2 minute read
MUDSOCK GAME LOCATIONS
Moving Mudsock
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Attendance too much for gyms to handle
Ben Rosen rosenben000@hsestudents.org
With approximately 3,000 seats in both the FHS and HSE gymnasiums, no additional room is available to adjust seating position. The demand for the Mudsock basketball games is larger than the capacities of the two gymnasiums. The location of the games need to be moved.
According to Athletic Director Rob Seymour, attendance has consistently sold out since the beginning of the rivalry games when FHS opened in 2006. Enrollment at both schools continues to increase. According to the IHSAA, FHS has 3,509 students compared to HSE at 3,273 students. On Dec. 18, 2016, both the boys and girls Mudsock basketball games were played at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum at the state fairgrounds, the home of the Indy Fuel and IUPUI basketball.
According to Seymour, both FHS and HSE were contacted by a third party event organizer and a deal was reached between the parties to play the 2016 edition of the games at the coliseum.
Something similar should happen going forward. Seymour said that the athletic departments believe their facilities can handle the demand for tickets. The high school gyms have roughly 3,000 seats. With the increasing enrollments in both high schools the gyms are not capable of handling the student bodies of both schools.
The Indiana Farmers Coliseum could host the games again. According to Stadium Journey, it has a capacity of 6,300 seats. Hinkle Fieldhouse, which is the home of Butler basketball, would be another potential venue. According to Butler Sports, Hinkle has a capacity of 9,100 seats.
The Indiana Farmers Coliseum would be the more realistic of the two venues, especially knowing that the two schools have played there before. It would also be easier to fi ll with a lower capacity than Hinkle .ieldhouse. The coliseum seats are organized in a way that the game would not have a problem selling out there. Hinkle Fieldhouse probably would not sell out but it could likely be over half full, meaning at least , seats would be fi lled, the high school gyms have roughly 3,000 seats.
Hinkle is the spiritual home of Indiana basketball. It even appears in the movie “Hoosiers.” The Mudsock rivalry is the city’s version of IUPurdue. Putting Mudsock basketball at Hinkle would display the magic of the sport in Indiana. Mudsock and Hinkle is the perfect pairing, the perfect connection.
