Column: Worth every penny

• Gov. John Hoeven

Press Photo by Dustin Monke North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven stands in the 50-yard-line camera box on the upper level of the Badlands Activities Center on Monday. Hoeven toured the facility for the first time along with hundreds of Dickinson residents.

Talk about it

As he walked the halls of the Badlands Activities Center for the first time, North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven displayed the type of wide-eyed enthusiasm normally only seen on the faces of the athletes who will soon call the facility home.

It got me thinking. If the new BAC can give the state’s most powerful man a few looks of wonder, something must have gone right somewhere on the way to building what Dickinson State University President Dr. Richard McCallum called “a new gem in the Queen City’s crown.”

On Monday morning, Hoeven and McCallum spoke to and stood with hundreds of Dickinson citizens as DSU opened the BAC’s doors to the public for the first time during an open house. Those who had seen the track and field at different events were finally given the opportunity to tour the inside of the BAC.

It’s safe to say no one walked away disappointed.

After more than 10 years of discussions, planning and arguments over costs — including a critical and criticized November 2008 vote that allocated $6 million worth of the city’s existing and future hospitality and sales tax to be used on the facility — Dickinson residents and officials who poured time and effort into the project finally had a chance to see what all the fuss was about.

“I don’t know how you could have made it any nicer,” Hoeven said sincerely as he gave the inside of the BAC a final look before leaving.

Hundreds toured the facility from top to bottom throughout the day, checking out the media area, coaches boxes and suites on the upper level, where the view of our city is nothing short of spectacular. They also saw the locker rooms and state-of-the-art athletic training room their children and grandchildren will or may someday utilize as student-athletes.

A stroll through the lower level locker room area — which is as good as anything you’ll see at a big-time university — showcased one of the many reasons why the BAC will be the crowning jewel of our vibrant athletic community.

Since they’ve had football, the Blue Hawks — not to mention the city’s high school teams — have spent their halftimes outside in the conditions, be they hot, cold or just plain miserable.

Now, if quarterback Cody Holland’s back aches at halftime, if linebacker Jason Kraft needs his ankles taped or if coach Hank Biesiot just wants to warm up, they have a locker room and a training area in which to do so. The days of trying to recharge the batteries or diagnose injuries while standing outside in freezing winds and rain are over.

From the fan aspect, there isn’t a bad seat in the house. Whether you’re in a suite, in one of the sponsored blue seat-back chairs near mid-field or in the farthest corner of the bleachers and nowhere near the shade the building is sure to provide on those Indian summer Saturday afternoons, any ticket will be worth the price of admission.

As Hoeven inspected the field and track, he remarked how fast the two surfaces must be for athletes. I assured him several athletes have already confirmed that more than a few times already this spring.

While the DSU, Dickinson High and Dickinson Trinity football teams have already played a season on Fisher Field, it won’t compare to what those teams or their fans now have for countless years to come.

The first football game at the completed facility will be the Badlands Bowl on June 19 featuring the high school all-star teams from North Dakota and Montana.

Hoeven got a chorus of laughter from the hundreds who attended the morning’s festivities when he talked about the Badlands Bowl.

“That’s when North Dakota pounds the crap out of Montana in a high school all-star game,” Hoeven boldly said with a smile while describing the game. “That’s a prediction. You can quote me on it. I just hope the Montanans show up this year.”

An awesome slate of football games are already scheduled for this fall too, including some Dickinson High and Trinity doubleheaders.

Whether you’re the BAC’s staunchest supporter or its biggest detractor, as Southwest North Dakota residents, you owe it to yourself to take in a game or two here. Sure, you may not agree with the politics of how the facility was constructed, but that’s over and done.

The focus, as so many people I spoke with Monday said, now must turn to the youth of the city and how they utilize the BAC.

While the facility may have cost $16 million dollars, it’s sure to produce a memory for every cent spent.

Monke is the Sports Editor of The Dickinson Press. Read his blog at www.areavoices.com/monke.

Tags: blue hawks, badlands activities center, john hoeven, sports, columns, football