ByJoe Brown
Today at 3:28 PM
The Big Red Gym is getting a brand new look this fall
It’s not just a fresh coat of paint going up in the
Willmar High School
facility. The gym is getting a new facelift, with a new gym floor, bleachers, divider curtains and LED lighting
And yes, some fresh paint, too
The floor and bleachers are new for the first time since the current high school was opened in 1994
The renovations cost $1,033,984: $569,821 for new bleachers; $369,500 for the floor replacement; $48,594 for the divider curtains; and $46,069 for new lighting. The renovations were funded the building and grounds director for Willmar Public Schools
“It’ll be fantastic when it’s done,” said Willmar High School activities director Ryan Blahosky. “It’s gonna be a really sharp looking facility.”
It’s debut, however, will have to wait
After a delay to the floor construction, the new Big Red Gym won’t be ready when fall practices begin on Aug. 17 or when school starts on Aug. 31. According to Blahosky, the current timeline for completion is the week of Sept. 7
That has forced the Willmar volleyball team to shift how its practices will look at the beginning of the season. Plans are fluid, but Cardinals head volleyball coach Leah Brogdon has worked with Willmar Middle School activities director Payton Sterkowitz to have the varsity and JV practice at the middle school
“The middle school has been awesome to work with,” said Brogdon, who is a phy ed teacher at Lakeland Elementary and a 2015 WHS grad. “They’re willing to let us use their gym. … Payton said he had no problem moving their girls to Roosevelt (Elementary) so that we can use the middle-school facilities, if it works out.”
The middle school will also be the home for Cardinal volleyball’s first two matches. Willmar hosts St. Peter for the season opener on Aug. 28 and the Central Lakes Conference opener against Alexandria on Sept. 3. The next scheduled home match is Sept. 10 against Brainerd
“A few of the girls had a basketball game there this past winter and from my knowledge, it worked out really well,” Brogdon said. Both basketball and wrestling used WMS for events last winter
Brodgon added, “They have a lot of seating and it’s actually a pretty wide gym. It’ll be different but it’s also kind of cool to be somewhere else and be in town, too. Maybe we’ll draw more of a crowd.”
The floor should have more spring to it. And, extra padding should make it easier on the athletes’ bodies
Willmar’s basketball teams will feel the biggest difference. The hoops have been pushed back five feet on each side, expanding the playing floor from 84 feet long by 50 feet wide to a college-length 94×50. According to Blahosky, Willmar will be the only CLC team with a college-length basketball court
“I’m hoping that we’re able to host some more playoff games for some sections,” Blahosky said. “A lot of times, coaches like to get on that college-length floor since that’s where their section final is or if you go to state, you’re going to play on that longer floor.”
Visually, the gym will have a darker stain on the floor. The dividing curtain will be black. The east and west ends of the gym will have black paint in the corners to work with the new bleacher design. The baseline bleachers will be black with a red “W” in the middle. The north and south bleachers along the sidelines will be red with some black and gray seats speckled in. The bleachers will also have safety upgrades with handrails and ADA spaces
The old floor and bleachers were thrown out. But pieces of the old Big Red Gym will be utilized in the new design
“The (Cardinal head) logo that was in the middle of the floor, we saved that,” Blahosky said. “It’s gonna be put up on the wall in the gym. It’s cut in half right now but it’s going to be put back together. And we saved the ‘Home of the Cardinals’ on each side (of the old floor). We’re hoping to do something with that and get that mounted on a wall.”
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New site for schedules
Updates on Willmar activities are on a new website this fall
Schools across the state have moved from rSchoolToday/Arbiter to Bound for managing their activities schedules. All 18 schools in the West Central Tribune area are on Bound
To check the latest on activities around the state, go to www.gobound.com/mn
The site will also be used by WHS to buy tickets for athletic events, making it a one-stop spot for Cardinal activities
State tourney changes
The Minnesota State High School League announced a pair of state tournament decisions for the 2026-27 athletic season at its Board of Directors Meeting on Tuesday
The state cross-country meet has a new home this fall. Majestic Oaks Golf Course in Ham Lake will host the state championships on Saturday, Nov. 7. The move was made after Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights was put up for sale by the University of Minnesota. The Les Bolstad Golf Course was the host site from 2023-25. The state meet was previously held at St. Olaf College in Northfield
Another change is coming for the state girls and boys basketball tournaments
The girls tournament will be March 24-27. The boys tournament goes from March 31-April 3
The move was facilitated due to Williams Arena, now called The Barn, and the Target Center being used for the NCAA Division I basketball tournaments. The Barn hosts first- and second-round games for the women’s tournament starting on March 17. The Target Center hosts first- and second-round games of the men’s tournament March 19 and 21
By
Joe Brown
Joe Brown is a sports reporter for the West Central Tribune.He can be reached via email at: jbrown@wctrib.com or his office number: 320-214-4332.
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