With Pleasant Valley’s new addition came the long-awaited auxiliary gym. The gym contains practice courts for the basketball teams and an indoor track. “[The indoor track] changes the game for us,” said PV girls track and field coach, Kenny Wheeler.
The track is three lanes wide and about 130 meters long, about half the size of PV’s outdoor track. It is made of a different material than the outdoor track but it will help prepare runners for indoor track season and allow space for strength and agility workouts.
Previously when the weather was not ideal, the girls and boys track and field teams were forced to practice in the hallways. This meant running on basically cement floors. The cement under the carpet increased the number of impact injuries during the indoor season, later affecting the outdoor season.
The only concern may be that three lanes is not enough room for the girls and boys teams to practice at the same time. The teams may have to take turns or use only half of the track. If the space is still not enough or they can’t compromise, some teams may have to return to the hallways this year.
The girls and boys track and field teams are grateful to have a facility that will allow them to prosper, even in the winter months. “It further enhances the great facilities we already have that focus on the health and well-being of the PV community and the PE and strength/conditioning programs at the high school,” said Wheeler.
The indoor track will especially affect sprinters, jumpers and hurdlers, who can work with a small distance. “The taller ceilings allow hurdlers to practice indoor. It also allows sprinters to do their drills without the obstacles they would have faced in the hallways,” said boys track runner, Andrew Schiltz.
Pleasant Valley’s track and field programs hope the new addition will assist in providing proper indoor training for years to come. “I hope that our young ladies take advantage of the new facility as we prepare for the season as I think the work we put in now can greatly affect our team success at season’s end,” added Wheeler.
