By JAMIE SUHR, Of The Globe Gazette
DES MOINES ” For nine years, Jane Gruis and her family made the trek to Veterans Auditorium, dubbed “The Barn,” for the state wrestling tournament.
To Gruis, Veterans Auditorium was about as comfortable as a barn, so count her as one person happy to see the tourney move to the newly-built and spacious Wells Fargo Arena.
“I like it,” said Gruis, who watched son Thomas, a Clear Lake junior, wrestle in a Class 2A 215-pound match Wednesday night.
That, Iowa High School Athletic Association information director Bud Legg said, was one of the key reasons for the move.
Wells Fargo Arena has more amenities for wrestling fans. TVs screens are up in the hallways, the seats have cushions and there are three major entrances to the venue ” something Veterans Auditorium didn’t have.
“It’s more user friendly,” Legg said. “It’s not going to be like Vets, but maybe it could be better.”
Jane Gruis says there is one thing she’ll miss ” the intimacy of Veterans Auditorium. There, parents and fans were almost on top of the mat.
“I liked it when you could go down right there on the mat,” she said. “If I could change one thing, it’d be that.”
Legg expected as much from fans.
“People knew the old atmosphere would go by the wayside eventually,” he said. “Now there’s a chance to start a new tradition here.”
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