P.E. classes and athletic teams at Thomson High School will no longer be cramped for space and time thanks to the completion of a new facility. The gym, located behind the student parking lot, will provide much needed space for classes and practices.
|
Members of the THS basketball C-team practice in the new gym.
|
According to Jim Franklin, assistant superintendent for administrative services, the new facility opened on Oct. 20. Coaches and teachers at the school are happy with the addition to THS.
"There may be one in high school that is as good, but there's not one better," said Football Coach and Athletic Director Luther Welsh. "It may be the best."
The new building will alleviate time constraints on practices as well as teams having to use elementary school gyms to get time on the court.
"It's going to help the basketball people because they don't have to stay up here late at night to practice," Coach Welsh said. "We've got our own facility here now, and we do it all on campus."
The new facility will be in limited use until the end of football season when much of the equipment will be moved from its current location. The varsity dressing room and the training room have already been moved, and the weight room will be moved later.
"The full movement has not occurred. It will be done in phases, in terms of the transition." Dr. Franklin said. "So as the transition continues it will create additional space and some possible additional course offerings."
The original gym will still be used for basketball games. The new gym is not equipped with bleachers and will only be used for classes and practices.
According to Dr. Franklin, the finishing touches still needing to be done include exterior aesthetics such as the lawn. He also said a canopy was completed to shield students and staff from the weather when walking between the main building and the gym.
