The Sports Marketing class said goodbye to Cokely Fieldhouse the best way they knew how. They stayed on point with the video board, which promoted sponsors at the game. The Class also raised awareness of the final games and designed shirts. The shirt said “Cokely Fieldhouse Forever” and almost everybody was wearing them for the last four basketball games in Cokely Fieldhouse.

“A lot of people asked us to promote the game in a bunch of different ways so we did exactly what they asked us to,” sports marketing teacher Sara Havermann said.

Head Football Coach Chad Frigion came up with the idea of designing shirts for the last Cokely games. He asked if students in Sports Marketing would be interested in this task.

“It was a lot to get done, especially with a time crunch, but we were capable of pulling it off with making the shirts,” junior Jacob Nelson said.

Some of the other tasks Sports Marketing took on to help contribute to the last Cokely Fieldhouse game were tweets sent out about it and posters all over the school. They also raised awareness through the Rise App.

 

Bringing it Back

At halftime of the boy’s varsity game, the members and coaches of the three state winning teams were recognized. Part of that was viewing a video created by the broadcasting class to honor Cokely and everyone who has been a part of it.

“I think it was just really special for my family to be recognized, but also for the history of Cokely. All of the players, fans and coaches that have been a part of Cokely history were there,” junior Morgan Fleming said.

“Both of my brothers and my sister were honored at half time. It was really special for my family to be recognized, and for myself to be part of it by creating the Goodbye Cokely Video,” Fleming said. “Having three members of my family honored at half time was a cool experience because they were a part of Cokely.”

The Goodbye Cokely Video was an incredible way to honor Cokely by all the former players and coaches.

 

From the Coach

“My thoughts [going into Friday night’s game] were different from the typical preparation and feeling prior to a game in Cokely,” Coach Roger Stirtz said.

Friday night was so much more than a game; it meant so much more to the players, coaches, fans and community.

“There are always those extra special games. Big conference games, Stessman Championship games, but our game Friday night was something totally different,” Stirtz said. “[All of] my games over the last 20 years as a coach in our program were different from Friday night. There’s only one ‘last game’.”

Cokely will always hold a special place in the hearts of the Blue Jays. Going to a game in Cokely is completely different from any other gym.

“[Being able to] coach in Cokely Fieldhouse was an incredible experience,” Stirtz said. “The closeness to the action, the loudness, the Cokely Crazies and all the people involved in our program made it very special.”

There are so many incredible memories of Cokely field house

“I should write a book someday of all the memories.  My fondest memory of Cokely will be all the people, the players, opponents, fellow coaches and fans that I had the privilege to meet and build relationships with because Cokely was where we met,” Stirtz said.

Of all the seasons played in Cokely this one was different.

“This season has been very special to me.  We’ve had our ups and downs, like every team does, but our guys have worked extremely hard though it all. I’m very proud of each member of the team.  We’re a tight group.  They are a blast to spend time with,” Stirtz said. “We’re all looking forward to the new field house.  It’s going to be an amazing facility.  Our players and program deserve it.”

From the Student Section

So many students showed up to the final game in Cokely field house. It was a privilege to be in the stands among fellow Jays cheering on basketball teams one last time. Our student section was overflowing. There were people on either side of you, and students standing on the stairs. When the ‘Goodbye Cokely Video’ was played in between games, you could have heard a pin drop. All the students, faculty, former Jays and fans revisited the best times they’d had in the field house one last time.

“The atmosphere was amazing! No matter where I looked all I could see was an ocean of fans decked out in blue, all with the same goal of cheering on our teams. From the final roller coaster in Cokely, to the Goodbye Cokely video, the night could simply be described in one word, ‘hype’,” freshman Amos Mwaura said. “Even though I was only able to be an official Cokely Crazy one year as a freshman, it was a night I’ll never forget.”

The atmosphere in Cokely that night is one that will be cherished among many.

“The last game in the Cokely Field House on Friday made me proud to be a Blue Jay,”freshman Tara Cookson said. “The bleachers were crowded, but it was easy to ignore the tight space when there was cheering and yelling going on. It was great to feel like a Blue Jay.”

 

The Lady Jays played their last game in Cokely Fieldhouse

On Friday, February 27, both girls and boys JV and varsity played their last home basketball games in the Cokely Fieldhouse. The games played and memories made in the Cokely Fieldhouse will never be forgotten.

“My favorite memory from Cokely fieldhouse was beating Lee Summit West my sophomore year on a buzzer beater. Taylor Gerstner dished an assist to Chiarra Franklin who scored the game winning shot as the clock was running out in overtime. It was insane and the student section stormed the court,” junior Sydney Offield said.

The Cokely Crazies are the ones who brought senior Chiarra Franklin one of her favorite Cokely Fieldhouse basketball memories.

“My favorite memory was the game this year against Park Hill. We had a great student section that was engaged the whole time, and it a made difference in the game,” Franklin said.

Current seniors won’t be able to experience playing in the new fieldhouse next year.

“Being that I am the last person to have played all four years in Cokely it is crazy to think that it is no longer the main field house. I was just thinking back to my first game at Cokely and how things have changed!” Franklin said.

Although history was made Friday night, the season is not over yet.

“It was awesome being able to be a part of Cokely’s history, but we have some unfinished business to take care of this last season in Cokely,” Offield said.

 

The Beauty of Goodbye’s

  Pride, teamwork, commitment, honor and integrity; these great virtues are what has driven the boy’s and girl’s teams that have had the privilege to play in Cokely Field House. Even now when we say goodbye to it, the memories, both good and bad remain.

  Despite the loss of the varsity boy’s basketball, the Cokely Crazies still gave a great and spirited send off to the field house. Now the loss we all can admit was a bit of a buzzkill, but good vibes given off from the Crazies, the players, parents, coaches and alumni were enough to suppress that bummed feeling and make everyone realize the greater meaning as to why they had gathered in Cokely that night.

  Even with the uprooting of the team, the Cokely traditions still remain. Before game time, the varsity boy’s team slid on the floor by the student section and went into one last huddle in Cokely while being joined with some of the senior students.

  “Since it’s the last game there’s a lot of tradition. A lot of great players have come through Cokely so it’s special to me to close [the game] out, but for us as the team, we’re trying to treat it like any other game,” sophomore Clayton Adams said before the game on Friday night. “I’m just excited to go out there to get a win.”

  Although we may not be the Cokely Crazies next year, we are, and always will be, the Blue Jays.

 

The Spirit of the Student Section

I have never, personally, had much interest in sports, but when you’re standing in the student section you feel compelled to cheer until your voice is hoarse.

During the JV games there were not as many people, but once varsity got out onto the court, the stands were filled to the brim. It was almost too loud to think.

Along with almost breaking your eardrums, the student section was its own sea of blue. Everyone had on some article of Blue Jay Nation wear. I even saw a blue velvet fedora somewhere in the crowd.

There was so much going on during the entire game and if you missed what had just happened on court you could have just tapped and asked someone and received a very detailed answer.

It was great to see everyone interacting with each other, showing school spirit and their support for the teams. Some would even call it a picture perfect moment. Clearly the crowd thought so since it seemed like everyone was taking a selfie. Someone even brought their selfie stick into the crowd. I hope it did not break since the crowd was pretty crazy.

It was so much fun to participate in the different cheers and gestures. It was like a simultaneous decision made through the crowd to say or do something, although it probably was not that smooth in truth.

“I loved how everyone could just come together and cheer for the basketball teams, it was so much fun and we almost broke the blenchers,” freshman Carly Simpson said.

That pretty much summed up the entire fan section. People were having a awesome time, and there was a lot of jumping involved.

If given the chance to go and hangout at a big event, don’t pass up the offer. You will be tired and half-dead, but despite all this the experience will make you smile like nothing else.

 

Sayonara Cokely

#GoodByeCokely was a short film created by senior Isaac Knopf and junior Morgan Fleming in honor of the final day of use for the Cokely Fieldhouse. The video included various interviews of past and present coaches, as well as several alumni and past state champions who spoke about how the Cokely fieldhouse has affected them and the spirit the house brought to the game.

“Coming out [to a game], literally every hair on your arm stood up and it was impossible not to get fired up to play a game.” 1998 state champion player Ryan Stegall said.

The great atmosphere was mostly attributed to “Cokely’s Crazies,” the LHS basketball fans. Past and present coaches and players claimed that because there would be so many loud fans, players couldn’t hear calls and plays made by coaches. Current varsity Coach Roger Stirtz stated that his ears did not stop ringing until Sunday.

The film also featured a tribute to the late Jack Smith, former LHS janitor and the schools greatest bluejay fan.

“Jack Smith was known as Liberty’s Mr. Bluejay and I don’t think that name could have fit him more.” 2007 state champion player Heather Wansing said.

Many of the interviewees mentioned that Jack was a very dedicated and positive Bluejay fan and was always enthusiastic about the games and supportive of the players.

Even though the film was less than seven minutes long it accurately captured the spirit and the atmosphere that Cokely Fieldhouse brought to LHS basketball games and it provided a great perspective on over 40 years of Bluejay pride and history in Cokely.

 

From the Girls’ Coach

The final game buzzer has rung for Cokely Fieldhouse, our beloved gym. Friday February 27, 2015 our schools girl’s and boy’s junior varsity and varsity basketball teams paired up against Park Hill South to say our final farewell to this memorable place. With the four basketball games lined up back-to-back it was guaranteed to be action packed, with news stations, once players and coaches of our school teams.

Coach Kirk from the girls varsity basketball team has a special connection to Cokely. “Coaching at Liberty, back where I played ball, was something I always wanted to do so when I got the opportunity to do so, I couldn’t have been happier!” Kirk said.

“I felt honored to come back and coach in the place where I played my high school career and was thrilled I was able to give back to a place that meant so much to me.  It felt like coming home.  It was a familiar, comfortable place.  I got to come back and work with some of the same people who helped me become the person I am today and allowed me to start another phase of my basketball experience as a coach.”

Kirk loves that historical aspect of the gym. When asked about how hard it will be for her to say goodbye to a gym that has been on tv many times, broadcasting games and awards, she replied with, “For me, it really doesn’t seem like a goodbye.  Even with the building of the new gym, Cokely is still going to be there and I’m very glad of that. For that reason, I don’t necessarily have to say goodbye. Cokely was and always will be a very special place to me.  Even though there won’t be any “official” games being played at Cokely anymore, I will still have all the fond memories of playing in it and will still be able to go back in and revisit the place where I played ball.”

Even though Kirk will be able to visit and not fully say farewell to this loved gym, she does express that she will miss it.  “I will definitely miss the environment and atmosphere that goes on when a big game is being played there.”

The rich history of Cokely fieldhouse is something Kirk is well aware of because she was a big part of it. When she played for the school on the varsity 2006- 2007 team and won the state championship her senior year. The memories Kirk made in this gym cannot be replaced. “There are two memories from Cokely I will always keep with me.” Kirk says. “The first is the relationships I’ve built both as a player and a coach there.  Some of my best, lifelong friendships have started and been created in that gym. The second is winning the state championship.  Although it didn’t actually happen in Cokely itself, it’s the place where my team and I put in hours of hard work and dedication to prepare for that moment.”

The overall experience of the send off to Cokely was a hit amongst students as the gym overflowed with people trying to squeeze in for a seat but did it live up the expecations and make our alumni proud? “It was fantastic!  Another lifelong memory from Cokely Fieldhouse!” Thankfully coach Kirk agrees that this night can be checked off as a success. “Everyone who put work into making that night what it was did an amazing job and I’m so thankful for that!  It was an awesome thing to be a part of and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to send it off!  It was just like old times with the packed house, high energy, the Cokely Crazies getting after it and being as crazy as ever, community support, etc.  It was a very fun atmosphere to coach in and I know the players had a blast as well!”

“There are a lot of exciting things that come with getting a new gym.  It’s newness, ability for future generations to write their own history and create experiences and memories just as Cokely did for past generations.  Another great part about it is the simple fact that we will have more space for teams to practice!” Kirk said telling us about what she is looking forward to in the gym.

Kirk had a difficult time trying to decide a favorite moment of this fun filled night. “I honestly don’t know if I could pick out just one favorite part of Cokely night because the whole experience was absolutely amazing!”

“I loved seeing that packed house with everyone from the community coming out to show their support [as well as] getting to catch up with people I hadn’t seen in a while. Having members of my state team back together and reminiscing with them. Watching how much fun our team was having playing in an atmosphere like that and seeing them build memories they will never forget.”

In honor of Cokely and in the memory of it junior Morgan Fleming and senior Isaac Kanopf made an emotional farewell video leaving the crowd proud and silent. “Shutting off the lights, the gym going silent, everyone sitting back and watching the history of Cokely video on the big video board together.”
           All these memories that have been made in the Cokely Fieldhouse are ones that will stick with the students, teachers and athletes in years to come. Kirk says that in the new gym she hopes that certain aspects of Cokely carry over.

“The atmosphere, high energy, relationships/teamwork that are built and displayed there, and the winning traditions!”

Thank you Cokely.

 

 

For more photos click here.