Drew Thorngren: Athletics and Campus Recreation Director candidate interview
How will you go about maintaining the traditions the HURD has previously established?
The HURD is known nationwide and a huge part of my platform is becoming the number one student section in the nation. And with that, we were Mountain West champions last year, and we’re well on our way this year with a lot of momentum. And so as we continue to help promote our games, we will be able to have those traditions not only with football, but we’ll be able to with volleyball because volleyball just got Mountain West champs. And we’ll be able to have those traditions with women’s soccer. And we’ll be able to have that with women’s basketball. But traditions also with club sports, because that’s a huge part of my platform is making sure we’re promoting club sports and campus rec as well.
Student attendance at sporting events is good compared to other universities in the conference and state but could be better. What will you do to improve student attendance at events such as football, WBB, MBB and WVB?
I love tailgating. I love bringing people together. A huge part of my platform is being able to have more tailgates, tailgates for all sports. And with those tailgates, also doing more giveaways, whether it’s at halftime or pregame. We’re able to have raffles and raffle off auction items, that’s going to be huge, because as we’re able to do that we’re able to get more students involved. But also having more game-day swag. A huge part of my initiatives for next year that I would love to achieve is for all different, not only athletics but also with club sports, being able to have more swag. Where students can come pick up, let’s say shirts, right. We got 500 shirts, we’re able to hand out. And on the back of those shirts, it has all the home games. And so as people are wearing those around campus, they’re also able to promote all our home games, so people are more aware of when our home games are and increase in attendance.
How can athletics market better to students so they know when events are happening?
I feel like we as a HURD need to continue to promote all sports. And so sharing your social media graphic on Instagram, having more collaboration with other organizations, so they’re more involved in what’s going on. But having more themed games. I look back at videos for years and years with basketball with volleyball, with football and when we have a whiteout game, when we have a blackout game, the Spectrum Magic, those are all great promoting games. And let’s say we don’t have a theme night like that, being able to have first 150 People get pizza, or just doing little things like that will continue to increase attendance. So having theme nights, but when maybe it’s not the biggest theme night, we still have other things that we’re giving to students. Because we’re all very busy and we want to make sure that we’re able to make the most out of our time here on campus and supporting athletics. And so as we continue to give more swag, have more food, themed nights, we will be able to increase attendance.
How can you best be a mediator between campus recreations and the students?
Campus rec, I feel like, doesn’t get nearly as much credit as they deserve. And right now, on the HURD there’s not a campus rec director. There are four directors, but we do not even have a campus rec director. And so part of my platform is creating a club sports and campus rec director that specifically works with the club sports teams, as well as campus rec so we can help more with intramurals. What’s going on with club sports? When are their home games? What can we do to help best promote them? Because the ARC and campus rec, there’s so much stuff going on. And I feel like sometimes we don’t focus in on that enough. And so with my platform, I want to make sure that we are promoting more with campus rec, working closer with them and being able to help promote everything that’s going on with campus recreation.
Name your three favorite USU basketball players of all time and three favorite USU football players of all time.
Three favorite USU basketball players of all time are (Neemias) Queta, 100%, dude’s balling out this season. And then Sam Merrill, can’t forget him. And then Justin Bean, he’s forever a goat here at Utah State.
Bobby Wagner, Robert Turbin and Jordan Love.
-Jacob.Ellis@usu.edu