How Old Is Your Gym?

A wrestling fan could give a definitive answer, but I'll guess that the floor space on the end is needed to run an additional mat when WJ hosts its prestigious Ironman Tournament. They may not be able to spare a few extra feet to install retractable bleachers. You are right that "The Dome" is a cool venue.
Good call...Here's a picture with the mats almost against the wall. There's a stage on the other end. They also use the Field House for the tournament.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20210222-111220_Chrome.jpg
    Screenshot_20210222-111220_Chrome.jpg
    226.5 KB · Views: 77
C
Good call...Here's a picture with the mats almost against the wall. There's a stage on the other end. They also use the Field House for the tournament.
Place looks pretty good for wrestling.
But it sort of reminds me of an airplane hangar. Not the best looking gym I've even seen. :rolleyes:
 
No, the basketball facility they use for boys/girls varsity/jv games are located at the old jr high building adjacent to the football field. The high school has a basketball gym, which was used for girls varsity games up until early 2000s but now its just mainly for practice facilities.
Thank You that’s what I thought I know exactly where that is. My dad told me the Harlem Globetrotters played there once and his friends dad reffed the game and he slipped in some water and he was hurting
 
I miss the old Warren G. Harding Fieldhouse!! Went to a few tournament games there..old school atmosphere. Anyone have pictures to share??
 
I miss the old Warren G. Harding Fieldhouse!! Went to a few tournament games there..old school atmosphere. Anyone have pictures to share??
No photos, but I was also there and loved it.
Another awesome experience was at Warren Western Reserve. Beautiful gym that sat even more than Harding. (3,200)
A shame that school was only around such a short time before they merged the two schools.
 
"The Pit" at Triway High School is 58 years old and is well known for its unique nature.

We are building a new school for approximately the 2024 school year (in the design process right now), so "The Pit" may be in its last few years of existence. The new gym design is still up in the air at this point.

CUwOPlKVEAANczR.jpg


1614266740716.png
 
"The Pit" at Triway High School is 58 years old and is well known for its unique nature.

We are building a new school for approximately the 2024 school year (in the design process right now), so "The Pit" may be in its last few years of existence. The new gym design is still up in the air at this point.

CUwOPlKVEAANczR.jpg


View attachment 14956

Looks like a fantastic place to watch (and play) a game.

Love the crow's nest hanging from the rafters.
 
"The Pit" at Triway High School is 58 years old and is well known for its unique nature.

We are building a new school for approximately the 2024 school year (in the design process right now), so "The Pit" may be in its last few years of existence. The new gym design is still up in the air at this point.

CUwOPlKVEAANczR.jpg


View attachment 14956


A suggestion I wish would have been thought of locally with a few rebuilds: if they still have wood bench seating, save them from the wrecking ball. If it's like most schools, there is a lot of history carved into those seats that can be put to good use, pieces cut up to raise funds or unique decoration in the new building by someone with an eye for such things. Or even reuse some in the student section to continue tradition.
 
No pictures yet as the new building won't be done until later this year. I do know the new gym will be bigger.
IMHO, ideally, I would like 2500 capacity, but 2000 could be fine. Also, I'm a sucker for bilevel (I love balcony seats) seating much like many of the bigger schools in the area
 
"The Pit" at Triway High School is 58 years old and is well known for its unique nature.

We are building a new school for approximately the 2024 school year (in the design process right now), so "The Pit" may be in its last few years of existence. The new gym design is still up in the air at this point.

CUwOPlKVEAANczR.jpg


View attachment 14956
That's a nice looking gym. Its a shame it won't be hosting games much longer. A lot of times gyms start to show their age before they get replaced, but this one looks like its been well-maintained by Triway.
 
Without the windows and the many, many banners on the wall, that would be like my old elementary gym, down to some well worn boards. Looks like a successful program. Why change, right!

I don't think it's by choice. That one court is the only practice space for six teams (or maybe even eight--some Chicago high schools have separate sophomore and JV squads but I don't think Senn is big enough) and those teams are also using it for games. Plus they have a wrestling program (the source of a lot of those banners, by the way). There just isn't enough space and time to go around.

(It's possible there's a second gym in the building--a lot of those schools back then were built with separate girls' and boys' gyms. But I don't remember seeing one and I just dug around on line a bit and found no reference. It's just "Senn Gym," which seems to imply it's the only one.)

It's a beautiful building and I'm glad the incentives there favor renovation over tearing everything down and starting over (not that there's a lot of money for renovation even), but it's not easy to put together a cohesive unit when all you get is short practices sharing a single court with another squad or two. Of course most of their competition is in the same boat; you can probably find gyms like that all over the city, it's just the one I happen to know.
 
The Indianapolis Star has a story today that might interest some of you who like this thread.

Story, pictures and videos on 13 of the larger high school gyms in Indiana. I've seen game in 8 of these 13 and there are some gems here. There are also some great 5,000 seat gyms (Kokomo, Frankfort, Martinsville) that didn't make the cut in this story and the now shuttered Wigwam in Anderson is also not here.

Each gym is a separate story which could cause you to bump against The Star's limit on free articles

 
This is the old Farmer High School gym that was torn down sometime in the late 90s/ early 2000s after being used as an elementary school for Fairview for many decades (consolidated into Fairview in the late 50s I believe.)

This is the gym the 1946 Class B state champion Farmer Tigers played their home games.
 

Attachments

  • FB_IMG_1614830395349.jpg
    FB_IMG_1614830395349.jpg
    50.2 KB · Views: 85
This is the old Farmer High School gym that was torn down sometime in the late 90s/ early 2000s after being used as an elementary school for Fairview for many decades (consolidated into Fairview in the late 50s I believe.)

This is the gym the 1946 Class B state champion Farmer Tigers played their home games.
Jesus, how long is that court?
 
I think we're looking at one end of the floor, so the other wall on the left side of the court is the width of the floor, not the length of the floor.

From my very faint memories of 3rd and 4th grade gym class on this floor, I'm pretty sure you're right.
 
Jesus, how long is that court?
I think we're looking at one end of the floor, so the other wall on the left side of the court is the width of the floor, not the length of the floor.

I see it now. I was thinking the same as Nash because there do not appear to be sideline seats and who puts the locker exit on the ends. But I can see the key and the way the basket falls so it is just one end?
 
I see it now. I was thinking the same as Nash because there do not appear to be sideline seats and who puts the locker exit on the ends. But I can see the key and the way the basket falls so it is just one end?
Pretty much.. this photo was taken from the corner of the opposite basket but it looks like they weren't all the way down on the baseline.

The other basket had a stage behind it the only seating is what you see in the picture.
 
This is the old Farmer High School gym that was torn down sometime in the late 90s/ early 2000s after being used as an elementary school for Fairview for many decades (consolidated into Fairview in the late 50s I believe.)

This is the gym the 1946 Class B state champion Farmer Tigers played their home games.
I actually played in that gym. Like most small school gyms in those days, the floor wasn't regulation size, but it actually had a little larger playing floor than a lot small schools (Jewell, Ney, Sherwood, Holgate, Hamler, Ridgeville, Continental, Kalida, Miller City) in the area. The State Champion Sr. Class of 1946 had a 4 year record of something like 95-5 from 1943 to 1946.
1946 Farmer Tigers.jpg
 
"The Pit" at Triway High School is 58 years old and is well known for its unique nature.

We are building a new school for approximately the 2024 school year (in the design process right now), so "The Pit" may be in its last few years of existence. The new gym design is still up in the air at this point.

CUwOPlKVEAANczR.jpg


View attachment 14956
There's only one pit and that ain't it.
 
I actually played in that gym. Like most small school gyms in those days, the floor wasn't regulation size, but it actually had a little larger playing floor than a lot small schools (Jewell, Ney, Sherwood, Holgate, Hamler, Ridgeville, Continental, Kalida, Miller City) in the area. The State Champion Sr. Class of 1946 had a 4 year record of something like 95-5 from 1943 to 1946. View attachment 15129


A video of the state championship game in '46 (Famer is in white.) I love seeing how much the game has evolved since then.
 
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.


View attachment 14445View attachment 14446View attachment 14447
I vaulted over the top railing and sprinted down the bleachers to the court after a last second shot won Marion Local a district final in 1984. The best games at Lima Senior took place on Saturday afternoons with the sun streaming through the transom windows.
 
Class B
The game was at Wittenberg College Gym (Springfield,OH)
Farmer 36 / 32 Worthington

The Class A finals were played at Toledo University Fieldhouse

Source Link...

For those that <60 years old

Getting to those games would have been a real trip.

Going by car or bus; no 4-lane hiways back then, 2 lane roads all
the way, with traffic signals or stop signs at every town.

Sometimes there were special trains.

It had to be quite a trip from Farmer, Ohio to Springfield. 150 miles
thru 5+ counties.
Farmer is in the far NW (Defiance County).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmer,_Ohio

Worthington fans could go down to Columbus and then pick
up US-40 (The National Road) and West to Springfield.

We now return you to your regular scheduled program.

:>---

SALT
 
Last edited:
St. Joeseph AKA VASJ. The purple palace.....1950 . Originally nicknamed for the purple hue the lights gave off in the arena. Since renovated a few years back with brighter lighting. Tile floor that the visitors hate.
OIP.jpg
This picture shot from the upper deck behind the basket. Small and loud when full. Lots of history in this place though. Clark Kellogg #32 at midcourt.
 
Last edited:
St. Joeseph AKA VASJ. The purple palace.....1950 . Originally nicknamed for the purple hue the lights gave off in the arena. Since renovated a few years back with brighter lighting. Tile floor that the visitors hate. View attachment 15203This picture shot from the upper deck behind the basket. Small and loud when full. Lots of history in this place though. Clark Kellogg #32 at midcourt.
I love the classic old school gyms.
With all the new schools and their "cookie cutter" designs, they're not much to look at. With the exceptions of what Gilmore and Defiance have done.
I too am missing the Elmton pizza, need to get back there like yesterday. LaVilla also has great food.
Some great eating joints in Y'town. Always was. Hope none of them have folded due to the Rona.
 
Top