High School Basketball Fans Worry About Championships Moving
KOLN-KGIN
March 7, 2010
By Christie Bett
Every year, fans flock to the Capital City to cheer on their hometown girls and boys in the State Basketball Championships, filling parking lots and spending their money. But how long can Lincoln keep them coming? Without a new arena, some fans aren't sure.
"We have lost the wrestling tournament to Omaha, these other cities are putting in bids to get these venues, I can't blame them, everybody's wanting a piece of the pie. I just hate to see Lincoln losing them," said Jeff Gasseling of Lincoln.
"I think it's great. I know we always love coming here and I'm sure that students do too," said Wilma Henri of Bellevue.
With plans for a new Haymarket Arena not set in stone, some worry the Nebraska School Activities Association could move the games to another city, just like they did with volleyball and wrestling.
"You go to Omaha, or you go to Grand Island, nothing against those cities, but we're the capital of Nebraska, the Capital City, that's what it's about," said Kelly Becker of Lincoln.
Most fans seem to think the Devaney Center is still a worthy venue, but the Pershing Center is another story.
"I think that the Devaney Sports Center is an outstanding facility. There's a lot of tradition here," Gasseling said.
"Pershing is a really undesirable place, and that's being kind," Mike Lawrence of Lincoln said.
Superintendent of Humphrey Public Schools Greg Sjuts agrees, "The Sport Center's a terrific venue for our kids to play in, but the Pershing Center is a little bit older."
Sjuts says he'd like to see Lincoln build a facility to compete with the Qwest Center in Omaha, and without the new arena, he thinks they could be traveling elsewhere in the near future.
"The NSAA would make that decision, but I think there's that possibility that it could look to Omaha, it could look to Grand Island. I know Grand Island has updated some facilities, that's certainly a possibility," Sjuts said.
Executive Director of the Nebraska School Activities Association Dr. Jim Tenopir says they voted last spring for the championships to stay in Lincoln for the next three years, but they vote again in the spring of 2012, and any city is fair game.
