This summer Leesburg High embarked on an effort to make improvements to the school’s aging gym surface and other areas within the gym. Those efforts were on full display as the new gym has been well received this year by spectators, parents and players.

The old gym floor was classic. The old floor was retro in a cool kind of way. While it was retro it was also time for it to be replaced with something more modern. Leesburg High decided to bring the floor up to modern standards this past summer with a new design that is both modern and pays tribute to former classes who have used the gym in the past.

(The old gym floor was worn out and dull. The design even utilized the previous generation of Yellow Jacket that is no longer in use so a new modern floor was needed. What a classic look though. We do miss the vintage feel that the old gym had.)

(The new floor is sleek, modern and beautiful. The floor pops more than ever before.)

The previous floor was home to where the 2016 and 17 State Championship boys’ basketball teams competed. While we hated to see the old classic floor go, we appreciate the thought that went into the new floor. While the new floor is highly modernized the floor pays tribute to teams of years past.

The Yellow Jacket Bee that used to sit at center court was replaced with the school’s shield. A much larger Yellow Jacket appears inside the crest with the five stars above the Leesburg crest. The design stands out against a grey court that runs from baseline to baseline but not within the three-point arc giving a sleek and modern feel.

(While this photo is on the opposite side of the gym, you can see that the old yellow jacket logo at center court was removed. The logo was replaced with the new school crest. The yellow jacket is still featured but the floor is much more modern compared to the previous generation which you will see below.)

(The old bee that sat at the center has been removed in favor of the new school crest. The new modernized bee that the school has been using the past few years now sits inside the crest.)

The word Leesburg is still visible under the basket but the font has been updated to reflect the new modern word font that Leesburg now uses. The word font is also now on a black outline that borders the floor.

Inside the three-point arc, the classic wooden floor peeks out from the gray and harkens back to teams of the 2000s, 90s and 80s who utilized this style of floor. So, you have the new floor new mixed in with old and that is a nice touch that pays tribute to all those teams who played on a more traditional looking floor.

(The new gym floor has two tones. One is gray that gives the gym a more modern feel. The other tone is the classic stained wood. The classic floor remains inside the three-point-lines. Also removed was the orange box under the basket and has reverted to the classic wood design with black box out lines.)

Another nice touch is the honeycomb that adorns the out of bounds lines around the entire gym. This is clever thinking and is a fun nod to the fact that the school’s logo is a Yellow Jacket. The honeycomb resembles the inside of a bee hive which is a cool little quirk of the new floor.

Meanwhile new banners have been hung around the gym. The banners have been updated to reflect the new era that Leesburg High is currently in.

(The previous version of the gym had a faded pink banner around the top that has now been painted black. The banners have also been modernized. Here you see the floor as it looked during the summer before painting.)

A new black paint scheme adorns the top of the gym where the banners are hung. The previous paint scheme was a faded pinkish color. This looks more on point with the Leesburg High branding.

Overall, it is a vast departure from the previous version of what this gym floor looked like. Many NBA teams now utilize tones of different colors within their floors. Many colleges and high schools have also adopted this. While some might miss the simplicity of the one tone classic floor, Leesburg is creating an identity for themselves.

(The floor had it’s first use in basketball competition a few weeks ago. While the floor has been used for Volleyball this fall, the basketball teams, wrestling and weightlifting teams will be utilizing the gym in the winter and fall months.)

The school not only is in the best position academically that it has ever been in, but athletically the school continues to impress year after year. Just seven or eight years ago people had a rougher perception of Leesburg. But Michael Randolph, Spencer Hey and the school faculty has been working hard to change the narrative at Leesburg High.

The school graduated at an over 85% rate for the third year in a row. That is the first time that has ever happened at Leesburg High. We love to see the positivity around the program. The positivity is at an all-time high.