SFA Summer Events

4,786 Views | 41 Replies | Last: 2 yr ago by TallTexan
PurpleOut
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They're being spread around social media a lot, but just in case you haven't seen them, here is a list of both Athletic and Alumni events this summer.

There is a HUGE push for a SFA Road Show, that is being put on by both the university and alumni association. There is a long list of events here, which include both Rangers and Astros games as normal, Top Golf, and several others. Dr. Gordon will be in attendance for all of these, as basically a traveling tour to talk and display our university.

And then the Purple Lights Funds will also be traveling:



I'll be in attendance at all Dallas area events. Please let me know if you have any questions or if I can help.
BigJack85
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I'll be at the Houston event ..
TallTexan
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Am I wrong in thinking there are also a set of alumni/President events this summer?
PurpleOut
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TallTexan said:

Am I wrong in thinking there are also a set of alumni/President events this summer?
The link in my second paragraph goes to all of the Alumni based events. These are under the "SFA Road Show" where Dr. Gordon will be traveling as well to speak at different locations. There are also different departments (Development, Admissions, etc) that will be in attendance. The Rucshce College of Business for example will also be at the Top Golf events

These will also all be in conjunction with the Summer send-off parties, possibly doing some at the same time/locations.



TallTexan
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Gotcha missed the link.

Gonna see about making both of the Tyler ones if I can.
PurpleOut
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TallTexan
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Do we have to RSVP for either of these events?
PurpleOut
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TallTexan said:

Do we have to RSVP for either of these events?
Yes you should register for all events through the Alumni site. It helps them have a better headcount expectation.

Probably only required for the for the baseball games, you'll want to get a ticket in advance. I'm sure someone can walk up to a Top Golf or other event without registering.
TallTexan
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Awesome got signed up for the Tyler Summer Social.

What about the PLF Summer tour?
PurpleOut
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TallTexan said:

Awesome got signed up for the Tyler Summer Social.

What about the PLF Summer tour?
No I don't think there's any registration available for those. Which start tonight!
PurpleOut
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I guess I didn't look close enough, but these PLF Events start at 4:00? Why would you start those so early on a weekday?
TallTexan
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PurpleOut said:

I guess I didn't look close enough, but these PLF Events start at 4:00? Why would you start those so early on a weekday?



I wasn't sure either.

Maybe figuring some will leave work early for a happy hour style?
PurpleOut
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Yeah I don't know, not sure if I'll make it now. Downtown Dallas during rush hour? Gross.
TallTexan
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PurpleOut said:

Yeah I don't know, not sure if I'll make it now. Downtown Dallas during rush hour? Gross.


I'm definitely going to be an hour late to the Tyler one, but I figure 2 hours will be plenty.

But then again I work maybe 2 miles from the location, so I can be there by 515 easy once I get off work.
sfajack05
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Attended the one in Longview.

I think the one in 2019 had a better turnout but it was still decent as far as the number of people attending. There were a few parents there of current athletes. Carthel in his speech said it was the first time to meet them.

Spoke with a few coaches but nothing really groundbreaking. Did get to talk to JaMarkus McFarland and SFA got a good one in him. A lot of passion for the players and what Carthel is doing with the team/program as far as culture. I hope he sticks around for a long time but wouldn't be suprised if he moves on in a few years (He's a Lufkin guy so maybe he'll want to stay close to home). They are really wanting to recruit the East Texas area which I'm sure we already knew. Sounds like there are a lot of good receivers in the next few classes so hopefully SFA can land a few of them.

Carthel talked about the new turf being put in. Apparently the previous administration never fixed an issue with a crown in the field and drainage issues when they installed the previous turf which caused parts of the turf to runoff when it rained and other damage.

Overall it was a good event. Got to meet a few other Jacks that I didn't already know. Definitely made me excited for the upcoming year. Did my PLF donation for the year as well.
TallTexan
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I'd highly recommend catching the Dallas or Houston event if you can.

We had a blast tonight and you won't regret a chance to meet all the coaches.

Carthel is a hoot.
PurpleOut
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Dallas PLF event was not well attended unfortunately. I love these events, but I had to take off work early AND drive 45 minutes to get there. I just don't think there are enough people that are willing to do that.

I think it works a lot better for the smaller towns. Going forward I think they should consider doing Tyler/Longview plus other East Texas towns on the weekdays, and possibly larger events on the weekends for cities. Or at least consider multiple stops in the larger cities, in different areas. I would put money that the Houston event will be better attended tomorrow because it's not quite as central as tonight was.

And, Coach Carthel and McFarland were the only coaches that came tonight (along with Ryan and Tyler). I enjoyed it nonetheless, but otherwise it was disappointing.
Pilotgirl
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Anyone going to the Houston one tomorrow?
SFAJack_76
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Tyler seemed to be the sweet spot for coaches. Keller, Smith, Kellogg, Dickson, Humphreys, Cardenas, Minatta Carthel, and McFarland. Ryan, Brandi, and Tyler from the AD office. There were, at least, four members of the Alumni Association board. Beyond that, it was not well attended. About mid way through, Ryan told me they were thinking about doing a bit of a program, but it would mostly be the coaches talking to each other. We had a great time, and wish more had attended. Not sure which coaches are going to Houston. I think Carthel is committed to all of them. Cardenas tweeted about going.

They did three, I think, of these two years ago. Last year, of course, was a washout due to Covid. Ryan said that Longview was lighter attended this year than it was two years ago. I expect they are learning, and will get better. I believe they can bring real value.

BigJack85
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Pilotgirl said:

Anyone going to the Houston one tomorrow?


I'll be there.
SFASawmillGuy
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Pilotgirl said:

Anyone going to the Houston one tomorrow?


I was gonna go and post to the Sawmill Twitter, but unfortunately due to work I won't be able to.
Pilotgirl
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SFA_03 said:

Pilotgirl said:

Anyone going to the Houston one tomorrow?


I was gonna go and post to the Sawmill Twitter, but unfortunately due to work I won't be able to.


Bummer. I was planning on going but something came up as well. I would go tomorrow in Dickinson but already have plans for a ticketed event.

I really think more people would attend these events on the weekend. Weeknights are difficult for lots of folks.
SFA Jack Fanatic
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I went to the Purple Lights get together in Dickinson today. There were about 15 fans and 9 SFA people there, including Ryan Ivey. People were still coming in when I left at about 6:00 p.m.

Coach Carthel sat down with me and we talked one-on-one for a solid half hour. It was great that he cared enough to do that. He brought me up to speed on just about everything going on in the FB program.

A few things he mentioned: 1) The OL that we just got from Okie State is not yet eligible. They are working on getting him a waiver to make him eligible to play this Fall. The receiver we got from North Texas is fast! 2) SFA will finally have some speed at the outside receiver position. That is something we have lacked the last two years. We already have speed in the inside receiver corps. 3) There are about 120 guys on the team right now, including non-scholarship players. Of that number, 115 are on campus and working out this summer. He was very proud of that. The only ones that are not there are non-scholarship guys that needed to get summer jobs to earn some money. 4) Carthel said he has a huge spreadsheet that he uses to keep up with the 65 scholarships that have to be sliced and diced amongst the players. He said there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes to keep up with scholarships that most people are not aware of. 5) He said that Jacksonville State will be a tough game. The Jacks will have to be bused to that game, and he's not looking forward to that long trip. 6) He said that moving to the WAC will only increase travel expenses by about 10%. 7) He explained the use of "curtains" behind the team at home games during timeouts. He said it was to keep opposing coaches in the pressbox from reading SFA's signs and to see who the SFA coaches are talking to and sending into games after timeouts. 8) He said that Prison Tech had been the home team for 10 straight years at Reliant Stadium (larger and better locker rooms), and he told the game organizers that he would not continue to play the game in Houston unless that changed. It has been changed and we will be the home team this year. 9) He said that the new transfer portal rule would eventually cause FCS like SFA to lose players to FBS schools. He said the best way to defend against that is to treat the players as family and make them want to stay. 10) I asked if there is a chance that the FB team could get improvements to the fieldhouse if the Jacks have a good season this year. He was non-committal about that. He said that will require major donations from alumni. 11) He said that the support he has gotten from Ivey and President Gordon has been amazing.

One final note: Tall Texan, he mentioned you ("That guy Governor Peyton" on Twitter) at some point in the conversation. (The conversation was obviously going downhill at warp speed at that point.) Your reputation (good or bad?) precedes you.

After this talk with Coach Cartel, I AM PUMPED for the season ahead!
SFA Jack Fanatic
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At the PLF social in Dickinson yesterday it was mentioned that the new turf at Homer Bryce will be ready in time for the football season but the track will not be ready until at least October due to delays in getting materials from China,
TallTexan
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SFA Jack Fanatic said:

One final note: Tall Texan, he mentioned you ("That guy Governor Peyton" on Twitter) at some point in the conversation. (The conversation was obviously going downhill at warp speed at that point.) Your reputation (good or bad?) precedes you.
This is the best! I guess I'm gonna have to start behaving myself on twitter.


I will say, I do wish the events were better attended, but I got to talk with a good number of our head coaches for a length of time. Pretty incredible experience.
SFAXE93
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Good stuff.

Another thing that will be tough about that Jacksonville State game will be that it is the game after prison tech where the Jacks will lay it all out on the line and could be emotionally and physically drained.
SFASawmillGuy
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Honestly could be a trap game too. The Jacks will be very confident after winning that game. Might get complacent.
TallTexan
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TallTexan
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Anyone go to Top golf Houston event yesterday?
BigJack85
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TallTexan said:

Anyone go to Top golf Houston event yesterday?


I had planned to. Had a change of plans. I probably make 90% of local (Houston) SFA events, so I didn't feel bad. It looked like the support was good based on Facebook pics.
SFAJack_76
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SFAJack_76
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Great crowd at the Astros game. SFA sections were packed. Much better than two years ago.

Visited with Dr. Gordon for a few minutes. Enrollment is a concern. Mostly returning students, with many not wanting to return to campus after being virtual. Really don't know the impact until the start of the fall semester. Freshman class is okay. Busy man on the road, with the Board meeting in between trips starting this afternoon. Noticed there are two naming opportunities on the agenda. Alton Frailey was at the game. I had missed that his Board term had ended. He played a meaningful role in getting Ivey and Gordon to SFA.
TallTexan
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SFAJack_76 said:

Great crowd at the Astros game. SFA sections were packed. Much better than two years ago.

Visited with Dr. Gordon for a few minutes. Enrollment is a concern. Mostly returning students, with many not wanting to return to campus after being virtual. Really don't know the impact until the start of the fall semester. Freshman class is okay. Busy man on the road, with the Board meeting in between trips starting this afternoon. Noticed there are two naming opportunities on the agenda. Alton Frailey was at the game. I had missed that his Board term had ended. He played a meaningful role in getting Ivey and Gordon to SFA.


Dang didn't realize Alton's slot was up. I'll have to go read the regents bios to see who is on now. He was a great voice for SFA.
BigJack85
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SFAJack_76 said:

Great crowd at the Astros game. SFA sections were packed. Much better than two years ago.

Visited with Dr. Gordon for a few minutes. Enrollment is a concern. Mostly returning students, with many not wanting to return to campus after being virtual. Really don't know the impact until the start of the fall semester. Freshman class is okay. Busy man on the road, with the Board meeting in between trips starting this afternoon. Noticed there are two naming opportunities on the agenda. Alton Frailey was at the game. I had missed that his Board term had ended. He played a meaningful role in getting Ivey and Gordon to SFA.


I read the entire enrollment part of the BOR report. Sounds like we will be lucky to stay north of 12,000 Probably closer to 11,500. My 2 cents. We should be much stronger in online education. I know it's not what SFA thinks it is (culturally) but we have a good enough academic reputation to support higher online. enrollment The days of us being a purely residential , under 25 yo undergraduate driven institution are coming to a close.
SFASawmillGuy
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Man, living on campus in Nac was some of the best times of my life, it's hard to imagine so many people foregoing that.
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