CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Up until now, indoor sports teams at Rockport-Fulton High School have been having practices out of town, in churches, anywhere in the community where a gym was available.
But now, they are able to host athletic events in their own facility again.
"it's going to help out with all of our practices here as well as games, and now we can host tournaments here and really have a nice venue," says Norman Spears, the district's director of operational services.
When the project first started, the gym plans were shelved because they were already severely over budget. But then, "The Ellen Degeneres Show" and Lowe's stepped up to help fill the gap.
"I get a call from the Ellen Show about two months later and i was like 'Oh, my gosh,'" Rockport-Fulton Superintendent Joey Patek said.
That partnership provided $1 million for the district to add to the gym's rebuilding fund. The Rockport-Fulton competition gym final cost was about $4.5 million and has a seating capacity of 1,000.
After nearly a year of construction, the dream gym finally is complete. It's fully equipped with a new scorer's table, televisions and full-ceiling soundpads.
"I'm really proud of the glass, where you go to the concession stand and get something to eat and drink," Spears said. "I'm really proud of the floor, the stain turned out really nicely. I'm really proud of those things,"
