This morning my cousin Katie D came over to deliver some colored glass stars I ordered. By-the-way, if you love colored glass stars (first crafted by Provonian artist Kurt Knudsen) Katie makes them out of her home. And howdy, they are most lovely in the morning sun.
It was early, and even though it was a red-alert smoggy day, Kate looked like she was dressed for sunshine.
I said to Katie,
"What are you doing today Kate?"
And she replied,
"Taking the kids to the field house with Jayne."
Ahh yes. The field house.
If you were going to ask me about my favorite building in Provo I would answer the Smith Field House on BYU campus. It is old, but it was built with foresight and genius. Big enough to host a small planet and its ability to hold multi-functions under one roof is incredible. A wondrous place to bounce echos off the walls, jump and roll on the pole vaulting mats and most importantly, take energetic children to dissolve all wintery-pent up steam. There is enough room to run to eternity. I don't know a child alive who doesn't love that place.
But not only for these reasons to I love the SFH. The place has a soul, an exciting energy runs through the open corridors, around the track and spreads about in the multi-use arena. You can smell it in the air, a sweaty, musty smell of decades past. It has captured all the thrills of sports and mixed it with the determination of athletes as they go about their business training for the next meet.
If you are tired of the cold, smog-filled, heartless days of January, try taking your spirit (and children, if you have them) to the SFH and let it fill you up with energy (while it conquers the adrenaline of your children). It is free, open to the public, and is iron-made so that there is nothing destructible standing--even for your clever two-year-old.
Then, when you've had enough, go home and take a long winter's nap.
More info here.
Photo from here.
15 comments:
i love this place. loved the track and the volleyball matches when i was at BYU. i wish we had something like it in Colorado Springs. Would make the long winters with 3 kiddos much more enjoyable! Lucky Provonians! :)
Ah, good memories of the track. I miss it now that I'm stuck out here in Lehi. I wondered what this post would be about when all the Google ads on the side were about mold! I don't usually think mold when I think of the SFH. Must be the musty.
Ok - but now how can I order a glass star??
I love that place, but I still can't go there without getting tired. It comes from having 3 years of indoor track held there at 5 a.m. during high school... Ah, to the good old days! :)
Every morning, my 18 month old is perched on my lap as we check e-mail and blogs. He loves to watch the screen and comment.
I clicked on the link for the stars. Up pops a large picture of your sisters windows with a piggy cookie jar. Van sees the piggy and says, "Giggy!" And then I scroll down and there is Gigs himself. Smart boy I have.
I'm with Bonnie, I want some stars! When, where, and how? Thanks much!
i love katie, (if she is the katie that's chuck & jayne's sis...) but i also count it my duty to announce that kurt's very own oldest daughter still continues the same "knudsen stars" biz. if katie gets at all too busy with requests, you can email [email protected] for some stars too.
My dad is 68 and still has dreams of being in the SFH.
The dreams usually have to do with registering for classes since back then that's where the BYU student body went, table to table requesting different classes and class times to put together their schedules.
Nikki, I also love to hear about my parent's experiences at the field house. Good times, that place, good times.
can i be irritating for a second? there was actually very little foresight invovled in the SFH. i took a designing byu class at, well, byu, and it was hilarious to learn how often that building has been added on to awkwardly (hallways on the outside of the building upstairs?). but it's still a fabulous and wonderfully smelly place to be!
interesting annie. maybe that is why i like it? just a little strange and smelly?
like me?
We have spent many an evening there the past couple of weeks! It gets the kids out of the house and gets some of the "I hate winter" grumpies out of me.
whatcha doing with those glass stars?
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