The Gale Wickersham Stadium’s new scoreboard stands at twenty-six feet tall and forty-seven feet wide and will be the largest in Iowa’s high school athletics. Students and faculty are excited about the school district’s latest addition and the opportunities it entails.
The current scoreboard at the Wickersham Athletic Complex was running off software, which was last updated in 2007. Due to a scarce supply of parts, it has become outdated and practically unrepairable.
“There was no way to upgrade it and the manufacturer had stopped making parts for that board,” said Superintendent Dr. Vickie Murrillo. “We were purchasing parts from districts that were starting to discard that type of scoreboard.”
With the new board being introduced, new opportunities are open to students who are a part of media and journalism. The board allows them to learn the controls, create ads, and present their work.
“We’re really wanting students to be involved in helping us produce content along with the advertisement for those who have purchased to advertise during events,” said Murillo.
The new scoreboard will not only benefit the athletic teams but will also enhance the spectator’s experience. One ability that the board will have is instant replays. Although you can’t use the replays to challenge calls in high school football, the replays will enhance the spectator’s and players’ experience.
“I think the replays add more for the fan experience than the player experience, but players are going to want to see if they had a great play and that’s what brings excitement,” said assistant football coach Joel Nelson.
The new scoreboard will cost the district around $700,000 alone and an additional $200,000 for electronics and labor to put the new board together, putting the new scoreboard just under one million dollars. The school district has a payment plan with the company from which the scoreboard was bought from. The district will now have the ability to run ads for local companies that will pay the yearly payment.
In an email to the Echoes, Chief Communications Officer Diane Ostrowski wrote, “The Board of Education approved the use of our sales tax revenue fund. However, we are fortunate to have the partnership of area businesses who have contributed as sponsors to help pay for the cost over five years.”
The new scoreboard is planned to be completely revealed to the community at the AL vs. TJ game on September 20th. This gives time for the board to be finished and gives both schools a fair chance to see its greatness simultaneously.
