Lloyd: Celebrate Hoop memories from the gym at Old School High School | News, Sports, Work

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When it was time to decide where to head on February 14th, I didn’t have to think too long. I wanted to travel to the southern tip of Utah Valley and say goodbye to my old friend.

For over 20 years, I have enjoyed the opportunity to cover girls and boys basketball games at the gym at Pason High School.

But with new schools being built and old schools being demolished, last weekend was the last time the creaks of gym shoes, the screams of coaches, the cheers of fans, the screams of whists and the music of the Lion Pep Band. . Echoing from the rafters for such occasions.

I took a few minutes and was able to soak up the atmosphere of the monument in the vibe of decades of Payson Sports, and see the familiar sights that have been there for a long time.

The rafters have banners that celebrate the success of lion sports for over a century. Payson celebrates the state’s track title that won in 1917. This was one of the first state championships Utah Valley High School won.

I read the sign above the door that connects the stairs to the home team’s locker room again. One time, he said, “I’ll do it like a champion,” and was signed by D. Porter in 1989.

My gaze incorporates a large green ventilation arch that says the Payson at one end and the lion still dominates the north, while the double-fold with a higher door as a feature on the south side. There is a seating level.

The east and west walls are right next to the end line and I dodged many hard-charging athletes when they jumped out of the court and crashed into padding while taking pictures of the sports section.

And there are memories of me.

I recall a large number of people on the great Pason team of the past. It seemed like so many tough, determined athletes were giving everything they had on that floor all the time.

The first year covering high school basketball in 2004-05, his Payson team led by Sandy Marvin and Mallory Bateman won the school’s only victory, so talks with former Lions girl basketball coach Dave Hyatt It was a fitting opportunity to do it. Basketball title.

I was there for punks, nail bits, rival fights, tournament fights. I saw the place packed onto the roof and stuffed so big that you had to cover your ears.

Student dean Kyle Francom recalls the barn burner in a game against American Folk, who played for Payson in the late 1990s and the Lions won a late bucket to force overtime. He said that the sounds of the night were so deafening that you might have been unable to hear yourself.

While dramatic moments are certainly the easiest moment to remember, the reality is that the old gym was home to countless lion athletes and coaches. That’s where they spent hours honing their craft and building lifelong relationships.

“My sons and I have been here forever,” said Chadvarl, the women’s basketball coach at Payson Head. “My eldest son is now 27 and started coming when he moved to Payson. We were always here.”

He was proud of the fact that his Lions closed the school’s history chapter to win Pineview (the Payson Boys team also won the final game there, beating Desert Hills). The time spent at the facility.

“I’m going to come here after everyone is gone tonight. I’m just going to scream my eyes,” Barr said. “I love this gym. There’s nothing like that. It’s an old school gym. It’s noisy and rough. The floor is as bouncy as one. Every fan has everything about refs You can hear them say it. It’s so much fun and I’m going to miss it. There’s no such thing as a den and a house for the Lions.”

I think it is human nature to enjoy the good memories of a place.

But we also realize that it is a long time past for Pason athletes to have a place to do new work and perform. All lions who use the gym for sports deserve to have something more up-to-date and functional than what they had.

I thought about how the end of the era was approaching, and the end of time at the old-fashioned Crackerbox High School gym.

In northern Utah, many seniors, such as American Folk and Pleasant Grove, still have gyms that covered the game when I first started, but later built new arena-style facilities.

Old schools in the south have been using the gym for longer, but are in the process of upgrading to a new building and removing the old gym. Spanish forks are already gone, and the Pasons will be gone this year. Springville will be the last of its gymnasium design, closing time in 2026.

And while there are things you won’t miss, like dim light, more frequent mechanical issues and busy baselines, I definitely have the feeling of being there for the close game and the strength of that big moment. I’ll miss it.

So farewell, you’re a great old Lions Denjim. Thank you for the memories.