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Here is a story about UNI's West Gym, although I have never seen West Gym it sounds a lot like "The Barn" maybe some of the older guys can tell me if it really was better then our land mark:
http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2...a636543517.txt
Moments to remember: UNI recalls West Gym's history
By JIM SULLIVAN, Courier Sports Writer
CEDAR FALLS - Roll up the mats for a moment. Leave the volleyball net in a pile. Ignore the glass backboards. Pretend you don’t hear the muttering of the old pipes. . . .
“That was the center of all activities when I got here,” said Iradge Ahrabi-Fard, who arrived at Iowa State Teachers College in 1960 as a student and later became UNI’s highly successful volleyball coach.
Finally, the West Gym was home to the fans, the people who seemed to go nose-to-nose with the opposition in the 2,000-seat area. Close to the action, they offered support to their Panthers, suggestions to the officials and problems to any stranger who appeared in the doorway.
Said Bobbi Petersen, who played in the West Gym for UNI and then coached the women’s volleyball team when it rang up a home winning streak of 74 consecutive matches, “The West Gym has allowed those fans to be close to the action and feel a part of what is going on out on the court. It can be very intimidating, coming into an atmosphere where the fans are right on top of you.”
One thing about home in the real world - kids grow up and leave. It’s no different in college athletics, even for a inanimate building like the West Gym. . . .
The initial cost for building the Men’s Gymnasium? Roughly $250,000, according to the Witthoft/Peterson history.
By modern standards, a little more than 2,000 seats may not seem like much. During the West Gym’s heyday, it seemed relatively spacious.
“When we played South Dakota State and South Dakota, our place was a lot better than theirs,” said Zeke Hogeland, who played basketball at UNI and coached the men’s team from 1967 through 1973. . . .
Go State! ;D
http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2...a636543517.txt
Moments to remember: UNI recalls West Gym's history
By JIM SULLIVAN, Courier Sports Writer
CEDAR FALLS - Roll up the mats for a moment. Leave the volleyball net in a pile. Ignore the glass backboards. Pretend you don’t hear the muttering of the old pipes. . . .
“That was the center of all activities when I got here,” said Iradge Ahrabi-Fard, who arrived at Iowa State Teachers College in 1960 as a student and later became UNI’s highly successful volleyball coach.
Finally, the West Gym was home to the fans, the people who seemed to go nose-to-nose with the opposition in the 2,000-seat area. Close to the action, they offered support to their Panthers, suggestions to the officials and problems to any stranger who appeared in the doorway.
Said Bobbi Petersen, who played in the West Gym for UNI and then coached the women’s volleyball team when it rang up a home winning streak of 74 consecutive matches, “The West Gym has allowed those fans to be close to the action and feel a part of what is going on out on the court. It can be very intimidating, coming into an atmosphere where the fans are right on top of you.”
One thing about home in the real world - kids grow up and leave. It’s no different in college athletics, even for a inanimate building like the West Gym. . . .
The initial cost for building the Men’s Gymnasium? Roughly $250,000, according to the Witthoft/Peterson history.
By modern standards, a little more than 2,000 seats may not seem like much. During the West Gym’s heyday, it seemed relatively spacious.
“When we played South Dakota State and South Dakota, our place was a lot better than theirs,” said Zeke Hogeland, who played basketball at UNI and coached the men’s team from 1967 through 1973. . . .
Go State! ;D
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