North Carolina State University Athletics
Spring Is Super For Wolfpackers
6/5/2000 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
By Reedy McGee
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The Wolfpack Club decided on a new format for this year's spring tour. Instead of scattering the NC State coaches at a variety of smaller meetings, 10 "Super" meetings were held, one in each Wolfpack Club district. The site of the meetings were selected so that every member in the state would have to travel no longer than an hour to be able to attend. Meetings were held in Rocky Mount, Kinston, Raleigh, Wilmington, Charlotte, Clemmons, Asheville, Greensboro, Williamston and Fayetteville, while the caravan also stopped for a lunch meeting in Hickory.
The average attendance at the meetings was 300 strong. With the theme of "2000 in 2000," Wolfpack Club members were encouraged to bring non-members to the events. The Wolfpack Club member who brought the most non-members to each meeting was rewarded with a football autographed by Super Bowl Champion and former Pack star Torry Holt. The goal of 2000 new members in the year 2000 is getting closer to becoming a reality, as 900 new members have already come on board this year.
The Wolfpack Club had one of its most successful fundraising years ever in 1999, due in part to the new arena and the implementation of the Endowment program. Pride in this accomplishment and excitement about the future gave the meetings a festive atmosphere.
Men's basketball coach Herb Sendek, football coach Chuck Amato and women's basketball coach Kay Yow were the headliners at each meeting, while other Wolfpack coaches joined the group throughout the spring. The coaches, Wolfpack Club staff and other members of the NC State athletic staff traveled across the state in style in motorcoaches owned by members of the Wolfpack family.
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Before the beginning of each meeting, the coaches were available to the local media for interviews. This one-on-one time with the media led to coverage in newspapers across the state that may not cover the Pack on a daily basis. The coaches also made numerous live appearances during the 6:00 p.m. news broadcasts. The new kid in town, Coach Amato, was the most sought-after interview request, missing several meals as he did one live shot after another.
The media stayed for the festivities at several of the meetings, while a reporter from the Raleigh News & Observer even went on the road to one meeting. Representatives from Wolfpack Radio network affiliates were also in attendance, while network sponsors also attended the meetings in every district.
The meetings got under way with a social beginning at 6:30 in each location. The Wolfpack faithful, most wearing red and white from head to toe, consumed a variety of food across the state, ranging from sushi and caviar in Kinston, shrimp and oysters in Williamston, and pasta and nachos in Clemmons. The program began at 7:15 with an action-packed highlight video, showing clips from all of the Wolfpack's varsity sports.
After an introduction from Wolfpack Club Director Bobby Purcell, Gary Hahn or Tony Haynes, the voices of the Wolfpack radio network, took over as master of ceremonies. Kay Yow was the first coach to speak at most of the stops. Coach Yow's excitement was contagious as she reminisced about her 25 years at NC State and looked forward to the future for the entire program. She arrived at the meeting in Kinston just in the nick of time, after flying back from the WNBA draft in New York where Summer Erb was taken as the 11th pick in the first round. Yow expressed pride over the fact that NC State ranks third in the country (behind Stanford and Tennessee) in the number of players represented in the WNBA.
Sendek's time at the podium usually focussed on the theme of teamwork, as he told various stories to illustrate his ideas. He also told the crowd about growing up the son of a coach, and how his dad had instilled in him a great love of the game.
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Amato kept the crowds rolling with jokes and stories about his first few months at NC State, frequently adding that one major equipment need for his unusually young team for the upcoming season would be pampers. He expressed his admiration of Yow and Sendek, especially of the fact that Coach Yow is just 11 wins shy of 600 for her career. "I'm 600 wins shy of 11!" he added.
The three coaches each dished out and received their share of good-natured ribbing from each other during the trips. On the final stop in Fayetteville, the rest of the group decided to initiate the new guy by "stealing" Amato's material. Purcell and Gary Hahn each told one of his jokes, Coach Yow told another story, and Sendek took another. True to form, however, Amato still had plenty of material left to entertain during his time at the podium.
Following the coaches' talks, the floor was opened up for questions. These sessions proved very beneficial, as the audience not only got to ask questions about the individual teams and players, but also expressed concerns about parking, radio coverage and other issues. Many of the questions centered around the new facilities and what was in store for the future. After seeing the vision of the Entertainment and Sports Arena turned into a reality that has already proven beneficial to the men's basketball program, enthusiasm was high regarding the projected facilities at Carter-Finley Stadium and many questions focussed on that topic.
When the meetings wrapped up, usually around 9:00, smiles were wide and enthusiasm was high as the caravan began its trek back to Raleigh. And for those who missed out on the fun, the same "Super" format is planned for next year.
