INTRODUCING THE WILDCAT WAY
As we begin a new year, we’re excited to introduce you to a new program we’ve created called The Wildcat Way. We’ve been diligently working on it since last spring, brainstorming and collaborating with student-athletes, coaches and staff to get it just right. The easiest way to describe The Wildcat Way is simply to say: it’s who we are and what we do. It’s about personal leadership; every day; every decision. It’s a reference point and standard to which we hold ourselves accountable.
Arizona Athletics is committed to the total success of our student-athletes, academically, athletically and personally, and believe in doing things the right way and to the best of our abilities. The Wildcat Way has 5 pillars (Engaged/Versatile/Respectful/Innovative/Committed) and applies to all aspects of life. It is how we approach every day and every task we undertake. As part of our creed states, ‘We will contribute more, accomplish more, be more.’ We are adopting this philosophy as a department and with the expectation that we all live The Wildcat Way.
Student-athletes who were here this summer were introduced to The Wildcat Way in our new Summer Series to Success and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Although there were many examples from which to choose, here are a few responses from student-athletes when asked what The Wildcat Way meant to them:
- Be a leader on and off the field and understand that the things you do in life affect the people around you.
- I now have not only made a commitment to be a student-athlete but I will be doing it the right way: The Wildcat Way.
- Living the Wildcat Way means to be a role model on the field, in the classroom, and in public. It means I am an Arizona Wildcat. I can be whatever I want to be in life, and I will make my coaches, family, friends, and community proud!
Ultimately, this is a program for the entire Wildcat family: student-athletes, alumni, and staff. Click HERE to read our creed and to learn more about The Wildcat Way. You can also follow us on Twitter @UAWildcatWay. Look for upcoming media, programming and other activities we have in store for this year! You can also click on the picture below of our student-athletes in their Wildcat Way t-shirts with The Wildcat Way motto, ‘I AM. I CAN. I WILL.’ displayed on the back to watch our special Wildcat Way video.
The Wildcat Way - Bear Down for Life!
STUDENT-ATHLETE WELCOME BACK BBQ
With all of our student-athletes back on campus, we held our annual Welcome Back BBQ on Monday. We believe this is one of, if not, the most important meetings we’ll have all year. It’s a chance for everyone involved in Arizona Athletics to convene, exchange pleasantries and be reminded of some important messages as it relates to personal conduct and how we want to represent the University of Arizona.
Along with recognizing the teams, coaches and staff and the introduction of The Wildcat Way, we went in depth on a myriad of topics including sexual assault and misconduct, academic integrity, the importance of going to class, the value of a scholarship, drug-testing policies, the role of our sport psychologist, responsible use of social media and a number of other items we feel are important for our student-athletes to be aware of.
We expect our student-athletes to be leaders and that involves making good, conscientious decisions. We also expect them to StepUp! and ensure the well-being of themselves and those around them. By addressing these elements at the beginning of the year, we hope to set a positive, educational tone to the academic year and promote positive behavior so we can represent the University of Arizona in a first-class manner.
One item of note I thought you might be interested in was a video we showed the student-athletes on consent, in this case, as it relates to sexual encounters. Because the topic remains an important issue on college campuses around the country, we continue to look for ways to drive these important points home and we thought this video was very effective. It seemed to have the attention of the student-athletes. Click HERE and give it a watch.
RED/BLUE GAME EARLY PURCHASE TICKET OFFER
Do you want to see the first football home game and the first men’s basketball event? Tickets for the McDonald’s Red/Blue Basketball Game go on sale Saturday, Sept. 5 at 10 a.m., but we’re giving fans special access to purchase a designated number of tickets in advance of Sept. 5. Fans who purchase tickets to the football opener vs. UTSA at full price will have access to buy tickets to the McDonald’s Red/Blue game (while tickets remain). Access will allow fans to buy one basketball ticket for every UTSA football game ticket purchased. This is a limited offer and is available now. This offer will end when the tickets allocated for this special offer are sold out, or on Sept. 4, whichever occurs first. A limited number of tickets will be withheld from this promotion and will be put on sale on Sept. 5. Click HERE to purchase online tonight. Click on the UTSA FB and Men’s BK Red & Blue Game Combo button. There you will be prompted to buy your UTSA football tickets first. Select your seat location and quantity and press the Add to Cart button. You’ll then be able to select Red/Blue seats to purchase. This is a one-to-one offer. You can only purchase the same amount of Red/Blue tickets as your UTSA football ticket order. You can also call (520) 621-CATS (2287) or visit the McKale Ticket Office during our regular business hours, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Last year, the basketball game sold out in 18 minutes, so this is a great opportunity to score tickets before the Sept. 5 on sale.
If you are a football season ticket holder or already purchased UTSA football tickets, you have the option of purchasing McDonald’s Red/Blue Game tickets in advance too. Log-in to MY ACCOUNT to order a maximum of four tickets per account holder. (Sorry, complimentary tickets do not qualify for this offer.) Under Manage My Account, select Buy Tickets. Then click on the UTSA FB and Men’s BK Red & Blue Game Combo button and follow the same steps above.
IT PAYS TO BE A FOOTBALL SEASON TICKET HOLDER
Last year, we awarded several great prizes to members of the ZonaZoo in the fourth quarter for staying the whole game. I was asked why season ticket holders don’t receive a similar reward. I thought that was a good idea! So, this year, we will be doing both. If you’re a football season ticket holder, you’ll have a chance to win several great prizes throughout the season. Next week, we’ll announce our prizes. After each home game, winners will be randomly chosen from our scanned tickets data, so you need to “Be There” to have a chance to win. We will announce the previous home-game winner in the following week’s Wildcat Wednesday.
We realize every once in a while there are technical challenges when you’re tickets are being scanned at the entrance gate. No problem. If you feel like your ticket didn’t scan, head over to one of our new customer experience booths. One is located on the north concourse and the other on the street-level southwest concourse in the Gates 12-15 area. Our staff will have a scanner at each kiosk to double check and make sure you will be included in the drawing. We’ll share information on another attendance incentive next week.
The bottom line is we want to give our season ticket holders more value for their support and attendance. Thank you for being a season ticket holder, and if you’re not, there is still time to become one. Click HERE to buy football season tickets online tonight!
MORE MOBILE OPTIONS
Last week, we introduced our new Arizona Text 4 Tix program, which allows you to purchase tickets with just a text message reply. In addition to Arizona Text 4 Tix, there are several mobile initiatives designed to enhance your experience as a Wildcat fan:
- You can buy and have tickets delivered to your mobile phone. Mobile tickets are scannable from the phone and do not require a printed copy.
- We have an improved UA Gameday App.
- We have continued the Experience seat upgrade program.
- And this year, for fans sitting on the west side and in the south end zone, we will have an in-seat concession service. More information, including a map of areas included in the service, will be available next week.
We have launched a new webpage (arizonawildcats.com/mobilefb) to provide information on these programs. Check it out before you come out to Arizona Stadium.
CAT CRUISER BACK FOR OUR PHOENIX FANS
The Cat Cruiser is back for our fans from the Phoenix area. Last year, we saw record numbers for ridership thanks to a new price and the addition of another route. We’re keeping everything the same, including the low $20 per rider price. If you are coming down from Phoenix, take advantage of the Cat Cruiser and let us take care of the driving and parking. Click HERE for more information on the Cat Cruiser program or to reserve your spot.
WILDCAT CLUB AND A-CLUB TAILGATE
Available exclusively for members, the Wildcat Club and A-Club tailgate party takes place on the Eddie Lynch Pavilion and is a great place to enjoy food and drinks with other Wildcat fans before our home football games! Depending on your annual gift club level, individuals can reserve two complimentary tickets per game (Directors level and above) or may purchase discounted tickets.
We encourage you to make your reservations for the season by Tuesday, Sept. 1 to ensure you receive your tickets. Additional reservations can be made on a game-by-game basis no later than the Tuesday before the intended game (based on availability).
To order your tailgate tickets online and to view more details, visitwww.wildcatclub.org/tailgate.
A-CLUB LETTERWINNER SPOTLIGHT: CLAIR ‘BODIYA’ TREANOR, SOCCER ‘08
Claire, a 2008 alum and former soccer player, and her husband, Christopher, are personal trainers who decided to open their own gym after experiencing the vigor’s and fulfillment of a crossfit workout. Their gym, CrossFit Blade, is located at 1611 W Whispering Wind Drive in Phoenix.
“My experience as a student-athlete prepared me to run a successful business and also allows me to relate to the goals my clients are trying to accomplish,” Claire said.
Claire believes the services provided by Arizona Athletics were instrumental in her professional and personal development and encourages every student-athlete to take advantage of them as well. While she faced a lot of adversity playing soccer at the University of Arizona, Claire believes her experiences made her tougher and gave her the opportunity to develop strong relationships with her teammates and coaching staff.
If you are interested in joining a crossfit gym, CrossFit Blade is a great place to start. Visit their website at http://crossfitblade.com/.
TWITTER GIVEAWAY
Congrats to @zonafidewildcat for being selected as this week’s winner of the #ByrneTwitterGiveaway. A member of the athletics department staff will DM you with more information on how to secure your prize so make sure you’re following @AZAthletics.
Here is this week’s Twitter giveaway message:
It's time for @ArizonaVBall to #BearDown as they start their season at SMU on Friday. @Greg_Byrne #ByrneTwitterGiveaway
Each week, we’ll provide a phrase accompanied by the twitter handle @GregByrne and the hashtag #ByrneTwitterGiveaway for Wildcat Wednesday subscribers to tweet. We’ll select the winner(s) at random and announce in the following edition of Wildcat Wednesday. We hope you’ll have some fun with this and participate each week. As long as we’re seeing a lot of participation, we’ll keep the giveaways going throughout the year.
COMPLIANCE CORNER
With the beginning of the school year starting and fall sports beginning to host many events on our campus, the University of Arizona becomes more visible because we invite a large number of prospective student-athletes to campus for official and unofficial visits. As much as we appreciate our enthusiastic and passionate fan base, it is important to remind everyone of some NCAA rules when it comes to interacting with prospects. It is still against the rules to contact recruits or their families about Arizona Athletics. In today’s world of social media, we must reinforce that all forms of recruiting communication (including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and any others) with any of our potential recruits is impermissible. We sincerely thank you for your cooperation.
ARIZONA NUGGETS
Soccer’s Gabi Stoian was awarded Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors after posting three goals and an assist in helping Arizona to a 2-0 start … Volleyball’s Penina Snuka was named preseason All-Pac-12 after leading the conference in double-doubles last season … UA alum and postgrad Marcus Titus from Swimming & Diving capped off the Deaf Swimming World Championships with a deaf world record in the 50 freestyle (23.3 seconds).
WEAR THE COLORS – SHARE THE PHOTOS
Thank you for wearing the colors and sharing your Arizona pride! If your photo submission did not make this week’s edition of the Wildcat Wednesday, please check our “Wildcat Wednesday” album at facebook.com/ArizonaAthletics.
NOTE: Please submit photos for Wildcat Wednesday with an original email touofaad@arizona.edu using the subject line ‘Wildcat Wednesday photo.’ Also, please ensure all submissions are clear and properly lit. We also ask that you identify everyone in the photo so we can highlight them accordingly.
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