I started going through them in my mind, and it is a big list, so I decided to put them down on the computer. So here is my list. This is actually attending a football game, or a track meet. (with my travels for work, I have driven by many more, but not gonna count those). The list will include schools that are now departed due to closings and mergers. So this will be high schools, and possibly junior high schools.
(JH) will indicate a Junior High game or field. (Ref) will be fields I have refereed on (which adds to the total)
So let's start with my younger days, I was at every field in the Sioux Valley Conference. Sanborn, Milford, Hartley, Primghar, Paullina, Sutherland, Alta, and Aurelia. I'll throw in a bonus of Calumet (JH) of Sutherland. The only "bowl" I've been to. The field was not flat, it actually had a big dip in the middle.
Here are the remainder from my high school days in NW Iowa: Boyden-Hull (Hull), M-OC (Orange City), Sibley, George, Everly, Estherville.
So when I moved back to Iowa in 1997, I got to see some new ones. Then I started writing for the Story City Herald, and calling games on Norsemen Network/The Rocket, following the Norsemen around. I also covered girls track for awhile for The Herald, so that added some tracks. I also started reffing, so that has added some others. By 1997, there was no longer conference football, but districts, and that changed every two years. So that was a chance to add to my list. So here goes:
Roland-Story (Story City)(Ref), Roland-Story (Roland)(JH), Colo-Nesco (Zearing)(JH)(Ref), Colo-Nesco(Colo)(Ref), West Marshall (State Center), East Marshall(LeGrand), South Tama(Tama), Union(LaPorte City), BCLUW(Conrad), Dike-New Hartford, Aplington-Parkersburg, South Hardin (Eldora), Iowa Falls-Alden, South Hamilton(Ref), Webster City, Eagle Grove, Clarion-Goldfield, Ft Dodge St. Ed (Dodger Stadium), Prairie Valley (Gowrie), SE Webster Grand (Ref), Southern Cal (Lake City), Carroll Kuemper(Carroll Stadium), Greene County(Jefferson), East Greene(Rippey), Ogden(Ref), Boone(Ref), Ames, Ames(JH)(Ref), Ballard(Huxley), Bondurant-Farrar, Van Meter, Prairie City-Monroe, CMB-Baxter, CMB-Maxwell, North Polk(Old and New fields),Nevada(Ref), Gilbert (Old and New Fields) (Ref at both), Hampton-Dumont, Central Springs (Manly), Osage, North Fayette Valley (West Union), Hudson, Grundy Center.
So if I counted right, that is 60 different school facilities I've been witness to an event. Most are football, some are track only. And if I counted right, I've reffed at 11 different fields.
This has intrigued me for baseball now. I'm guessing that will be a higher number. But that will be for another day.
I do want to throw in a quick review. My favorite place is Eldora, at least from the visitor's side. Great view over a valley to the west. Really pretty in the fall. Twins: My high school field in Sanborn, and CMB-Maxwell. No track, so cars pull up right next to the field. Great way for fans to get really close to the action. Good looking places I haven't seen a game: Really like the looks of Emmetsburg's facilities as I drive by. And Colfax-Mingo looks kinda cool built into the side of a hill. Quirks: Nevada has a steep hill in the back endzone. as they try to cram it inside of a track. Sanborn and Primghar had baseball infields on the field, Primghar at the 50, and Sanborn in one endzone. Worst: North Polk's old field was the worst. Just beat to death, and something like a 3rd world field. Their upgrade to the new turf may have been the biggest upgrade in the history of Iowa high school sports.
Track quirks: Van Meter and Ogden, just like Drake, have blue ovals. Boone's track is more round, so it has huge sidelines for football, but the track curves are really close to the endzones.
