(UPDATED) Quick-Post: Mike Bohn's media roundtable

 BREAKING NEWS ALERT!!!!!

You keep ringing that bell, Texas Tech dude, and let the whole world know that there's breaking CU news.

You like-a da awesome?  I get you more awesome...

Mike Bohn gathered up the CU media at Blake Street Tavern this afternoon to direct download teh awesome about the future of the athletic department.  Throughout the media roundtable he hit upon juicy topics like: the eagerly anticipated Folsom expansion, other facility upgrades, further sport expansion, and future travel plans for the C-Unit.

Since I was not invited (with good reason... too much drool), allow me to link to the pertinent tweets from the assembled media horde.  (Big shout-out to BuffStampede.com's Sean Niehoff, who was the most effusive with his tweeting this afternoon.  BuffScoop.com's Will Whelan also deserves direct mention.)

Folsom Expansion: First and foremost, Folsom will be seeing a "transformational" facilities upgrade in the near future.  Rumors and speculation surrounding possible Folsom upgrades had been rampant since photos of an expanded Folsom model leaked on National Signing Day.  Furthered by the fact that big-time CU athletics booster George Solich was soon to come into a few extra billion in cash, many in Buff Nation believed related upgrade announcements were just over the horizon.  It seems that we'll only have to wait until September to see these dreams become a reality.

Boom.

The important news is that this is the first public acknowledgement of the upgrade possibilities from the athletic department.  Considering that, I have no problem with waiting a few more months for all the details to be hashed out.  What's more, an announcement in September could be unleashed in such a way that it overshadows the Rocky Mountain Showdown, making the CSU upgrade saga seem childish by comparison.  The University of Colorado: where serious people make serious shit happen.

(UPDATE) In the follow-up BDC article, Bohn is quoted as saying, “It's not a dream, it's not a vision, it's a project we're working hard on. It's our No. 1 priority.”  Further clarification on the facility: "[...] the project will include a permanent indoor practice facility that would be used primarily by the football team, but would also benefit many of the other 16 athletics programs in the department."


Further facility upgrades: The sorely needed video board upgrades will be installed after the Bolder Boulder.  Additional major facility upgrades could include the CEC, where expansion of team specific facilities are being eyed.  This, along with the addition of a basketball specific strength and conditioning coach, proves we're serious about maintaining the gains made in hoops.  Finally, the practice bubble will be getting some new turf put in around July.


Sport expansion redux:  Let me tell you, this will never go away.  Sooner or later, the athletic department is either going to cave, or throw a fit. *cough*I-want-a-baseball-team*cough*  For his part, Bohn hoped to assuage the conversation by hinting that it's off the table without further donations.

So you're saying there's a chance...  Not for nothing, but PowerBall is up above $100 million this week; should I win that, we'll have a baseball program by Sunday morning.


The C-Unit will be let loose on the Strip: The final piece of awesome is the announcement that the C-Unit study abroad series, which featured stops in Los Angeles and Albuquerque last month, will continue in 2012-13.  That means the University will be sending kids on a trip to Vegas!

Now before the Helen Lovejoy's of the world start screaming about the children, I imagine the trip will be as heavily structured as this past year's were, and that the students won't be allowed anywhere near a gambling floor.  Still, the prospect of an all expenses paid trip to the City of Sin should have plenty of students showing up for every game this year.


Go Buffs!