Firesides: Likely Going Away.

[hawkwing]

The program survived without firesides, I think it will be a loss to lose them, but in the end BYU will be just fine.

I really hope they keep the Thursday's Hero program though.

[Cougarfan87]

I really enjoyed the firesides. It is a shame if they go away, but I can understand that Coach Sitake will want to do things his own way and shouldn't feel bound to do the same things that Bronco did...even if they were good things. He has to prioritize how he wants to run the program since ultimately he will be responsible for the results. When you get a new boss, things change. Some good, some bad. No different here. I just hope for equal or better results.

[ABYUFAN]

Having never attended a fireside, I guess that if I get too upset that they're going away would be a bit hypocritical. That said, I think that Coach Sitake would be making huge mistake to take them away without replacing them with something. And If he does away with Thursday's hero, he would be the biggest dunderhead in the history of the planet.

[mormonrasta]

I've been to a couple firesides. I really liked them, and will miss them.

But Sitake has to be Sitake not Bronco.

[Brayden Green]

Everyone doesn't do things the same way. I'll trust him with the leeway to do what he feels is most important.

Edit note: It let me up vote my own post to counteract the down vote someone gave me.

Someone downvoted that? Ha.

[Brayden Green]

I think that winning football games will do a LOT more for BYU recruiting than firesides ever could. I would't mind a rally so that the pre game interactions still happen.

Testimonials would still be cool during the rallies. I never hated the firesides, but let's be honest... BYU wasn't great at preparing for games in the first place under Bronco and Anae. I think that this is a boat that needs rocking, personally. BYU's needs better game prep. I trust that Sitake - a Whittingham and Anderson protege - has a better idea of what that takes than Bronco.

[HoosierCougar]

I lived in Nebraska for a long time... my good friend is the Stake Prez who hosted the fireside. I asked him for his honest assessment. And he's not a huge sports fan. Just not his nature. I can promise you he'll not be posting on a fan page.
He said "the fireside was amazing". Packed into the stake center with all the overflow filled. And broadcast to multiple other stake centers in the region.

Said the talks were "pretty good" which meant they weren't profound, rather aimed at not requiring too much work.
His fave part was the Q&A and "the closing prayer by a non member player" (see, he didn't know who Blackmon is!).

I talked to several other friends. And I'll tell you that even among members in NE, there's a bit of an anti-BYU sentiment. Mostly driven by the "zoobie" stereotypes, but also by the perception that NU is a better school than BYU (debatable by program IMHO). So there are a lot of kids who grow up there and become huge Husker fans, despite a formidable BYU pedigree. One friend had his son ask a question that Mitch Matthews answered. There are now 5 boys and a little girl in that family who are committed Cougars. While none will likely play D1 athletics, they are solidified in their fandom. #worthit

I'd like to see the players' council tell KS that it's worth it and to give it a year before he disbands the practice.

[CrimsonCoug]

Kalani needs to be his own man. I get that. But don't be a Utah Man. I mean, all that bologna coming out of the U about "Bishop Bronco" was eye-rolling hyperbole.
I worry that his experience at the U has made Kalani prone to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
There was a lot of really good stuff the Bronco did that should be built upon, not abandoned.
Bronco recognized that the constraints of the institution could be turned to a comparative advantage. That's what successful leaders do. Those challenges didn't evaporate with Bronco.

Simply put, Kalani will not be as successful trying to make BYU look like other schools as he would be if he embraced the school's differences.

Would the program survive without Firesides? Of course it would. But Kalani may not. When the rubber of the difficult schedules over the next few years hits the road games, and BYU's record dips a bit, he's going to want to have the good will engendered by rubbing shoulders with the fans.

Especially on the road. I went to the UVA and UCLA games and we hit the firesides for both games. Both were losses. I don't take losses easily. But I felt that it was still worth all of the effort and expense of going, regardless of the loss, because of the fantastic experience that my boys had in seeing that their sports heroes were also good human beings. I was extremely grateful for that experience.

It would be shortsighted to do away with them.

[Ddawg]

Problem is, I think Holmoe doesn't care if anything is left from the Mendenhall era. Only 2 people at the University have said anything about Bronco without being asked directly: Kalani and Ty. Both have been very complimentary. Outside of that, unless asked a direct question, no one has even acknowledged he was there.

Bronco who?

[Ddawg]

I loaded up my sons on 2 occasions and drove 650 miles (about 10 hours) to attend BYU football Firesides. They were worth it. Excellent spirit. Excellent messages. Afterwards, enjoyed mixing with the players, Bronco and his wife. My favorite part was the guys singing. I would have never thought that prior to attending the Fireside. But - it was moving and very special. I hope the players current and past express their view and somehow the Fireside is kept.