With the new school year comes the anticipation of the energy of college sports – the UA kind, to be exact.
Two versions of the Zona Zoo Sports Pass are being offered this year to students.
The “”Red”” membership, priced at $95, allows students to attend every regular-season UA home event during the school year and reserve seats in McKale Center for all men’s basketball games, excluding games during winter break.
Last year, Zona Zoo had a difficult time filling the 2,300-seat McKale student section. Students had to pay an extra $10 for each men’s basketball game on top of the pass’s $60 price tag, making the total package the most expensive in the Pacific 10 Conference at $202.
This year “”everybody will have tickets to the game. It’s just a matter of reserving the seat,”” former Zona Zoo spirit director Michael Huston said in May. “”I think that people will, knowing that they have a seat, they will be more inclined to use (the pass) rather than picking and choosing games.””
Even with the price increase, Arwah Ahmad, a nutritional science senior, feels it’s worth the gain and plans to buy her pass the first weeks of school.
“”The games are easier to get into (with the pass) and people like to go hang out with their friends and have a good time,”” she said.
Attempts to reach new Zona Zoo spirit director David Roost for comment were unsuccessful.
For those not interested in men’s basketball games, the “”Blue”” pass, priced at $60, grants access to all other home events.
Both passes include access to football games in the student section, located on the east side of the stadium. Tickets to the annual Territorial Cup rivalry game against ASU in Tempe on Dec. 1 can be purchased for an extra $10.
The football team set a record for total ticket sales during its home schedule last season, as the Arizona Stadium student section filled beyond capacity for some games.
The Zona Screw is distributed throughout the football and men’s basketball student sections to produce more hype. The periodical, created independently by passionate fans in hopes to unify students, informs Wildcats of the opponent’s statistics, along with little known, inflammatory trivia, which often makes for great heckling.
Leah Majalca, a journalism sophomore, used to sit in the general seating areas of Arizona Stadium before attending college. Even though she’s not a huge sports fan, she said she looks forward to the football season because of the people she meets in the stands.
“”I now get to experience the fun,”” said Majalca, who bought her pass during student orientation last year. “”Of course it’s worth the price.””
The “”Red”” and “”Blue”” passes can be purchased at the McKale Center Ticket Office, by phone at 621-CATS or online at www.arizonaathletics.com. Each pass includes a Zona Zoo t-shirt.
