Throughout the years, all levels of wrestling, girls’ basketball, and boys’ basketball have been sharing the gym, which only has three basketball courts. Is this enough for all eight teams? I’ve listened to some of the athletes and what they have to say concerning their practice schedules.
A sophomore from the boys JV basketball team says, “It’s a little iffy about sharing the courts but we just make sure we all have our own time to practice.” He also added that other levels of a sport will sometimes share one basketball court. For instance, the JV and varsity boys basketball team will practice on different ends of a court every now and then. They would also switch courts mid-practice when needed. Most times, though, each level will have their own designated court and very little interference with others. If all the courts were taken up, a team could choose to go to the weight room or watch films from previous games instead. When asked how the practice times were organized, he replied, “We try to get schedules every month so everybody knows what time the courts will be taken.” Boys JV basketball usually practices from 5-6:30pm but there are days when practice would start at 3:30 and would go until 5:00pm. He is also in 7th period athletics and thinks of it as a warm-up before actual practice starts. I asked him about how transportation is for him personally as a sophomore, and he said he’d usually go to a nearby family member’s house or just stay on campus if practice wasn’t too long after school times. For him, he sees no real problem with the practice schedules and actually likes the time flexibility.
A senior on the girls varsity basketball team has a different opinion about the practice times. She says, “Honestly I don’t love it. I think it sucks that a lot of times boys basketball will get two courts and the girls get one.” Wrestling usually practices at later times than girls varsity, and that’s when each sport will have a court to themselves. I also asked if boys would usually get top pick and she wasn’t sure if that’s how it works but it’s how it ends up most of the time. Girls basketball will have multiple levels on a court at a time and she believes it’s hard to run plays on a half-court. They would also have to rotate courts mid-practice which she felt was a little chaotic. When asked about her practice schedule she said that they have irregular times that change daily. She thinks practices are based on gym availability. Both boys and girls basketball teams were given a schedule but it seems as though the girls are having to switch their times more regularly than the boys. When asked about how the changes affect her, she said, “School-wise, I don’t know when I’m going to have time to do my homework because practice is changing every day, but as far as driving, it’s not that bad because I drive myself.” If she could change her schedule she would want a set time for practices.
A senior varsity wrestler I interviewed said that both JV and varsity teams start at 5:30pm. He said that the two other sports in the gym can be distracting but they’re not really an issue. For their schedule, it is organized weekly. From prior years, practice would start at 4:30pm, an hour earlier than recent practice times. When asked if time changes affect him, he answered, “It does affect my transportation method. If practice is changed to a different time, I may decide to stay at school until practice starts.” Overall, he does enjoy the gap between school hours and practice hours because it gives him time to do homework. I asked him if there were any adjustments to the time schedule he currently has for wrestling practice, and he said, “I wouldn’t change our practice, it’s at a good time,” thereby concluding my interviews.
