CASPER — Crews are painting basketball courts, adding final details to the lobby, and putting other finishing touches on Wyoming’s newest and most unique sports facility in the state.
With a push of a button, courts in the WYO Sports Ranch can transform from basketball to volleyball, walls can lower or raise, and hundreds of athletes can do their thing on up to 10 courts.
WYO Complex Executive Director Luke Gilliam said everything is on track for opening day Jan. 6.
“There is nothing like this in the Rocky Mountain Region,” he said. “The closest thing to this would be in south Denver and it has six courts. So, our 10 courts obviously provide extra access and extra opportunity to separate wings. We can hold two events, no problem. We are still trying to figure out the full impact of what this facility will do.”
WYO Sports Ranch sits on the northwest side of Casper on 14 acres. The sprawling $49 million facility has more than 130,000 square feet. In addition to the court spaces and 50-by-70 yards of permanent turf on the west end, it has a large-carpeted meeting space meant for community gatherings, and a separate full-sized commercial kitchen and café area.
There will also be a 2,000-square-foot sports performance center for youth sports training thanks to a $1.5 million donation from Banner Health.
Gilliam said the non-profit facility initially hoped to have 23 events in the first year but already has contracts or reservations for nearly 40 events. He said the center is open to more bookings, but he wants to make sure that every event results in a quality experience for participants and that it will be the “right fit” for the ranch.
‘Requests From Everywhere’
“We are getting requests from everywhere. We have a basketball tournament that is going to be hosted by a group from Gillette. We’ve got a basketball tournament that is going to be hosted by a group locally,” he said. “We have a volleyball tournament that will be hosted by event owners from Florida, and event owners possibly from Chicago and all over Wyoming through the Wyoming AAU chair here.”
Gilliam said the focus is on youth sports, but the facility is open to filling other niches as well in its mission to serve the community and the state.
One event Gilliam believes would be great for the turf side of the arena, outside of typical sports, would be corn-hole tournaments. The huge turf space would give corn-hole enthusiasts a lawn-like experience in any weather conditions threatening the outdoors.
In terms of sports, he sees the facility hosting flag football, soccer, wrestling, dance and cheer teams, futsal or five-on-five soccer, in addition to basketball and volleyball.
The first big weekend for the event near the end of January will involve a basketball tournament on one side and on the turf side a “keeper wars” soccer competition that uses two big nets, a short field and well-placed shots on goal to determine “who is the best goalie in the region.”
Gilliam said the facility will work closely with its neighbor, the Ford Wyoming Center, to collaborate when that makes sense. He characterizes the Ford Wyoming Center as a performance facility with 8,000 seats for spectators, while the WYO Sports Ranch is more of a participation facility.
The Ford Wyoming Center remains the best place to host the high school state basketball tournaments and similar events because of its seating and configuration, he said. But the ranch could collaborate in other ways during those tournaments.
“If we can provide practice space for schools, we want to figure out how we can serve and support,” he said.
In addition to the courts and turf, Gilliam emphasized the goal of the facility is to provide a favorable experience for parents or those in the community who want to use its community rooms for a meeting or event.
Wyo Complex Executive Director Luke Gilliam oversees the operations at the Wyo Sports Ranch. Behind is the court area that houses six permanent courts that can easily be changed for basketball or volleyball in minutes. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily) 
The large turf area on the west side of the Wyo Sports Ranch can be covered and converted to court space. The portable court surface has not yet arrived. A subfloor sits on top of the turf. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily) 
The west side of the Wyo Sports Ranch features a 50-by-70-yard permanent turf area that can be covered and converted to basketball and volleyball courts. Most of the area is covered with the sub surface as construction is completed. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily) 
The Wyo Sports Ranch lobby awaits an 18-foot digital wall to be installed. It will greet people as they walk in. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily) 
A one-of-a-kind antler chandelier will hang over the lobby when doors open. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily) 
The hall alongside the basketball courts will give athletes and spectators plenty of room to navigate. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily) 
The large community room is available for parties, meetings, or maybe a Super Bowl watch party. The facility opens on Jan. 6 (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily) 
The café and kitchen area at the Wyo Sports Ranch will offer more “healthy options” than just fast-food fare. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily)
Lobby Experience
Visitors who walk into the building will be met by an 18-foot digital display in the lobby that will provide information about events going on for the day, the weather and other pertinent data. There will also be two other large screens in the lobby that can be used to play videos, post messages, display information about Wyoming and its history or share marketing promotions.
One screen can also serve as a backdrop for tournament photos and winners, or just a team shot with their logo projected in the background.
There will be tables and chairs for nearly 100 people in the lobby, and to the far right is the food court and kitchen. Gilliam said plans call for the menu to be more than just typical fast-food items but provide “healthy options” for athletes. A director has just been hired to run food services.
Above the lobby, but not yet installed, will be a one-of-a-kind large antler chandelier sculpture created by late Casper artist Shawn Rivett.
“His family graciously allowed us to display it here as another aspect of this place feeling and looking like Wyoming,” he said. “It’s going to hang over everything and be a focal point that is hard to miss.”
The sports performance center will look similar to a CrossFit gym but its goal will be to ensure that the “facility is not just about sports access, but also about sport education.”
“Whether it is injury prevention or really understanding how to prepare your body for growth or be the best athlete you can be, we want those things to have a home here,” Gilliam said.
The only locker room facility in the building will be for referees. Gilliam said they want referees to have a safe place to prepare for games and take a break from games and wanted to make it attractive for retaining them.
“The only shower in this facility is here because they need it as they are on the road a lot,” he said.
The facility also includes a room for an athletic trainer and medical aid. Plans call for a trainer to be at the facility during all tournaments and major events.
Community Space
The large community space at the facility will be available for things such as luncheons, parties, and for families who brought their own food. The room will include TVs and digital screens.
Gilliam said the facility already is “pretty booked out” between 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays with practices and local groups. He said the facility also wants to offer opportunities in the mornings, so he envisions staff at the facility from 7 a.m. through 10 p.m. “depending on what is necessary.”
The non-profit running the center is overseen by a 14-member board. Gilliam said the mission of the organization is not only to serve youth sports, but also the Casper community and region.
“We often talk about the economic impact and through our partnership and collaboration with Visit Casper we really want to measure what this facility does for the community in terms of small business impact and all those things,” he said.
For the state sports organizations, he said, the facility offers a new opportunity to save money, save time and to provide parents and little leagues an experience where everything is under one roof.
“We are excited about the possibilities. We already have groups from Jackson Hole, Gillette, Rock Springs, and Cheyenne register for events,” he said. “We are excited to see how all that comes together. And the more people we can bring here the more opportunity our community has to grow.”
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
