasn't the case in 2018. Sports boards at URI and Bryant, I imagine, are eagerly awaiting Gerry's nastiness and ignorance. Don't let the Luth door hit you on the way out.
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Post by longsuffering on Jan 17, 2022 9:36:59 GMT -5
Thanks for supporting the Crusaders all these years Gerry. Through three generations! Don't be too hard on the HC policymakers. Like I said in a previous post, the virus has made a monkey's uncle out of everyone who has tried to control it in one way or another. Thanks again.
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Post by gerry on Jan 17, 2022 9:58:29 GMT -5
Thank you. I appreciate your respect and understanding. Just frustrated that another season will come and go with virtually no games to go to, despite advances and further understanding of the virus, and the far less powerful (though more contagious) variant. You burn pretty much two seasons without fans, and you quickly become even more forgotten and irrelevant. Holy Cross does not exactly have a young fanbase other than the students who go to games, and we are reaching a serious point as to what lies ahead in the future of Holy Cross athletics if attendance and interest continue to wane even further. There are ways that games could be held with fans. Set a ticket limit of 500 and spread people out on all four sides and both levels of the Hart. Require masks and vaccines as they already do. If BU, who required players to play last season with masks, can allow fans in their small upstairs gym, then there is no reason Holy Cross can't. I will still follow Holy Cross, but I am a sports fan in general, and if they choose to make it much more difficult to follow the teams, there are plenty of other places in the area to go, especially for non alums like myself. Thanks for supporting the Crusaders all these years Gerry. Through three generations! Don't be too hard on the HC policymakers. Like I said in a previous post, the virus has made a monkey's uncle out of everyone who has tried to control it in one way or another. Thanks again.
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Jan 17, 2022 10:39:03 GMT -5
I am in my mid 40's. Been going to Holy Cross sports since the mid 80's with my dad. Saw the incredible Duffner era football, but too young for the Ronnie Perry hoop era. My dad passed nearly a decade ago, but my love for Holy Cross sports continued afterward. I went to the Regis and Siena games this year with my son, and generally attend 6-7 games a year. I will not attend any further games. I don't like the losing, but still enjoy rooting the team on, and would never let that deter us from attending. I am done with the Holy Cross hoop and hockey "experience." The fact that a school that has been so incompetent on the hardwood and ice would alienate some of the final handful of fans with this ridiculous "policy" for "public health" is enough to burn my bridge forever. I have found a new local team to spend my money on 30 minutes up the road in Lowell. Little better team, friendly Gameday staff, and an institution "smart" enough to understand that this is not the plague, vaccines, masks, and other measures are here, and the virus is getting weaker, despite the ridiculous panic induced by the media and "experts" like the elderly Holy Cross alum who has been consistently wrong. Life needs to move on. Definitely gonna miss going to the Hart Center, but there are many other college teams around to support, and I will do just that. I hope to go to Fitton this fall, but if these cockamamie policies continue in the fall, we will gladly become fans of URI, Bryant, or Merrimack going forward It's definitely an unfortunate decision made by TPTB at Holy Cross and the frustration is very understandable. I too was irate that I couldn't bring my daughter up to Hart for the Lafayette game two Fridays ago, as I hadn't been to Hart since at least January 2019. I think the rationale behind the decision is the admin trying to split the baby in half and make as many people as possible happy, but more so those closest to the program. In the eyes of the "pro-lockdown no matter the science" crowd, the school has "done something" to slow the spread. At the same time, the school has ensured that they don't upset the student athletes and their families and loved ones, by allowing them to continue to utilize their will call allotment. Plus, you eliminate the issue of having to refund season ticket holders by exempting them. Remember, COVID policies for the most part stopped being about "science" a long time ago. It's mostly about virtue signaling and "showing the public that you're taking action", even if its possible that "back to normal" might be the best solution for everyone, both health and business wise, in many cases. Case in point: the Hart Center, given the past few seasons' attendance trends, might be the safest indoor environment in Worcester County when it comes to social distancing. Chances are the few hundred fans that would've gone but now can't are spending their time elsewhere, which is likely to be a more densely populated indoor environment than the Hart Center. Unless of course, the next option on the activities menu was night skiing or a game of manhunt. Not allowing masked, vaxxed, boosted and tested students into the games is absolutely bananas. In today's environment where everyone has an opinion about COVID policy, it's impossible to please everyone. Those in charge of making decisions are stuck between a rock and a hard place. So take that into consideration before outright leaping off the bandwagon. I know this from my dealings with bars and restaurants via my career in the beverage industry. In NYC, when the indoor dining vaccine mandate went into place in September, everyone got caught in the middle, and this is after a year and half of barely staying alive, being short-handed and having to cope with ever-changing regulations. I had some neighborhood bar owners tell me that they had no choice but to not enforce the mandates, or do so selectively, (and run risk of major fines) because they'd lose the majority of their customers. Others had a different type of clientele, who would threaten to take their business elsewhere if the owner didn't start enforcing the mandates EARLY, on their own, before the mandates were set to begin.
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Jan 18, 2022 9:23:28 GMT -5
I am in my mid 40's. Been going to Holy Cross sports since the mid 80's with my dad. Saw the incredible Duffner era football, but too young for the Ronnie Perry hoop era. My dad passed nearly a decade ago, but my love for Holy Cross sports continued afterward. I went to the Regis and Siena games this year with my son, and generally attend 6-7 games a year. I will not attend any further games. I don't like the losing, but still enjoy rooting the team on, and would never let that deter us from attending. I am done with the Holy Cross hoop and hockey "experience." The fact that a school that has been so incompetent on the hardwood and ice would alienate some of the final handful of fans with this ridiculous "policy" for "public health" is enough to burn my bridge forever. I have found a new local team to spend my money on 30 minutes up the road in Lowell. Little better team, friendly Gameday staff, and an institution "smart" enough to understand that this is not the plague, vaccines, masks, and other measures are here, and the virus is getting weaker, despite the ridiculous panic induced by the media and "experts" like the elderly Holy Cross alum who has been consistently wrong. Life needs to move on. Definitely gonna miss going to the Hart Center, but there are many other college teams around to support, and I will do just that. I hope to go to Fitton this fall, but if these cockamamie policies continue in the fall, we will gladly become fans of URI, Bryant, or Merrimack going forward Gerry, we'd hate to lose you. Hopefully this is more of a "see you later once you guys figure it out," rather than "goodbye." I've often said the most dangerous thing for HC athletics -- in this case, basketball -- is apathy. We are getting to the point where people just don't care. And the ones that do care? We are turning them away. I'd like to think Kit Hughes can fix this problem, but he tripped up on his first chance with this ridiculous attendance policy.
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Post by trimster on Jan 18, 2022 9:32:07 GMT -5
You are assuming Kit made the call.
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Jan 18, 2022 9:46:02 GMT -5
You are assuming Kit made the call. Good point. Something like this could have come above him.
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Post by joe on Jan 18, 2022 9:52:18 GMT -5
In the meantime AAU is alive and well in MA, in most places with at least a “mask optional” mandate, in some mask mandatory. People are pouring in and out of facilities all weekend long, breathing, yelling, sweating etc. haven’t heard of any problems. They’re packing them in at Duke and other schools. Maybe they just want to shut off this train wreck of a season from public view in general. I can understand that, and can understand people who come to that conclusion considering the coach does not communicate with the fans. The whole management is baffling to me. There are few remaining fans of HC hoops; for all practical purposes there are none under 70-75. HC will need to basically create an entirely new program and identify or get lucky and hire the right guy like they did in football. They might have bungled even that chip shot if the guy wasn’t right under their noses.
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Jan 18, 2022 10:00:17 GMT -5
Maybe, I'm confused. Is Gerry a season ticket holder? His problem seems to be that single game ticket holders are excluded. I have a solution. As a true fan of HC b-ball. Buy a season pass. I gather he has no problem adhering to the science. As a season pass holder simply follow the protocols. Vaccination. Negative covid test. Masks & distancing as is appropriate. Buy a season pass & welcome back to the Hart. And, there is always next year, hopefully. We all want more of our Wustah base at HC games. Many would appreciate your continued support. Yeah, that's not the protocol though. So long as one is vaccinated and boosted, he or she can attend a game even if they are COVID positive. Conversely, an unvaccinated person who does not have COVID cannot attend. Great policy.
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Post by WCHC Sports on Jan 18, 2022 10:19:59 GMT -5
I am in my mid 40's. Been going to Holy Cross sports since the mid 80's with my dad. Saw the incredible Duffner era football, but too young for the Ronnie Perry hoop era. My dad passed nearly a decade ago, but my love for Holy Cross sports continued afterward. I went to the Regis and Siena games this year with my son, and generally attend 6-7 games a year. I will not attend any further games. I don't like the losing, but still enjoy rooting the team on, and would never let that deter us from attending. I am done with the Holy Cross hoop and hockey "experience." The fact that a school that has been so incompetent on the hardwood and ice would alienate some of the final handful of fans with this ridiculous "policy" for "public health" is enough to burn my bridge forever. I have found a new local team to spend my money on 30 minutes up the road in Lowell. Little better team, friendly Gameday staff, and an institution "smart" enough to understand that this is not the plague, vaccines, masks, and other measures are here, and the virus is getting weaker, despite the ridiculous panic induced by the media and "experts" like the elderly Holy Cross alum who has been consistently wrong. Life needs to move on. Definitely gonna miss going to the Hart Center, but there are many other college teams around to support, and I will do just that. I hope to go to Fitton this fall, but if these cockamamie policies continue in the fall, we will gladly become fans of URI, Bryant, or Merrimack going forward Unless of course, the next option on the activities menu was night skiing or a game of manhunt. Your moniker may have said it for a long time, but you're now officially a New Yorker to me.
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Post by WCHC Sports on Jan 18, 2022 10:24:50 GMT -5
It's not stated, but they're not looking. They're making the assumption via their policy that a vaccinated person will make them COVID IMMUNE BULLETPROOF 5000 (that's a new CDC definition). Reality is showing that isn't the case. The vaccine has stopped, seemingly, zero people from actually contracting COVID.
So the policy has made it more about the shot, and less about actual safety. If you cannot walk into the place with proof that you do not have COVID, then it's not about COVID, is it?
If you have a piece of paper that says, "I probably am not carrying a gun, but there's no guarantee, and I can still likely shoot other people, but maybe they won't be too seriously wounded, but it's possible they could!" then HC is going to let you in even if you're strapped with gats as we say in the 'hood. Meanwhile, people who are willing to walk through the metal detectors and take their shoes off are being told to stay outside for safety. ::Deep breath:: ......... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
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