Gym Photography Project Checklist

The Gym Photography Project is one of my favorite projects that we have going on here. I love to see the gyms from around the state. The more I see, the more I realize how unique each one is. Each gym has a story to tell. Maybe it’s a team that went 25-0 and cruised to a state championship. Maybe one of the all-time greats learned the game there and was a hometown hero for four years.

Maybe the gym is tiny, old and falling apart. Perhaps it sparkles with the latest technology and amenities. Or more likely, it’s just a hunk of wood, brick and mortar designed and built for hundreds of boys and girls to run around in on Friday nights, representing their towns and schools to the best of their abilities.

The purpose of the Gym Photography project is not to compare gyms per se. It isn’t to make one school feel superior or another inferior.

The way I see it, the gyms are like our towns. Different. Unique. Small. Large.

That’s what I happen to love about 1A basketball and what I love about the Gym Photography Project.

I hope it is with this understanding that people make a point to snap a few photos of their gyms this winter. Take a few pictures, send them along and tell us what you like about the gym. Tell us what makes it unique, fun or a challenging place to play.

If you know any history of the gym, send it along. If you know someone who might know about the history of the gym, send it along. The Gym Photography Project is about sharing with the state the places our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters and friends play the game of basketball.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Below is a list of the 1A Districts, courtesy of the OSAA. We have photos of several schools but we are also missing quite a few. Click on the name of the school to see their gyms.

Thanks to all who have submitted photos!

District 1 – The Valley 10 League

City Christian
Columbia Christian
Damascus Christian
Life Christian
North Clackamas Christian
Open Door Christian Academy
Portland Lutheran
Portland Waldorf
Southwest Christian

District 2 – Casco League

C.S. Lewis Academy - Thanks Sarah
Country Christian - Thanks Sarah!
Falls City - Thanks Sarah!
Jewell - Photo and Article coming soon!
Mid-Valley Christian Academy
Oregon School For The Deaf - Thanks Jeremy!
Perrydale - Thanks Sarah!
St. Paul - Thanks Sarah
Willamette Christian
Willamette Valley Christian - Photo and Article coming soon!

District 3 – Mountain West League

Alsea
Eddyville Charter
Lowell
Mapleton
McKenzie
Mohawk - Photos and Article coming soon!
Siletz Valley
Triangle Lake

District 4 – Skyline League

Camas Valley
Elkton
New Hope Christian
Oak Hill / Lifegate Christian
Pacific
Powers
Umpqua Valley Christian

District 5 – Mountain Valley League

Butte Falls
Gilchrist
Hosanna Christian
North Lake
Paisley
Prospect Charter
Rogue Valley Adventist
The Triad

District 6 – Big Sky League

Arlington
Central Christian
Condon / Wheeler - Photos and article of Wheeler coming soon!
Dufur
Echo
Griswold
Horizon Christian (Hood River)
Ione
Nixyaawii
Sherman
South Wasco County

District 7 – Old Oregon League

Cove
Imbler
Joseph
Pine Eagle
Powder Valley
Wallowa

District 8 – High Desert League

Adrian - Thanks Angie!
Burnt River
Crane
Dayville / Monument
Harper
Huntington
Jordan Valley - Thanks Angie!
Long Creek
Mitchell - Thanks Buck!
Prairie City - Thanks Ryan!
Spray - Thanks Buck!
Ukiah
Read more!

Peck Gymnasium - Oregon School for the Deaf

Jeremy Brahm, volleyball coach at Oregon School for the Deaf, passes along photos of Oregon School for the Deaf’s Peck Gymnasium, named for William “Bill” Peck. Built in 1963, the gym recently underwent a floor renovation courtesy of a fundraising plan. The previous floor was the hard, rubberized material common during the 70’s and it was replaced with a beautiful wood floor.

The walls also underwent some changes as well as they added the new logo to the south wall.

Jeremy writes:

“Here are the photos of the Peck Gym at Oregon School for the Deaf in Salem. The Peck Gym last year had rubberized floors and the school had decided that too many students were getting injured and they completed their fund raising for a new floor during the 2009-2010 school year.

The new floor is all wood, with purple and white lines to match the school colors. The newly adopted school logo was painted on the North wall of the gymnasium as well. Most of our opponents, when they visited the gym for the first time this year said that they loved the look of it. I have to admit that the gym looks great on the inside and I was often sweeping the floor before matches and practices trying to keep it clean.

Because the gym is used by the entire school, high school through elementary school, padding is placed on the east wall to prevent kids from getting injured in basketball games with the climbing rocks jutting out from the wall. For volleyball matches we can pull out the bleachers from both walls, but we only do that for our matches with Washington School for the Deaf.


For basketball, we raise the scorer’s table to enable the statisticians and scoreboard operator a clean view of the court.

What will sound strange is that this gym can be incredibly loud. Yes, a deaf school with a loud gym, but it is the truth. I am the head coach for volleyball and helped out with a tiebreaking match this fall with two hearing teams. There were probably only 20-30 people in the stands and the girls on the court and the benches. I ran the scoreboard and there was one scorekeeper. She and I agreed during that match that it was incredibly loud, which with less than 80 people was amazing to me.

I told John Castrese the Athletic Director, who is deaf, that it was really loud. He looked at me and laughed. But it was loud with the sound just bouncing back and forth off the roof and walls. I try to make sure that I bring earplugs if I’m helping out during basketball games.”

The new floor and paint job at Oregon School for the Deaf looks fantastic. It is a very bright gymnasium and you can’t underestimate what a beautiful new floor can do for the look of a gym.


I like that it is still somewhat of a small gym and it has the stage on the end, but the new floor definitely gives the gym a serious upgrade.

Personally, I’m a big fan of simple gym floor design and in my opinion OSD hits it out of the park in that realm. They have stuck to simple lines and the traditional painted area. The “Home of the Panthers” on the baseline is another added feature that while kind of a small thing, is a nice touch for the current players and alums returning to watch games.

One thing that is interesting to me is the Oregon logo at midcourt which looks strikingly similar to the University of Oregon’s Mac Court. It might actually be the same font as University of Oregon’s. Knowing how particular the athletic department at the University of Oregon can be when it comes to their logos, fonts and images, I’m actually somewhat surprised that they permitted this. If there’s a back story to that, I’d love to know it.

Thanks to Jeremy for passing along the photos. His name and information were used with his permission.
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Getting to Know Oregon

While researching wagon train rides in Eastern Oregon, I came across this neat historical study from Oregonlive written in 2009. It tells the story of how a town in each of Oregon's counties got it's name.

Antelope, Island City, Bridal Veil and Sublimity are discussed and might be known to many. But what about Butcher Bill Meadow in Morrow County? How about a covered bridge named The Office in Lane County? Jumpoff Joe Creek in Josephine County? Or Whorehouse Meadow in Harney County?

It's a fascinating article and well worth your time to learn more about the history of some of Oregon's most fascinating features.

Getting to know Oregon

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