the road to the promised land

Michael & I have driven a lot of miles, captured a lot of images and visited quite a few gyms.  We didn't do this by ourselves.  Research is invaluable to this project - without it we wouldn't know where a gym is located or who the athletic director is; wouldn't know a school's tourney history or the name of their mascot. All of this came to mind yesterday when I stopped at the Arlington General Store and met Nikki Pickering.  Never mind that she owns a great little business - I learned that she played ball at Shenandoah; that her sister, who is the current girl's assistant coach, was a state champion there (2003) and that the old Arlington Gym is now a vacant lot, abandoned by a would-be developer. I wouldn't have gone to Middletown without her direction and would have missed a little street ball, a classic gas station and another wonderful piece of Hoosier roundball history.  So, if you want to strike out on the trail, pack your camera bag, download the IHSAA School Directory, grab a worn copy of Kyle Neddenriep's Historic Hoosier Gyms & Dale Lawrence's Hoosier Hysteria Road Book, logon to Google Earth & John Harrell's basketball site.  And, most important - don't be afraid to knock on a stranger's door. CGS.