Details on Meet The Sooners Day, Aug. 6

[Jay C. Upchurch]

NORMAN – The University of Oklahoma announced today that its annual Meet the Sooners Day autograph session will be held Aug. 6, at the practice fields near Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The event is moving from the rugby fields, which was the site in recent years.

Because the event falls on a Saturday this year, a factor that was influenced by summer school dates, Meet the Sooners Day will be restricted to children ages 14 and younger. Each child may be accompanied by a maximum of one adult, but adults will not be permitted to submit items for autographs.
Each child may bring a maximum of one item to be signed.

“Our desire with Meet the Sooners Day is to accommodate as many fans as possible,” said Kenny Mossman, senior associate athletics director for communications, “We’ve discussed this event at length and examined it from every angle. The bottom line is that our fan support is so great, we realistically cannot accommodate everyone when this event is held on a Saturday. The crowd numbers were very large on weekday mornings and we know that without some modification, those numbers would grow beyond what we can reasonably manage on the weekend. For that reason, we’ve decided to focus on the children.”

As has been the case for several years, members of the OG&E Sooners Kids Club will have priority as the lines are formed. At 7 a.m., Gate 7 of the stadium will open with two lines forming, one for the Kids Club members and the other for general patrons.

At 9:45 a.m., Kids Club members will proceed to the football practice fields that are adjacent to the Switzer Center. The Kids Club autograph session will begin at 10 a.m., while general patrons will be admitted to the practice fields at 10:30 a.m. The session will conclude at noon.

Memberships for the OG&E Sooner Kids Club are available until July 29 when they will be suspended until after the autograph session. Applications are available online at SoonerSports.com or by calling the Athletics Department Marketing Office at 405-325-6353.

Free parking will be available in campus lots, including the Asp Parking Facility on the west side of the stadium. Concessions and restrooms will be available along with cool zones and games.

OU SID Report

[SoonerofAlabama]

Because the event falls on a Saturday this year, a factor that was influenced by summer school dates, Meet the Sooners Day will be restricted to children ages 14 and younger. Each child may be accompanied by a maximum of one adult, but adults will not be permitted to submit items for autographs.

Darn, so close... :D ;)

[texaspokieokie]

but, you're in bammy.

[SoonerofAlabama]

So close, yet so far away.

[BOOMERBRADLEY]

Sorry you old creepy guys who wanted those teenagers' autographs so bad

[nighttrain12]

Sorry you old creepy guys who wanted those teenagers' autographs so bad

It doesn't matter how old they are, they are celebrities. I wouldn't be spending all that money on tickets and gear if I didn't care about them.

[BOOMERBRADLEY]

I for one am really glad OU has has enough of the autograph hounds who sell them on eBay. This should be about kids meeting their heroes and not some 50 year old men in jerseys running to the lines.

Ridiculous

[BoomerJ]

I'm gonna send me in some midgets to get LJ's autograph.

[btb916]

I for one am really glad OU has has enough of the autograph hounds who sell them on eBay. This should be about kids meeting their heroes and not some 50 year old men in jerseys running to the lines.

Ridiculous

Like some random dude chastising others for something fairly innocent on an internet message board.

Ridiculous

[BOOMERBRADLEY]

Like some random dude chastising others for something fairly innocent on an internet message board.

Ridiculous

It might be innocent but it's still really weird to do it. Watch them and cheer like there's no tomorrow. What drives me crazy is the older guys who shove little kids out of the way and hog the lines and make the kids wait out in the heat longer than they should.

[MamaMia]

My husband predicted this would happen. We purchase Sooner Kids Club memberships for underprivileged boys each year, kids we put through football camps. We take them to this event as well. I've seen older guys, mostly in their 30's taking cuts in front of children for years.

Last year, I missed going, but my husband said the older guys behavior was the worst he had ever seen, and we've seen some really bad behavior. I'm glad they kept the grownups out of it entirely this year, and I'm not at all surprised.

[btb916]

It might be innocent but it's still really weird to do it. Watch them and cheer like there's no tomorrow. What drives me crazy is the older guys who shove little kids out of the way and hog the lines and make the kids wait out in the heat longer than they should.

Well, I've never gone to one of these things and I probably never would. I'm not a signature hound myself. It's fairly meaningless to me. I'm glad the focus this year is on the kids if that's how grown men act.

[recruiter]

It might be innocent but it's still really weird to do it. Watch them and cheer like there's no tomorrow. What drives me crazy is the older guys who shove little kids out of the way and hog the lines and make the kids wait out in the heat longer than they should.

What's really weird, and annoying, is people who worry about what other people do. Especially when their posts indicate that they've been there themselves.

Ridiculous.

But that's just me - a businessman who never ceases to be amazed at how hard the OU Athletic Department works to disenfranchise its customers.

Not that it matters, but schools like Texas, Michigan, Notre Damge, Florida, et al. manage to get up to 25K people through these Bataan death marches in 2 hours.

So it can be done, although no adult in their right mind would put themselves and their kid through it. OU chooses not to do it. Kind of a symbolic upraised middle finger to the fanbase, to go along with the ones you get from the Sooner Club, the ticket office, et al.

[BOOMERBRADLEY]

What's really weird, and annoying, is people who worry about what other people do. Especially when their posts indicate that they've been there themselves.

Ridiculous.

But that's just me - a businessman who never ceases to be amazed at how hard the OU Athletic Department works to disenfranchise its customers.

Not that it matters, but schools like Texas, Michigan, Notre Damge, Florida, et al. manage to get up to 25K people through these Bataan death marches in 2 hours.

So it can be done, although no adult in their right mind would put themselves and their kid through it. OU chooses not to do it. Kind of a symbolic upraised middle finger to the fanbase, to go along with the ones you get from the Sooner Club, the ticket office, et al.

Oh god....Quit your bitching

Yes, I went a few years ago and took my niece and two nephews. It was a disaster. But obviously you know so much about me...continue on

[badger]

But that's just me - a businessman who never ceases to be amazed at how hard the OU Athletic Department works to disenfranchise its customers.

Seriously? DISENFRANCHISE?

The dictionary says that word means "to deprive of a franchise, of a legal right, or of some privilege or immunity; especially : to deprive of the right to vote"

In a sentence:

They disenfranchised poor people by making property ownership a requirement for registering to vote.

I don't think that word belongs in a sentence about and event with free autographs from amateur athletes.


Ohhhh man. wtf. disenfranchise. wow.

[recruiter]

Clearly, reading comprehension isn't your strong point, but don't let the words get in the way of your venom toward the occasional adult who might want an autograph. Perhaps you can't see past your two large buck teeth, Badger.

The point is a general one, and it's fact: The OU Athletic Department is, cumulatively, WAY too big for its britches, and one of the most marketing illiterate organizations I've ever seen. One of the worst in college athletics.

Doesn't have anything to do with autographs. You read like James Hale writes.

Personally, I don't spend my time worrying about what other people do with theirs, but that's just me.

[SoonerofAlabama]

badgerpwned - baad-gur-pwned, V; To be owned by the great one known as badger. Knowing the fact that you have been dissed and informed at the same time.

In A Sentence:

Character 1: Dude, I just got badgerpwned.

Character 2: Hey it happens to everyone sometime. At least you learned something.

Character 1:

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/5940/imagescarexvw4.jpg

[badger]

You read like James Hale writes.

OUI refugee alert. :rolleyes:

Let's put aside autographs, my pointy rodent teeth and OUI for a moment and zero in on what you called "the point"


The point is a general one, and it's fact: The OU Athletic Department is, cumulatively, WAY too big for its britches, and one of the most marketing illiterate organizations I've ever seen. One of the worst in college athletics.

I am somewhat intrigued by this assessment of one of the few money making athletic departments in the country that subsidizes athletics. For what reasons, other than the autograph thingie, are you trashing the OU ath dept?

[texaspokieokie]

Well, I've never gone to one of these things and I probably never would. I'm not a signature hound myself. It's fairly meaningless to me. I'm glad the focus this year is on the kids if that's how grown men act.

my sentiments exactly !!!

[BlackwellSooner]

Not that it matters, but schools like Texas, Michigan, Notre Damge, Florida, et al. manage to get up to 25K people through these Bataan death marches in 2 hours.

And you know this HOW? Have you been to any of these "Bataan death marches"?

And with your attitude toward the OU Athletic administration, you DO know that you have a choice, right? Which is to say, take your money, your time, your sponsorship of all things OU, and take a hike.

There now, wasn't that simple?

[BlackwellSooner]

On the topic of adults shoving kids out of the way so that they can obtain an autograph (and subsequently, I guess, sell it on eBay): I am very glad that the OU Athletic Department is doing that this year. Makes perfect sense to me, unlike others, I suppose.

[Hot Rod]

MTS day moved to within the stadium due to the heat.

[badger]

Did anyone here go? Sounds like it went a lot smoother this year with it being focused on kids:

Link (http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/article.aspx?subjectid=440&articleid=20110806_440_0_NORMAN378024)

[Hot Rod]

Did anyone here go? Sounds like it went a lot smoother this year with it being focused on kids:

Link (http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/article.aspx?subjectid=440&articleid=20110806_440_0_NORMAN378024)

It really seemed to be that way. We started in line for Stoops with about 30 people in front of us. After him, we went to the LB line, and then after that, walked over to the Offensive Side, and while walking by Stoops line, there was nobody there. :O

Visited the TEs, OL (my kids talked to Winchester and Broyles while in this line), then over to the Assistant Coaches (and they talked to the RBs while in this line as well). The longest line was, of course, the QB, and there was only Landry and Drew there. It only took us about 45 minutes to meet all of these people and then we were done.

With only the kids getting items signed, it made the lines go by fast. Of course, my oldest son, who is 10, will recap stats and favorite plays made by the players and even told Stoops he's glad he got that timeout on the fake punt against Neb in the Big 12 Title game, to which Stoops said "yeah, I got lucky on that one." Kids had a blast.

[badger]

Sounds like the players and coaches enjoyed it more too.

I know the adults probably want their own event still, but that's kind of what Sooner Caravans are for. So, glad the kids got their own thing too now.