Swishing the buzzer-beater shot. The ref raising the hand of the winner. Receiving a perfect score from the judges. Getting everyone pumped up for a Homecoming game. These are all monumental moments every high school gym encapsulates. This doesn’t happen overnight; none of this would be possible without practice. No one would get to soak in these experiences without hours of polishing and perfecting. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. Under all the cheers pouring out of the room are the rising concerns about who should get practice priority.
The high school only has two gyms to work with: the Red Gym and the Gold Gym. Figuring out how to juggle all the sports and events that need the space is an extensive task. Mike Manderscheid has been the high school’s activities director for six years now. He primarily manages the high school space, but also on occasion, helps with Starry requests. Manderscheid’s goal is to not deny anyone. To do that, sometimes groups need to be moved to another space or building. Winter is the high school’s busiest season. Manderschied said, “Winter is a heavy season for us. With basketball practices, concerts, archery practices, winter guard, dance, and so on the gyms are used almost at all times of the week.” He strives to accommodate everyone’s needs. He said, “Some groups can not go to another space inside the building. For example, a basketball team can not go to the auditorium to practice or compete, but another group may be able to practice there. We try to meet everyone’s needs to the best of our abilities. Coaches and directors working together to form the best opportunities for all is key.”
Lily Juergens, senior, is an ambassador for the high school’s archery team and has been shooting for six years. In archery, it is very important to stay consistent. Cancellations hinder people’s ability to stay in that loop. Upon a canceled practice, Juergens thinks it affects archers and often knocks them off track. She said, “It doesn’t affect me as much as some of our other archers who are receiving advice and working with coaches or cannot shoot outside of our practices. When one is canceled, it regresses newly learned skills in archery, setting the archer back in improving their form or overall shooting ability.” She finds it frustrating when there is a cancelation due to another activity and believes since archery had the space claimed first, they should be given the main priority. Archery is also a sport that takes up a lot of space with people shooting from 10 to 15 meters. Juergens said, “Overall, there just simply isn’t enough room, especially during 3D practices because about half of the room is used for 3D targets, and the other half is used for bullseye targets. A lot of times, we must alternate with another person just to be able to shoot.”
As they grow up, many kids look forward to experiencing monumental high school experiences such as a team making it to State, the possible outcomes of a game-changing play with seconds left to spare, and so much more. That is what makes high school so exciting; one is presented with so many possible activities to participate in. Juggling all the practices between two gyms is a hefty task, though none of these core memories would be possible to create without it. Nothing can be perfected without trial, error, and repetition.
