Gymnasiums

Memories of the “Old Gym”
By Crystal Dey, Staff Writer

The foundation for much of school life begins in the gym. High school gymnasiums spark memories for almost everyone, whether small town or big city. At some point we all most likely played in our school gymnasium. Photographer Michael Weerts says he can feel the character of old gyms. He believes the atmosphere is best captured through the visual medium of photos.
      Weerts, a reporter and photographer for the Pope County Tribune in Glenwood, MN, played basketball for his high school in Bagley, MN. His affection for old gymnasiums is apparent. “I loved going to different gyms and playing,” he said. Every gym is unique and part of the fun of playing in other gyms are the different rules. Weerts said playing with some odd rules made the game a little more fun.
      Natalie Wibe hails from Hitterdal, MN, where the gym was so small exceptions to rules had to be made. Wibe played basketball and volleyball for her high school, Ulen-Hitterdal. The boundary lines in her old gym were only about two feet from the wall. She said, “If you were on the side, you’d be sitting on someone’s lap pretty much if you had to inbound the ball.” Her gym was so small people had to move to give the athletes room to play. An odd rule for Wibe was that when inbounding the ball, she was always technically out of bounds.
      Gymnasiums are home to a range of athletic activities and sports. Minnesota State University Moorhead staff member, Wendy (Granum) Frappier, remembers spending hours each day in her gymnasium. Frappier was a track and gymnastics athlete. She said, “For gymnastics we had to set up and take down our equipment every day.” Frappier remembers being in “awe” of the larger NBA gyms she visited during meets and competitions. Her favorite gym was at Lewis and Clark Elementary School in Fargo where she practiced gymnastics as a child.
      Weerts favorite high school gym to play in was at Red Lake, MN. When playing at Red Lake the bus had to be parked inside the gym to avoid vandalism. Being at a casino created an environment unlike any other high school game. Weerts said people would be drinking and smoking during the games. “It may sound weird, but being in a hostile climate makes playing ball enjoyable,” Weerts said.
      His most memorable moments in high school gyms are of playing rivals in front of large crowds. Bagley’s rival was Clearbrook, MN. He said, “During the Clearbrook battles things were always intense.” Clearbrook is among his favorite gymnasiums to visit. Other Minnesota favorites include Fosston, Ada’s old gym and Gonvik. Weerts says that Bagley’s gym was new and big, so it was pleasurable to visit other schools “old style” gyms.
      Wibe’s most memorable moments were intense for other reasons. The moment that sticks out most in her mind is running face first into a wall in the Ulen gym during a basketball rebound drill. In the photos, Weerts captured the exact spot she hit.
      The gyms that stand out most for Wibe are Ada-Borup and Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton (DGF).The Ada-Borup gym was so dry because it was new. She remembers that it was hard to breathe in there. Wibe recalls, “The DGF gym was huge.” In comparison her gym was, “small, small, small.” Varsity games were played in the Hitterdal gymnasium. Neighboring counties would call the Hitterdal gym “the barn” because of its peaked roof. Wibe said, “I defended it because I loved it.” Other teams hated playing volleyball in the Hitterdal gym because of the peaked wood ceiling.
      Weerts hasn’t been back to his high school gym since graduating from Bagley in 1998. However, whenever he is in any gym, the old memories come back. “Every time I go to a basketball game and I hear the band playing and see the players warm up, I get the chills and I’m in a good mood and every worry has been erased for the moment that I am in the gym,” he said.
      Frappier shares Weerts’ nostalgia. She said, “I think there is a feeling of the past every time I walk in a familiar gymnasium. Memories do seem to come back in bits and pieces.” Frappier said, “I think that this is where many of us grew up and spent a significant portion of our time…Whether it was practicing, competing, attending a game, a high school dance or other events, much of our time has been spent in a gymnasium.”
      When Wibe returns to her old high school gym she just wants to play basketball again. While attending her younger brother’s basketball games, memories come back to her. Wibe said, “That’s all we did ever, I mean that’s all we’d worry about is where the basketball game was or where the volleyball game was.” She added the gym was a central part of her high school. Her old gym isn’t used much anymore because a new one was built in Ulen.
      Wibe still visits her high school gym regularly to attend games. She said it’s a shame that old gyms aren’t used as much anymore. Wibe said, “It’s sad…it just brings back old memories. You remember things you did in kindergarten all the way up through senior high.”
      Gymnasiums will always carry with them a sense of the past. Although the physical building may crumble in time, memories can always bring back the gymnasium — if only for a moment.