Ours Are Bigger Than Yours

When I first moved here four years ago I was told that in addition to our officially-sanctioned slogan, "The Biggest Little City In The World", Reno is also unofficially known as "The City With The Biggest Balls" because of buildings like the Silver Legacy Hotel

and the National Bowling Stadium.

Well yesterday the City of Reno officially opened up the redesigned and remodeled Rink on the River after a two-year absence. I managed to snap this picture of a pint-sized skater warming up for the opening ceremony as I was walking home from work:

The ice rink is right in the heart of downtown in a public park on the Truckee River. It's great to have the rink back, but what's really nice is to see that the redesign of the plaza that hold the rink includes these interesting two-foot high, solid stone architectural features:

Like we needed more big balls. But you gotta love thematic consistency.

Seriously though, the rink is really nice and if you're in the area you should stop by and try it. Also--and I'm sorry to be a booster here but this is embarrassing--if you live in Northern Nevada or the Tahoe area please show up at the University of Nevada Wolfpack football game against Fresno State on Saturday. Attendance problems at Wolf Pack home games are a long-running joke, but now things are getting serious. Although they haven't beaten any big-name opponents this year (except perhaps for the rivalry game against a bad UNLV team) the University of Nevada Wolf Pack could go 8-3 with a win on Saturday, possibly earn a share of the WAC title and might be going to a bowl game. And yet local businesses and even Mayor Bob Cashell have been reduced to giving away free tickets and Pack players have been on local TV and radio begging people to come on Saturday, all because UNR is not going to make the Division I requirement of an average of 15,000 attendance per game for the season unless about 18,000 people show up for the game. If they don't hit that attendance mark, Nevada might be in danger of dropping to Division II.

I know it's Thanksgiving weekend and a lot of students will be home. Yes, it will be cold out, and yes, the game will be on ESPN2 so you could watch it from the comfort of your house. But it would be a total embarrassment for not only UNR but for Northern Nevada as a whole if the Wolf Pack were to drop out of Division I because we couldn't average a measly 15,000 people per game. Big college basketball programs average higher than that! Honestly, getting 18,000 out to see a pretty good Nevada Wolf Pack team play a nationally ranked opponent for a chance at a bowl berth shouldn't be this difficult. Not for the City With The Biggest Balls.