Visiting the Roundhouse

Having seen Hilton, it was time to stop by another noteworthy venue for a basketball game. The Railsplitters of Des Moines Lincoln play at the Bowden Roundhouse Arena and I'd never stopped by to see them play; Linda and I set out one evening to change that. The Roughriders of nearby Des Moines Roosevelt were visiting so we expected a spirited game.

When we entered the building, we were on the outer circuit of a walking / jogging track just inside the exterior wall. We followed the crowd and soon saw the startlingly impressive sight of a great domed basketball arena. Linda and I both paused and remarked that we were both pleasantly surprised at how bright and maintained the space appeared; we were glad to have made the trip.

The girls were wrapping up a Roosevelt blowout so we were mostly looking forward to the boys taking the court. Spirited cheers from both sides of the court and a trio of students in street clothes doing dances from the fifties and sixties in front of the Lincoln band playing a Credance Clearwater Revival song set the tone. This was going to be a fun evening out.

The first half started slowly but both teams found their respective range and rhythm and we had a game. Lincoln played with deliberate confidence most of the time punctuated from time to time by displays of athletic grace and power. Roosevelt was scrappy, rarely yielding an easy shot, challenging nearly every pass. With three and one half seconds left in the game, Lincoln went to the free throw line up by a point. The first shot fell through putting them up by two. The second fell off the rim to a Roughrider. They passed it to midcourt and put up a high arching shot. As the ball began it's descent toward the basket, the buzzer went off. The ball bounced off the rim harmlessly and Lincoln won a close one. We later learned they'd not lost a game yet this year. We had a good time and got to see another interesting part of Des Moines.