Not All Construction Delays are Bad

I like planning and executing blog missions. However, I like accidentally discovering a blog worthy event much more. One day, while traveling just east of Indianapolis, our WAZE navigator told us to get off the interstate. Regrettably, it wanted to reroute us due to construction on I-70. Oh well, what WAZE says…we do. As I was navigating the back roads of Indiana and coming to grips with my inevitable delay, a sign caught my eye. Perhaps, not all construction delays are bad.

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That’s right. We were rerouted near a very small town called Knightstown, Indiana. And, as I quickly learned, Knightstown has the actual gymnasium where the movie “Hoosiers” was filmed. Let’s speak the truth, if you have failed to watch Hoosiers…this post will mean nothing to you. If you are one of these failures, fix it quickly. Hoosiers is easily in the top 5 of greatest sports movies of all time. Headlined by Gene Hackman, Hoosiers tells the story of the small high school basketball team, known as the Hickory Huskers. Obviously, I was not going to pass up a chance to see the Hoosier gymnasium…where it all happened.

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When we saw the huge mural in the center of town, we knew we were on the right track. Shortly thereafter, the signs guided us right to the front door of the Hickory High School gymnasium. My hopes were high. Was it going to be possible to sneak in and see the gym? Sneak? Why sneak? The door was open. Not only was the door open, but there was a volunteer waiting in the lobby to greet us. Unbelievably, the place is open most days. Furthermore, volunteers are present to give tours and information. Last and most importantly, its all FREE! The fun starts in the gym lobby with the educational portion of the tour. As you should know, the basic story is the rise of this small town basketball team to win the 1952 Indiana High School Championship. Its a fictional story, inspired by real events.

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The original story is really based on the Milan High School Indians that won the Indiana State Championship in 1954. However, Milan wanted no part of being the basis for the fictional story. Their reluctance had to do with certain aspects of the fictional story, such as the disgraced coach, alcoholic assistant coach, etc. So, the backers of the project created the Hickory High School Huskers. Based on the huge success of this movie, I think its a safe bet that Milan regrets their decision.

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My favorite fun fact from the lobby was in the recruitment of the young actors. Actually, the makers of the movie did not recruit actors. Rather, they recruited high school looking boys that played basketball. The casting folks wanted the basketball to be real. Consequently, they figured it was easier to teach basketball players to act, than it was to teach actors to play basketball. Beyond that, the lobby was filled with all the usual memorabilia that you would expect for the movie. Frankly, I wanted tour volunteer to just shut up so that I could see the Hoosier gym. Finally, he shut up and opened the door…

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What I saw did not disappoint. True, the gym has been modernized. It had to be. They still have tournaments, All Star games, and other invitational events at this location. High School boys and girls get the chance to play on the Hoosier gym. But, beyond the modernization, it still looks like the gym in the movie. They even give you basketballs so you can take a shot in the Hoosier gym. I took the same shot that Merle made in the final second to lift Hickory over Dugger. However, I was under no pressure and I missed my first shot on the Hoosier court.

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The locker rooms still had that Hoosiers look to them as well…

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Undoubtedly, you probably will not get much out of this post if you have not seen Hoosiers. But frankly, that’s your fault. I found Hoosiers on Hulu so that Carol could watch it. In my previous life, my company even had a leadership training course based on watching and discussing Hoosiers. Hoosiers is a classic sports film of the highest order. Further, I really enjoyed finding the set where it was filmed. This surprise blog mission was well worth the detour…not all construction delays are bad. Have a wonderful day. PT

I hope you have enjoyed reading “Not All Construction Delays are Bad” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks.

If you liked visiting this movie set, here was my Shawshank post https://travelingwithpt.com/return-to-shawshank/

If you want to visit the Hoosier gym, check this out http://www.thehoosiergym.com/