the inferno

Whenever questions about the health of Hoosier high school basketball begin to surround me, I know that answers are not far away.  In this case a two hour trip north to Tipton, home of the Blue Devils and their beloved gym the "Inferno" put my fears to rest.  The 2A Devils, coached by 500 game winner Cliff Hawkins, are currently 11-1, ranked #6 in statewide polls and on this Friday night taking on a tough Yorktown team.  But, as we found out, a trip to the Inferno is more than just an evening of good basketball.  There is history and tradition here, a talented cheerleading squad, an imposing Blue Devil mascot, a color guard, a baton twirler, a flag corps and yes, a great band - perched on the stage driving the tempo of the night.  When the action on the court comes to an end (Tipton 70, Yorktown 56) all is not over as students & fans pack the court at the foot of the stage and dance to a medley of hits from the Blue Devil band. And dance & dance. This happens at every home game, win or lose.  So, if the winter weather has you feeling a little down, buckle up and get yourself to a gym like Tipton to remember what Friday and Saturday nights are supposed to feel like.  © Chris Smith 

 

why should we care

Historic gym for sale.  School closing.  Local landmark burns.   These are just a few of the headlines we've encountered in the last six years during our photographic journey to Hoosier high school gyms - at last count, more than 300.  Shrinking populations & budgets have taken a toll on these old buildings - more so every year.  Does it matter if these places become parking lots for the newest Family Dollar store?  And if so, why should we care?  Their disappearance won't affect global warming (I don't think), animal extinction or iPhone reception.  These are just places where a game is played, right?  When we started out to "photograph a few old Hoosier gyms" in 2013 I'm not sure we had a full understanding about  the task at hand.  At first we simply saw brick, mortar and maple.  And then there were the trophy cases - filled with memories of long past games, teams and schools now gone.  There were always stories to hear and people to meet.  And games to watch.  So what does it matter if another old gym disappears?  These were just places where communities gathered, rivalries played out and children grew into adults.  Dances were held, graduations too.  Lifelong memories were made.  So what does it matter?  We have the newest phones and apps to watch games - do we really need to sit on old wooden bleachers, either too hard or too cramped?  Suffice it to say, I don't have an answer to these questions but I understand the arguments that surround the debate. I'm not sure how to save these old buildings, I only know how to do my part - to pull out a camera and record what I see.  And hope that by sharing these photographs others with influence might care.
    

driveway ball

into the fray

"It seems to be a law of nature that those who will not risk cannot win."  Words of wisdom from John Wooden?  Bobby Knight?  No, but the sentiments of this line have been repeated in countless locker rooms before hundreds of Hoosier high school hardwood contests. It was first spoken by John Paul Jones, the father of the American Navy, in 1778 and seems likely that it was restated to the Riverside Argonauts before Tuesday night's game against Christel House Academy - the first game of their first season of IHSAA tournament eligibility.  And, in the shadow of John Paul Jones' greatest victory at sea, the Argonauts scored their first win, 70-48.  Riverside High School (a second campus of Herron High), now in its third year of existence, is housed in the old Hesler Naval Armory in downtown Indianapolis.  The Armory was built by the WPA in 1936 and was the former home of the Naval Operations Support Center, the Marine Corps Reserve and the US Naval Sea Cadet Indianapolis Division. At one time the four story building housed a navigation bridge, battle telephones, ship's ladders, a rifle range and a swimming pool.  The gymnasium is still decorated with four 12'x15' murals depicting famous naval battles (including JP Jones') and it seemed fitting that the young Argonauts (no seniors yet) played with a disciplined, uptempo style under the watchful eye of history.         

welcome to Indiana basketball

The story has been repeated a hundred times - a young boy sees a photograph of an old gym and dreams of becoming a basketball player.  He works to learn the game, its history and where it is played.  He watches the film Hoosiers over & over until every line is known, every play understood.  He grows older, becomes a man, but still the love of the game lives on.  This could be the tale of any Hoosier boy born in the last 100 years but this time the story is about a boy from northern Spain, near the Basque Country.  This story is about Javier Puertas, who as a young boy saw a photo of the New Castle Fieldhouse in his text book, made himself into a 'ball' player in football (soccer) country and dreamed of coming to Indiana to see his beloved game & gyms firsthand. 

This past week Javier's dream came true as he and his family (wife Edurne and sons Aitor & Eneko) made the journey to Indiana, to the "promised land."  He was greeted by Chris May at the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, written about by Kyle Neddenriep of the Indianapolis Star, guided through the gyms at New Castle, Kokomo, Lebanon, Bloomington, Martinsville, Rushville, Hinkle and then finally, Knightstown.  

And at the Hoosier Gym, home to one of the greatest sports films ever, something amazing happened.  Javier was greeted by David Anspaugh (Hoosiers director) and Angelo Pizzo (the film's writer).  Imagine that, life and imagination becoming one.  This story, Javier's basketball story, had entered the realm of fairy tale.  A better ending could not have been imagined.  © Chris Smith