News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Warren County High School has given its gym floor a face-lift to keep athletes safe and represent the entire Warren County community.
Assistant Principal Anthony Lippe said the new design features a map of Warren County. Lippe said peeling and cracking in the floor made the project a safety priority.
“The kids are excited about it, the coaches love it, and we posted it on our social media and had a lot of great feedback from the community about how great the floor looks,” Lippe said. “We want the best for our student-athletes.”
Lippe said that a water-based sealer was used to keep the wood in good shape longer. This tactic will allow the wood to “pop” and reduce the yellowing effect of long-term use.
After an initial deal with contractors fell through, the school got the project done with Finchum Sports Floors out of Sevierville. Lippe said the project is covered by the school’s maintenance budget and he was happy to squeeze it in before basketball season begins.
“Ever so often you have your normal wear and tear,” Lippe said. “You definitely have to keep it up and you have to maintenance it just like everything else, so it was just that time that we had to get it refinished. It was decided that we were just going to take it down to the bare bones.”
Lippe said the new floor was his first priority when took over as co-Athletic Director last year. Lippe said that he and his fellow athletic director Phillip King sat down with Executive Principal Chris Hobbs and created the design that would symbolize not only the school, but the entire County.
“We came up with a design that we thought would embody our school and our community and be something that we could be proud about,” Lippe said. “It was really neat to see them come in and put the paint down for us and see it sort of come to life. It was a really cool process.”
The Warren County Patriots basketball team will get its first chance to play on the new court on November 18.
