Touch Case Studies Thompson Valley High School, Colorado

How Thompson Valley High School made its athletic legacy easier to explore with Gipper Touch

As Thompson Valley High School marked 50 years, students passed a Hall of Fame and record board without stopping. Now Gipper Touch gives students, families, and game-night visitors an interactive way to explore the program's athletic history, while making updates quick and easy for their athletic director, Ken Smikahl.

Click on the experience above to see their live Touch site

About Thompson Valley High School

Thompson Valley High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12 in Loveland, Colorado. Its Eagles community has celebrated over 50 years of school history.

Ken Smikahl is the athletic director and assistant principal, balancing schedules, game setup, fundraising, student responsibilities, and long-range planning. He wanted students and visitors to walk into Thompson Valley's facilities and feel proud of the program.

“I want people to come into our building and be proud of where they're at and be proud to be an athlete here at Thompson Valley.”

Ken Smikahl, Athletic Director and Assistant Principal at Thompson Valley High School
Ken Smikahl
Athletic Director and Assistant Principal, Thompson Valley High School
Straight-on view of Thompson Valley High School’s Athletics Legacy Hall, featuring a black brick wall with gold-and-white school branding, championship achievements, an eagle logo, commemorative plaques, and a centrally mounted interactive touchscreen display.

Before Gipper Touch

Here’s what they had in place:

  • Faded, inconsistent Hall of Fame plaques. Some plaques showed inductees as adults, some used senior photos, and others used photos from their time competing. Ken described the display as a hodgepodge.

  • Recognition with less room to grow. As trophies accumulated, the physical cases became harder to view clearly. Thompson Valley continued to display state championship trophies, but conference championship plaques no longer fit.

  • A record board students passed without noticing. The board blended into a brick wall, even though students walked past it at least twice a day.

After Gipper Touch

Thompson Valley now has an interactive home for its athletic history outside the main gym, at the main student entrance and near game-night ticketing. It was part of a 50th-anniversary rework of the hallway as a legacy space, built to invite people to pause and explore what the program has built.

For Ken, the goal was not simply to add a screen. He wanted a way to connect the school’s legacy with how students interact with technology today.

Here’s what changed:

  • An athletic legacy students can explore. Ken has seen student-athletes use the display after practice, and students have asked what else he plans to add.

  • More history without a more crowded trophy case. The Hall of Fame can include more photos of former athletes, while conference championships that no longer fit in the cases now have a digital home.

  • Simple updates that keep the display fresh. Ken has already updated a few photos and said it took no time at all to add them.

What they showcase:

  • Hall of Fame. Thompson Valley is using Touch to display their Hall of Fame teams, individuals, and coaches. Even better than a plaque on the wall, these profiles include photos and written bios for the community to look back on.

  • Championships. A digital home for state, regional, district, conference, and individual championships. 

  • School Records. A digital home for athletic records across Thompson Valley's programs. Records are not only preserved, but displayed professionally for visitors to engage with.

“Making updates in Gipper Touch is super easy. I have the flexibility to change things, add new content, update photos - and it takes no time at all.

And we've gotten great feedback from our community, from student-athletes interacting with it after practice to parents during our fall meetings - all of it really positive. I've been so happy with it.”

Ken Smikahl, Athletic Director and Assistant Principal at Thompson Valley High School
Ken Smikahl
Athletic Director and Assistant Principal, Thompson Valley High School
Straight-on view of Thompson Valley High School’s Athletics Legacy Hall, featuring a black brick wall with gold-and-white graphics, school logos, championship achievements, historical plaques, and a centrally mounted touchscreen displaying school athletics content.

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