SILOAM SPRINGS — Everything about the place looks new and impressive, from the seats that line three sides of the gymnasium to the large video board that takes up much of the fourth wall.
If the courtside view isn’t good enough for some reason, a fan could always watch the game on the high-resolution video screen. After all, a cameraman stands along the baseline and captures the action, which is projected clear for everyone to see.
It’s apparent that some money went into the building of the Panther Activity Center, Siloam Springs’ two-year-old sports complex. Consider it a case of keeping up with the Joneses.
Or rather the Almas, Fayettevilles and Rogers Heritages.
High school gymnasiums in Northwest Arkansas have gotten a lot more spacious over the past few years, and all of the pricey amenities aren’t bad, either. Not long ago, it was impressive if a gym had wireless Internet. Now some are much more high-tech than that.
The days of old, dark gyms with long bleachers are gone. Well, except at Springdale High, where things seem unchanged inside Bulldog Gymnasium. Meanwhile, other schools in the 7A/6A-West Conference have updated their facilities and outdone themselves in the process.
Two years ago, Fayetteville’s basketball teams played in a gym so cramped that it was breaking fire code every game. Sports writers covering the Bulldogs sat at a small, wooden table set up in the middle of the stands, alongside all of the parents cheering for their kids.
There’s now plenty of leg room in Bulldog Arena, Fayetteville’s new-and-improved gym. And the large scoreboard hanging over the court is a definite improvement over the old scoreboard that had a way of malfunctioning during games.
I got lost the first time I walked into Bulldog Arena. I needed a student to give me directions to find my seat inside the Panther Activity Center on Friday. That’s the sign of a big gym.
Of course, Alma’s 150,000-square foot arena has quickly become the gold standard of ridiculously impressive gyms in the area. Thanks to some federal funding, Alma built a basketball complex that seats more than 3,000 fans and has a large hospitality room that overlooks the court.
The gym is nicer than some NCAA Division I schools that I’ve covered over the years.
Maybe Springdale should petition for some federal money as well. The school could say that a new, state-of-the-art arena with comfortable seats and a Siloam Springs-sized video board could be used as a storm shelter. It’s all about keeping up with Joneses, right?
If you want to catch a basketball game in an old-school gym reminiscent of “Hoosiers,” there are still several in the smaller cities around Northwest Arkansas. There isn’t much flash or pomp to them. They are just basic, straight-to-the-point gyms that don’t have wireless Internet, let alone cameramen filming from the baseline.
Just don’t look for them in the 7A/6A-West, where each new gym seems to top the one built right before it. Blueprints are drawn up, millions are spent and big arenas are constructed.
Now, can you please sit down, so I can get a better view of the hi-def video board?
Alex Abrams is assistant sports editor for NWA Media.