Barre Auditorium, UVM, Rutland and Castleton

By Jack Healey
Congratulations to the state champions in girls basketball:St. Johnsbury, Fair Haven, Thetford and West Rutland!
How about St. Jay winning in Division 1? I don’t recall anybody predicting that one.
Listen up people:
The D2, D3 and D4 girls and boys basketball final 4 and championship games are played at the Barre Auditorium.
The D1 girls and boys final 4 and championship games are played at the UVM Patrick Gym.
The girls and boys hockey championship games are played at the UVM Gutterson Fieldhouse.
The high school baseball state championship games are played at the UVM Centennial Field.
The high school softball state championship games are played at Castleton University.
The high school football state championship games are played at Rutland High school.
Those are the venues! Get over it!
Again the conversation came up last week when West Rutland met Proctor in the D4 girls basketball semi’s at the Barre Auditorium and again on tonight’s D2 boys basketball semi between Mill River and MSJ. The question is why should two teams located just a couple of miles apart travel to places like the Barre Auditorium instead of playing at a neutral site around Rutland?
Do you think the West Rutland, Fair Haven or Thetford girls were thinking about the travel when they were cutting down the nets at the Barre Auditorium or the St. Johnsbury girls when they were cutting down the nets at UVM? I think not!
Changing championship venues depending on whose playing just makes no sense to me!