Written by Izzy Elliott
After 30-plus years, Salem High School got a new press box last month.The staff and students are excited for the new addition, which allows them to have brand new electronics, coverage, and better communication for games. Salem Lions News Network will be able to film in the rain without worrying about the equipment getting wet. Live streaming games has become something Lions fans count on when they can’t make it to an event.
Josh Lewis, who coaches football, soccer and track, thinks it's nice to have a new press box due to having more views of races and rallies.
“Handoffs are crucial to the success of the 4x100 relay, and sometimes at ground level it can be hard to see all three handoffs and judge how good they are,” he said. “With the press box, we can have a coach up there watching and able to see all the handoffs and even film them so we can show the guys what they look like and how we can possibly improve them.”
Lewis also thinks it's a good idea for soccer because the people in the pressbox can get views from the top that people from the bottom can’t get.
“I think for fans it can be beneficial because it will enhance how the stadium looks,” he added. “It looks good, and everybody can take pride in having nice facilities here at Salem. It also will provide some shade during events for fans sitting below the press box. So I do think fans will benefit in some ways from the new press box.”
Athletic Director Hank Weedin said the press box was not safe at all, the roof was collapsing and it had not been updated in 30 years.
“It failed the annual bleacher inspection,” he said. “It was also not up-to-date on the electronics. They had to leave games early due to rain because they didn’t want to ruin their equipment. The new press box includes more space, has dividers for the PA announcers, clock announcers, coaches, etc.”
Weedin said one of the big expenses was that the support base had to be larger due to the stand alone box.
“Our bleachers were donated over 30 years ago by a Salem alum who worked for the Indianapolis Raceway,” said Weedin. “So our bleachers were used when we received them. As a result, they are not designed to bear the weight of a press box so the box could not be tied into the bleachers as a source of support. The support system for our box (and any new box) was going to have to be larger and stronger to support the free standing box.”
He said part of the issue with the previous box failing inspection a few years ago was that the supports were not strong enough to support it efficiently.
“Other schools in our conference who have recently upgraded to similar size boxes are Charlestown, Brownstown, Silver Creek and Madison," said Weedin.
JD Wade-Swift, who teaches broadcasting and leads Salem Lions News Network, said that it will allow more growth for the program. The public will benefit from this because SLNN will offer all home games for free on the IHSAATV app and website.
He said his group is looking forward to staying cool on hot nights and being warm on cold nights.
“The new press box will be able to have better communication,” he added. “It will also eliminate hours of setup time.”