Since graduating from St. Edmond in 2012, Nick Clark has returned numerous times to the Gael gym for alumni gatherings, games and other events.

But none of those compare to the times over those four years as a player for St. Edmond that Clark put the uniform on and stepped on the floor inside Gael gym.

After 50-plus years, though, that court has been played on for the final time, as a fundraiser is currently ongoing to raise money to replace it. Pieces of the floor are being offered to those helping with the covering the cost.

“The St. Edmond gym is what high school gyms are meant to be,” Clark said. “When the bleachers are pushed in, the gym feels big and daunting. On game nights, though, the gym was intimate.

“The ‘Fish Tank’ was full and the band was loud. Running out of the tunnel in pregame while the pep band played our school fight song gave me goosebumps every single time. It is a feeling you never quite replicate ever again in life.”

Clark experienced plenty of success in the Gael gym, becoming at the time the program scoring leader while helping St. Edmond finish second in Class 2A at state his senior year.

The most recent group of Gaels ended a state drought that covered the 12 seasons since Clark last played, reaching the 1A semifinals this past winter. They will now be the final one to play on that same court that the likes of current scoring leader Andrew Gibb, girls career leading scorer Anna Yung, Danni Huss, the late Alli Huss, Jennifer Perkins, Andy Nagel, Jack Brownlee, countless members of the Flattery family and Alison (Nagel) Shearer all left their blood, sweat and tears on.

“I was very fortunate to have gotten to play both volleyball and basketball during my time at St. Edmond,” Shearer said. “Thinking back to playing a basketball game at home on a Friday night brings back tons of memories. Nothing could beat playing in front of one of the best fan bases in the (North Central Conference), the ‘Fish Tank.’

“The pep band, the smell of popcorn, the sea of green and getting to play alongside some of the best teammates made my time playing at St. Edmond very special.”

Along with the removal and installation of the floor, plans are in place to replace the sound system, update the baskets and press box, paint and improve the signage inside the gym.

There will be a donor board that will be placed inside the gym for those who give various amounts between $500 and $10,000 to help cover those costs.

“The St. Edmond gym floor is like an old friend to me,” Tom Miklo said. “I have practiced on it, played on it, coached on it, officiated on it and spectated hundreds of games over 50-plus years. I remember watching my children compete on that floor.

“I do not need to own a piece of that floor; that floor owns a piece of me.”

To donate, contact Susan Laufersweiler at (515) 576-5182 or visit st-edmond.com/gym-floor-donations