Rural Iowa Communities Embrace Girls Basketball

Packed gyms and hometown glory, Iowa girls 6-on-6 basketball was a highlight for many small towns in Iowa. This segment from Iowa PBS’s More Than a Game: 6-on-6 Basketball in Iowa documentary includes first-hand accounts from a player and coach.

Jan Jensen, Elk Horn-kimballton High School, 1983-1987: I just think the rural communities really embraced it because it was wholesome. It was a family affair and it was unique. There was just this sense of it was our team, they were our girls, and it was a thing of pride to be one. It was a thing of pride to cheer for one.
 
Narrator: While the goal of every squad was to play in the state tournament in Des Moines, most teams never got there. Even so, their basketball seasons supplied plenty of hometown glory, as communities would fill their gyms every Tuesday and Friday night to cheer on their girls. Dean Roe coached six-on-six basketball in southwest Iowa for forty-five years.
 
Dean Roe, Coach 1949 - 1994: we always had good crowds because parents and grandparents, they'd make sure to go see their daughters or granddaughters play. There was always a crowd at those games. It was the highlight of most Iowa small schools.
 
Franklin Consolidated Team & Coach Earl Opheim (1952 - 1953)

packed!
 
[ laughter ]
 
It would be packed with people.
 
Everybody came early to make sure they got a seat. One thing you will notice too, in our pictures, our parents, fans, et cetera, the ladies had hats on and the men generally were in suits, shirts and ties. You don't see that as a rule now.
 
Well, we got ready actually the night before because we had to have our uniforms ready and our shoes all ready to go and mentally to get ready for the game.
 
We had to be home at 10:00 because coach would call and see if we were home in bed.