Thavoice
Well-known member
Was at NW recently. Nice complex y'all have there but man, what is the average distance students have to travel to attend?
How Old Is Your Gym?
- Thread starter Blue Jay Fan
- Start date
nwwarrior09
Well-known member
They have done some major upgrading out there since they've built new schools. The athletic complex (probably mainly built because the new schools are much further from the stadium than the old high school and middle school were) is probably about as nice of a facility as any local D4/D5 school has.
Basketball I'm not a big fan of the new gym. It's fairly nice, but feels very small and cramped compared to the old school.
The average kid in their district actually probably lives within 5-10 minutes of their campus. Two of the three little towns out there are within 5 minutes. The furthest and probably most rural parts of their district that are towards New Carlisle and Alcony might have some students traveling 15 minutes or so one way. Compared to some neighboring districts, they don't cover nearly as much territory as Graham or Miami East and their facilities are pretty close to their district's population center.
nwwarrior09
Well-known member
By far my favorite gym in this area. I thought the auditorium seats were a great place to watch a game from. Their new facility is pretty nice, but it doesn't compare to the old gym.
I thought that Urbana, Greenon and Shawnee were the best places to watch a ball game in the CBC/OHC footprint. Only Shawnee will remain after Greenon is in their new building next year.
eastisbest
Well-known member
any like this? 
ShoelessJoe
Active member
I think this gym was used for the scene in Its a Wonderful Life where Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed danced their way into the water.
Defiance, Rossford, and Sullivan Center are all pretty similar gyms. Defiance has them beat though, on video/scoreboards, natural light, bathrooms, etc, for the total experience. Almost half the gym is chair back seats too. I haven't been to any gyms outside of Northwest Ohio really, but Defiance's gym has to be the nicest, at least from all the way down somewhere close to Dayton, over to Cleveland.
eastisbest
Well-known member
that's where I got it from. I was going to be a smart butt and post a picture from the film when I came across that it was a real Beverly Hills gym.
Struthersfan
Well-known member
eastisbest
Well-known member
That running track is nice too, wider than the Sullivan Center concourse I think. I wonder if they considered banking the corners. That would have been fun Though points to the Sullivan as it's over 20 years old. Had to be close to original at the time?
Always liked playing in the old Toledo City League gyms - Libbey, Waite, Scott.
Woodward and Devilbiss not so much.
The cookie cutter gyms in the burbs were pretty plain/boring. Fremont middle school had a court on a stage that made it interesting chasing down a loose ball.
Woodward and Devilbiss not so much.
The cookie cutter gyms in the burbs were pretty plain/boring. Fremont middle school had a court on a stage that made it interesting chasing down a loose ball.
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scbuckeye99
Well-known member
Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Woodward's gym on the 2nd floor of the school? I remember someone telling me that once.
scbuckeye99
Well-known member
Lima Senior Gym 1955 to 2004. Students sat right below the basket. Although there were years where the student section was moved to the opposite end. Spent four years under that basket heckling opposing free throw shooters. The opposite end was where the pep band was seated.
Something else about that gym, the weight room was right behind those doors that read "Home of the Spartans". During the Greg Simpson days and even after Simpson for a year or two they put the pep band up there to make room for additional seating.
Side note: as a young man my father served as an usher at games. My buddies and I would always spend most of our time after the game going under the bleachers looking for whatever treasures we could find. A quarter here, a whole dollar there. Unfortunately as an usher's son any big finds like wallets had to be handed over asap. LOTS of spilled popcorn under those bleachers let me tell you.
Something else about that gym, the weight room was right behind those doors that read "Home of the Spartans". During the Greg Simpson days and even after Simpson for a year or two they put the pep band up there to make room for additional seating.
Side note: as a young man my father served as an usher at games. My buddies and I would always spend most of our time after the game going under the bleachers looking for whatever treasures we could find. A quarter here, a whole dollar there. Unfortunately as an usher's son any big finds like wallets had to be handed over asap. LOTS of spilled popcorn under those bleachers let me tell you.
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CedarBuck92
Well-known member
There are a number of people who are mad Shawnee didn't do a new high school. Most complaints are due to how "ugly" all the equipment looks on top of the school. But I am personally glad they decided to just renovate the high school. I think they really did right with the gym. Kept the old charm while replacing the rolling bleachers on the Visitors side and replaced the benches throughout the gym.
A yappster let me borrow the Lima Sr vs Macomber (Simpson vs Jackson) game tape/DVD from 1989. The place was packed to the gills. The area above the hoop was going crazy and looked like the place to be.
ShoelessJoe
Active member
A great venue. I remember it well for Class A regionals in the 1960's. Kalida vs. Fayette in 1967 (Kalida won). Holgate vs. Rossford in 1966 (Rossford won it OT due to some questionable officiating). They opened up the upper deck section behind the basket for additional seats. Could seat over 3,500. Their new gym just doesn't have the character or seating capacity of this one. Was their in I believe 2003 for an OG vs. Shawnee tournament game. It was packed.
ayCC!
NWO Realignment Enjoyer
I would agree. It's a pretty gym. I really don't think you can go wrong with the concourse around the stands design.
FlightCrew
Well-known member
I agree. Go to that gym for just a game, ie sectional game or something and you realize how unflattering it truly is. I'd like to see them flip the gym the way Crestview did in the late 80's.
FlightCrew
Well-known member
Nice place but it pisses me off they never show the players foul and point totals on their scoreboard. Dumb ...
Thavoice
Well-known member
Remember that place! Dont know if it was just me, but the color on the floor made people's lips look purpleish! Something I alwys remembered as a kid.
We used to always go to the District All Star game here, and I believe the Semi Pro Ohio Mixers played there as well that we would hit up once a year.
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Thavoice
Well-known member
Had a family friend who coached football at Macomber. We were up tehre for something and as a FROSH I met JJ and got his autograph as he said this guy was going to be famous!
Defiance gym looks a lot like Hamilton High School gym and I am told Middletown HS built one much like HHS. The sad part for HHS is that they no longer get the great crowds as when they played at the old gym, packed to the brim. They have a nice team this year so I would guess the crowds would have been great as in past years. THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN PLAYING IN A PACKED GYM REGARDLESS OF THE SIZE.
UD arena was a tartan surface back in the day plus St. Bernard HS had the same.
UD arena was a tartan surface back in the day plus St. Bernard HS had the same.
eastisbest
Well-known member
great feel there too. I'm not sure there's much difference, other than color scheme? Being my three alma maters are all black and gold, I tend towards PBrugs colors, lol. As a spectator preference, I lean more towards Central. Might change my mind if I ever seen that wall board at Defiance but for now, I like the hanging scoreboard over center court, I don't have to leave the room for concessions and they have their HOF along the concourse, reading material during half-time looking at some old names is fun.
Didn't St Francis have their court on stage? I was only there once and I seem to recall that was the set-up.
Scott's particularly after the first remodel (but before the flood changed the floor) has history all over and is flashy classy with a touch of barn. Perfect basketball environment, especially when the band was in its hey-day. And there has been no rivalry I've experienced that would match a Libby-Scott game in that Field House.
Waite's though nearly the same doesn't have the look of design, just a hodgepodge. Best part was the art teacher's old school posters, which were slowly whittled away as first the TRAC came into being and now Bowwow changing their Mascot leaving only Wootward, Scott (the best), Start (eh) and Rogers (2nd best).
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Bull GreenDog
Well-known member
Anyone have an idea who's gym is the oldest in the state? I bet there's a few that are almost 100 years old.
Toledo Scott was built in 1913 and Toledo Waite was built in 1914.
Toledo Scott vs Toledo Waite Thanksgiving Day 1923 football game. The schools are incredible to this day.
eastisbest
Well-known member
Scott got all the lottery money for their remodel, one reason their Field House looks like it does. I don't think that was donated money. Waite got about 1/3rd they did, I think because they had used money previously for thier stadium. For Waite, I believe the auditorium was largely alum money. And Waite did the better library remodel. I've seen the view from there. Other than from the High Level, probably the best view point in the city. Hard to believe that was the cafeteria back in the day. Which is the fourth floor; pre-elevators, pre-AC. I'd have just gone hungry.