Strong Super Trouper Enhances University of Iowa's Image

The director of operations for University of Iowa football elected to project the school's Hawkeye logo for all to see during the big game against Northwestern University. To accomplish this task, a Super Trouper Xenon followspot from Omaha, Nebraska-based Ballantyne Strong was placed into service.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based Sound Concepts, Inc., a design/build firm with a live events division that handles sound, lighting, staging, rigging, and video, was contracted to project the university's Hawkeye logo onto a water tower immediately adjacent to Kinnick Stadium, the home of University of Iowa football. The idea was to have the image visible for the spectators during the pregame countdown, each time the Iowa team scored, whenever the Iowa defense got a turnover, whenever the Iowa defense held any fourth down, and at the end of halftime. Marvin Smejkal, owner of Sound Concepts, discussed the challenges of the project and his decision to deploy the Strong Super Trouper.

"As is the case with any marketing operation, the University of Iowa is very particular about how the school's image is presented," explained Smejkal. "The image had to be absolutely pristine in its appearance-not elongated, shortened, or in any other way visually distorted. For anyone working with lighting equipment, this type of project is very challenging since ambient lighting, throw angles, and other variables can wreak havoc with an effort of this nature. I elected to use Strong's long throw version of the Super Trouper because we've had excellent results with the company's lighting fixtures on numerous other projects, so I felt quite certain if this were to happen, it would take the capabilities of the Super Trouper to pull it off."

"Prior to the October 15th game day," Smejkal continued, "we had two test fires for the client to determine the followspot's ability to project the University's logo without distorting it. After equipping the Super Trouper with Strong's optional gobo holder, we projected the logo over a distance of roughly 225'. The result was exactly as I had planned-a clear, highly defined image up high on the water tower for everyone in the vicinity of the stadium to see. This type of result is precisely why our firm has a large inventory of Strong followspots-they consistently get the job done right."

In addition to its compact form factor that makes transporting and setting up the followspot a much more manageable task, the Strong Super Trouper has a wealth of useful features. These include a single handle zoom control, dimming control, and an hour meter and DC ampmeter for monitoring system usage. "We inventory Strong lighting fixtures because they are the standard of the industry," says Smejkal. "By specifying and using Strong, we go out on a project with the confidence that we'll be able to meet or exceed the customer's expectations. Equally important, Strong's customer support services are first rate, so we know that if we require technical assistance, the company will be very responsive."

So how did everything turn out? "It was a great game, with Iowa winning with a score of 41 to 31. Equally significant, the Strong Super Trouper was a success. Our customer has a very critical eye and he monitors all aspects of the University's sports marketing efforts very closely. He was very pleased with the appearance of the logo on the water tower and notes that the decision to project the Hawkeye image using light turned out to be everything he envisioned. Thanks to the Strong Super Trouper, this was yet another successful project for our firm."