Blue River Valley (2,400) Built 1968
November 17, 2024: Shenandoah vs. Blue River Valley (Girls)
November 17, 2024: Shenandoah vs. Blue River Valley (Girls)
Sometimes it's the little things in life that stick out the most and make the biggest difference. As I walked into Blue River Valley tonight I was greeted immediately by only the second high school concession stand I've visited that has Code Red Mountain Dew, which those closest to me know is the way to my heart. (My "home" gym in Anderson is the other) Not only that, right next to the concession stand was an FFA table selling pork burgers. Hamilton County gyms can keep their $10 catered Chick-fil-A sandwiches, this is true Hoosier hospitality. We were off to a fantastic start and I hadn't even entered the gym yet. The amenities here are just off the charts. They have one of the best PA announcers I've heard in awhile as well. The gym itself is a splendid mix of modern and throwback.
As you enter the gym, you're greeted by some of the most beautiful wooden bleachers I've ever seen. They are mostly a dark hue that you don't see often, but the exact color varied slightly across the stands. They look awesome and are clearly original to the gym. Much of the overall design on the playing floor, baseline padding, and wall design is clearly modern and looks sharp. The marriage between the updated design and old character of the gym was done expertly. There are quite a few fun quirks. The upper seating sections almost reach the ceiling. I almost hit my head on the machine that lowers wrestling mats to the lower level. On one side the giant HVAC tubes coming out of the wall are actually level with top row of the bleachers and have to be fenced off so people don't mess with them. On the opposite side, only half of the upper bleachers are pulled out due to a wrestling area being used in front of the other half. Oddly though, this means that the end of the bleachers that were pulled out just drop off into nothing with no railing. If you don't want your toddler or grandma falling 20 feet onto concrete, I would probably avoid that section. The athletic accomplishment banners are hung high above this section where they are hard to see. They have big banners for every sport, including one for bowling which is hilariously completely empty. Maybe wait to hang it up until there's actually something to put on it. The pep band is also in this section situated on two of the smallest platforms you could find with a big plywood sign in front that reads "Fear the Band." I was mostly afraid they would fall off that platform and plunge off the unprotected side right next to them.
This is the third gym I've visited in the Mid-Eastern conference and I've been really impressed with each one. When you have schools with around 50 kids in a graduating class, there's usually not a lot of money to make sweeping changes to your athletic facilities. That can be a blessing in disguise. The crowd was great for a girl's conference rivalry game. There were even opposing student sections going back and forth at times which you don't see anymore like you used to. The environment was great, the gym was gorgeous, and Mountain Dew was red. No complaints here.
