Out of room

High school teams give up morning practice times for junior high

Original+digital+artwork

Original digital artwork

Tristan Cole, Editorial Team

About the time the Lady Bison volleyball players adjusted to early-morning practices, their schedules got turned upside-down, with the girls having to give up their morning gym space to the junior high teams and moving their own practices to after school, interrupting after-school jobs, Belle and cheer practice and other afternoon practices like debate.

It is unfair that the high school team has had to rearrange their lives for the junior high players. In fact, it made the most sense for the high school players to have morning gym time. A number of the girls have jobs, and morning practice meant they could still work without having to miss practice or be late for work. In fact, some players took jobs or kept summer jobs because they knew they would be able to work on non-game days. Now, they are stuck having to quit or work later hours to fit everything in.

The change also means later nights for other groups who need the gyms and groups that have volleyball players as members. These students now have a gap in their day and have to come back to school to practice, going far later at night than is really best for their groups.

The coaching staff made the change because of the large number of junior high players. While this does create challenges for the coaching staff, there really is no reason why the well-being of the junior high school be taken over the high school when it comes to high school facilities. Besides, there is an additional gym at the lower junior high that the junior high players could use. Many of the current high school players spent their junior high years in the lower junior high gym or switching back and forth. There is no good reason the current junior high students cannot do the same.

Basically, it comes down to the fact that high school students should have priority to use high school facilities. Expecting such a large number of students – and group leaders – to rearrange their lives to prioritize junior high students simply is not what is best for the high school, which is what the high school facilities should be focused on.