The Schottenstein Center — Attraction in Columbus

Regina Snow turned a positive time for our 10U AAA team from Michigan into a poor memory of their first time at OSU.

The environment of the stadium lead by the student MC is high energy, excitement, lights, dancing, cheering, etc. unfortunately the patron in front of our team complained about one of our players kicking her chair, we apologized as a team and parents to parents and it seemed to be ok for about a period.

For context the lady in front of our team was rooting for OSU, our boys were rooting for ND only due to having played two previous tournaments at ND and seeing a game and having a blast at the Compton family arena. The cheering for ND is what seemed to be the issue, not the light bump from a size 1 athletic shoe on the back of her rigid chair.

During the second intermission I asked the patron if there were any more issues, she happily said all was well and we had been watching the boys and reminding them to mind their feet for be entire game since the original complaint.

Less than one minute later Ms Snow came down and stood in the seat of the complaining patron facing our players getting a few inches from their face in an intimidating manner. I allowed her to talk to the boys as she saw fit, when she was done I approached her and asked her what had happened. She informed me that they received another complaint about their seat being kicked by one of our players, I asked if it was the original person or a new person and are explained it was the person who’s seat she was currently occupying, the original complainer who I just talked to moments ago.

I asked her if she thought her approach with 9 and 10 year old kids was a bit aggressive to which she got more aggravated and explained that she’s simply doing her job. I asked if there was a solution that could be mutual for everyone, we were happy to move our players to a different row or section even tho their behavior was well managed the entire time we were in the facility.

Ms snow loudly explained that the woman who complained paid for her seats (as did we and our players) and she has the right to complain if she saw fit. I did not feel as if there was going to be a positive solution to this incident, I gathered my son and my wife and we left between the second and third period to the apparent excitement of Ms snow based on the provided photograph.

If you don’t want cheering, dancing, jumping, light shows, etc then don’t encourage them and you’re going to have a more tame crowd but deciding to ruin a bunch of hockey kids first time at your arena will most likely ensure we’ll go catch a blue jackets game next time we’re in Columbus instead of coming back and...

The good.

Excellent handicap transportation for attendees. I was most impressed by the shuttle service that they have on campus. You can easily get to the shuttle buses from the parking lot. The buses are equipped with a ramp for wheelchairs. The shuttles are well air-conditioned in the sweltering summer heat. There is almost no wait between buses during concerts.

The so-so. There is some handicap seating in the center, but it primarily seems to be located up in the balcony section.

I'm an ambulatory wheelchair user, so we decided to try our luck in the regular section this time. This was a mistake. I'm only 5'7 and the seat in front of me was digging into my knee the entire time. The letters and seat numbers are difficult to see once the lights are lowered. Some soft LED lights or reflective material could probably improve this. The rows have about 30 seats, making it really difficult for anyone in the middle to use the restroom or get drinks, even if they're not disabled. Railings are very helpful, except at the landing. Instead of going up the last step onto the landing, they stop on the step prior to the landing. I fumbled to grab the wall, because not having the last bit of railing threw off my balance.

It also sounded like the band was having some trouble with their sound equipment. I don't know if that's an issue with the center's equipment or the band's but their voices sounded compressed during louder bits, and some of the instruments seemed distorted and off key.

Chairs were moderately comfortable. The seats were cushioned, but a bit cramped. Check in process was streamlined and quick. Ushers were on it and did a great job.

Overall, I had a lot of pain issues that were worsened by the seating. I'm not sure, specifically as a handicapped individual, if I would return. I would definitely return to the handicap section if I did. I'm sure the venue is fine for most able...

Update: I spoke with the director of guest services, who was very responsive to my feedback. I'm very happy that they reached out to me to discuss the issues my group had while attending a concert here. However, I would advise anyone who is tall or plus size to call guest services ahead of time and see what your options are for alternative seating, because you will be uncomfortable, or potentially miss out on the show by trying to get alternative seating if you wait until showtime.

Previous review: As we rushed to get to our seats before the show started, we discovered that all of our section was covered up with a tarp and blocked off, with no explanation. So, we had to find the nearest usher and ask what to do. He said we should go to guest services and they would upgrade our seats to another section. So, we trek all over the arena trying to find Guest Services, and finally get there to find another line to wait in. We wait in line, get our new tickets, and make our way to the seats. We get to the seats, and physically cannot fit into them. My husband is 6'7", and I'm 5'9, and we are both plus size. A friend of ours in our group of 8 people was also 6'5" and couldn't fit. So, we had to leave those seats and go to another Guest Services booth to ask for handicap tickets. Meanwhile, the band I came to see has already finished most of their set. To make matters worse, our group had to get split up and we had traveled from out of town to have a fun weekend trip, only to not see each other most of the time at the Schottenstein Center. We finally settled into our handicap seats and got to see 2 songs performed by the band that I love. It was not a comfortable experience to go through at all. The alternative seating was comfortable for us once we...