One of Indiana’s premier high school gymnasiums received a facelift this summer – creating a unique, crisp, and updated look and surface for volleyball and basketball players and fans. Warsaw Community Schools, as a part of the routine floor maintenance for gym floors in the corporation, had its main gymnasium court at the high school, The Tiger Den, in line to be sanded clear to remove 10 years (roughly 15 layers) of polyurethane buildup. The process, which is routine floor maintenance that is performed every 10-12 years, can be done on a wood floor four or five times over the wood floor’s life span, depending on the condition and thickness of the original wood. This is the second sanding performed at the Tiger Den. Hammel Floor Services (Huntington, Ind.) was one of four floor service companies presenting bids for the project in the early spring, and owner Dan Kline and his crew were awarded the bid for the project. The plans for the court design began in January with discussions between WCHS Athletic Director Dave Anson, Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz, and WCHS Principal Troy Akers. Local businessman Matt Hoskins was also consulted to see if his company, PayProMedia, would be interested in assisting with design ideas and creating floor drafts using a variety of court components. Once various floor features were identified (type of lettering, line colors, primary logo, conference and IHSAA logos, etc.), Anson interviewed over 30 former players, Tiger fans, current players and school personnel to determine their preference and opinion of the components. Once this was complete, it was clear which features were clear favorites. Additional drafts were created based on the results of the interviews, and a final decision came down to Anson, Akers, girls basketball coach Michelle Harter, boys basketball coach Doug Ogle and volleyball coach Mike Howard. Work on the floor began the last week of June, and the final polyurethane coat was applied to the surface Wednesday. The court will be ready for foot traffic Monday! Tiger fans will notice some differences in the court’s artistic design, which features stained 3-point areas, white out-of-bounds lines, white borders to the bold WARSAW on the baselines, full orange borders around the basketball court, and a unique Tiger claw mark across the middle of the court, and a “Tiger Font” declaring “The TIGER DEN” in two locations.
