The Lloyd E. Scott Gymnasium in Seymour, Indiana is where my dear wife, Carrie, and I will be tomorrow night.  For me it will be like going back to the future as I write this series.

First, this gym is the third largest high school gym in America.  8,110 is the official capacity the last time I checked.  I don’t think it has changed.

Tomorrow night the Lady Cats of North Harrison make their ascent into 4A Sectional territory thanks to some asinine rules made up by someone stuck cultivating a vineyard of sour grapes.  Okay, I’m done with that.  I won’t bring it up again.

The home of the Seymour Owls is where I went to the old single class sectional when I lived ten miles from Seymour in Brownstown.  I think the last Seymour Sectional I went to was in 1978 and I was ten.  No, I take that back, when I was a senior in high school I went up with Marc Gayheart, a buddy of mine, and we watched  friends from Brownstown Central play Bedford North Lawrence in March of 1986.  That was fun too.  It was good to be back.  But not nearly as good as it will be tomorrow night.  There is a pattern here…the Lady Cats are playing Bedford North Lawrence. It should be a good one.

The old timer in me comes out now.  When I went up to purchase my sectional tickets for this year, I was handed this:

Your old Uncle Dan can remember having a glossy sheet of perforated tickets each with a different date and the section and seat number you were assigned to during the Seymour Sectional.  It was as large as the gym was.  Aside from the Jackson County Fair, the Seymour Sectional, filled with local teams in the age of single class basketball, was the social event of the year.  It really was something.

But guess what?  The high school full of kids at North Harrison don’t want to hear that and I doubt if anyone else wants to either.  They are all making their own memories. That is what is most important.  And I am with them!  Go Big Blue!  You can do it.  I just know that I have a point of reference and a memory lane that is very very unique.  I have been blessed again and again.

The Lady Cats, in the last three years, have won 76 games and lost only 8.  Two of those defeats were in state championship games.  They know what they are doing.   It’s called hard work and dedication and coaching and trusting each other and finding the open lane.  I know I have a reputation of being a football guy.  Though I don’t get there often enough these days, I still love a hot gym on a cold Hoosier night.  This is going to be fun.

So I raise a glass to the senior Lady Cats:  Shelby, Cali, Emma, Taylor, Hallie, and Jessicka.  Go make a few more good memories…win or…close win.

Speaking the rights…

I was going to cheat and write another one tonight…but I am going to wait and write one when I get home from Seymour tomorrow night.

Danny Johnson