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$18 million sports complex opens at Gilmour
(by Steve Novak - January 28, 2010)
$18 million sports complex opens at Gilmour
By STEVE NOVAK
Anyone who ever had the misfortune to have a seat behind one of the upright support posts at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium would understand this similarity to some of the seats at the old Gilmour Academy gymnasium.
But unlike the old gym, there are no upright support posts at the newly opened Gilmour gymnasium. Offering fans an unobstructed view of the court is only one of the many features of the new athletic facility on the Gates Mills campus.
The $18 million sports facility opened two months ago. Although it was built on the same site as the old gym, the new structure encompasses twice as much square footage as the old building.
The new athletic complex is the home of a 600-seat basketball gym, an eight-lane swimming pool and a field house. It is also the new home of the offices of the Gilmour athletic department, as well as housing a cardiovascular fitness center.
The old gym was built in 1955. Replacing the old structure had long been a plan by the school's governing board. However, the establishment of a pledge drive by school officials recently got funding under way and construction began early in 2008.
Gilmour Athletic Director Tom Bryan said the athletic center was funded by private donations. He said that during construction in the fall of 2008 and winter of 2009, winter teams at Gilmour had to use the gymnasium at Ursuline College in Pepper Pike its home games.
The gym opened for athletic competition in second week of December. Bryan said the reactions of first-time visitors to the gym seemed to echo a theme.
"I have heard everything from 'wow' to 'amazing' to 'awesome,'" he said. "Some people said it looks like a follow-up of Gund Arena."
No matter what the comparisons are, it seems to also have the approval of the athletes.
Bob Beutel, the girls' varsity basketball coach at Gilmour, said the old gym had its own charm, and reminded him of the gym in the movie "Hoosiers." But it didn't take long for his team to show its reaction to its new home.
"There had been a lot of build-up about the formal opening, and then it was pushed back about three weeks because there were delays," Beutel said. "But when the girls finally got out there on the floor, they were like 4-year-olds in a candy store."
One of Beutel's players, Allie Herbe, is a senior who is averaging 11 points per game this season. She shares Beutel's opinion that one of the many advantages of the new gym is that it has what are called shooters' rims.
"Yeah, the baskets have more bounce to them when you shoot," she said. "It's really nice to play on that new floor."
As a four-year member of the varsity, Herbe played two full seasons in the old gym. One of the things she remembers about the old facility was its proximity to the stage used by the drama club.
"I remember one time we were playing University School, which has always been one of our main rivals," she said. "Our student section was actually the stage. I remember that when we beat University, the entire student section just came down from the stage and ran onto the floor."
Anyone who sees the new gym easily will see there are rows of ascending seats running all the way around the court. A drama stage is nowhere to be seen.
The gym's pool and field house are located directly next to one another. There is a 150-seat grandstand area for competitive swim meets. Previously, there was a five-lane pool and limited seating area.
Gilmour varsity swim coach Adam Katz said there are several improvements the old pool offers from the new one.
"No. 1, it has better ventilation, which helps the breathing of the swimmers," he said. "Second, it has much more lighting, both natural and artificial. No. 3, it's a faster pool. All these combine to make it one of the best facilities in the area."
By calling the pool faster, Katz said it was designed both wider and deeper than the old pool. The design cuts down on the waves created by competing swimmers, giving a smoother surface of water for faster swimming. Katz said he already has noticed faster times posted by several of the members of his team in the new pool.
Both Katz and Bryan said they hope that the size of both the gym and the pool eventually will lead to hosting more tournaments and perhaps to hosting even some postseason competition.
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