Ask Mr. Answer Person: Is the size of the new DHS gym floor too small for hosting events?

Dale asks Mr. Answer Person: "I've heard a rumor that the new DHS gym was constructed too small to host conference basketball games and if this is true, how could something like this happen?"

Mr. Answer Person says: "Umm, you do know that three conference basketball games have already been held in the gym, don't you?

Well, just to make sure, we tracked down Decorah High School Associate Principal and Activities Director Adam Riley, who responded to this rumor:

"Our new gym is 94'1" long by 136' 7".  In comparison to hour old gym it is approximately 4 inches shorter and 56' wider.  During the design process we would have liked to been able to get to 100' in length, however we would have encroached upon the retention pond in the northwest corner of the gym to an extent that FEMA and the US Army Corps of Engineers would have been uncomfortable with.  This was very understandable given what we experienced in 2008.  
 
The discussion did occur that we would flip the direction of the main court in the gym on an east - west line instead of a north - south line.  The problem with this would have been seating.  The new gym can currently seat 1500 people.  With only 94' of width, our seating could have been less than 1000.  
 
In designing the new gym we really had four priorities to make the space more functional for all of our needs both academically and athletically. 1 - Increase the ceiling height.  The old gym had a ceiling height of 18' and the new gym has a height of 30'.  This is floor to the bottom of the ceiling joists.  2 - Increase floor space for physical education.  We have several units in PE in which we were greatly hampered with the space that we had and the number of students in classes.  This leads to more kids participating in PE as opposed to watching their peers participate as they wait their turn.  3 - Have to full size basketball courts.  The old gym had smaller secondary courts that hampered our ability to practice in an efficient manner and host youth tournaments and high school scrimmages.  With 10 hoops and two full size courts our kids and coaches have already seen great benefits in what they can do with practice situations.  4 - Have three nets for volleyball.  While these nets are not for game purposes, having three nets for practice purposes provides the same kind benefits of 2 full size basketball courts for kids and coaches.  

If the reader is questioning whether or not we could host post season (regional, district, or sub-state) games in the gym, the answer is yes we can.  We would never be so irresponsible as to design something that would not give our students and the community an opportunity to host post season play in any sport.  We won't know if we will be able to host any post season games until January for the girls and February for the boys.  A lot of the ability to host is dependent upon seeding and geography.  We are always hopeful that we can have a home court advantage in the post season."  
 
Thanks, Adam, for your answer.  OK, readers, there is NO TRUTH to this rumor, so stop passing it along!!"