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Entering the Ralph William Sport Complex:
Many McEachern High School athletes dread going to practice
after school. Every season, the lacrosse team has endured the
struggle of not having a place to store equipment without having
to share storage with another sports team. However, new land
bought from the Taylor family changed this, influencing
revisions which affected not only the lacrosse team, but the
entire school. (photo by Jedidah Taylor) -
New Land Represent:
There won’t be any more expansion to the building because
“there’s no more land over there, we bought it all,” Principal
Regina Montgomery said. The new land added expands
McEachern High School to a total size of 120 acres. (photo by Jedidah Taylor) -
The Neighbors:
The new building is a part of the Ralph Williams Sports
Complex. Though with a new building comes old neighbors to
deal with. The old concession stand is pictured on the left and on the right is the Track storage room. (photo by Jedidah Taylor) -
Complete and Secure:
The Ralph William Sports Complex was completed in April 2015 and is
now officially available for sports teams. “Because we have a new building
built, we now have a locker room and a place to put all our stuff,” senior
lacrosse player Jenna Dilbeck said. There is a boys’ and girls’ changing
room to put equipment inside. (photo by Jedidah Taylor) -
The Gateway to Training:
This is the back entrance to Ralph Williams Sports Complex, located
near the bus lot. The lacrosse team takes this route to enter their sports
field and must cross the nature center bridge to enter their practice
field. “Last year they redid the actual wooden pieces of the floor and
never screwed them down,” junior lacrosse player Natalie Brown said.
The old planks caused safety issues and concerns that too many people walking
at the same time could cause the bridge to fall apart. (photo by Jedidah Taylor) -
Bleaches are the Final Project:
The Lacrosse and Track team will be getting their own
bleachers next to their practice field. That will be the final thing
built in the Ralph Williams Sports Complex. “The whole
project out there cost about $1.6 million,” Athletic Director Jim
Dorsey said. These bleachers are scheduled to be done in early
March. (photo by Jedidah Taylor) -
New Field for Practice: The lacrosse team practices Monday to Thursday from 4:00pm to 5:30pm. The new building is right next to the practice field and makes storing
equipment much easier. At the beginning of practice,
players will stretch and run one lap as a warmup. One
drill that they use during practice is called “Two vs.
Three.” This drill involves two offensive players against three defensive players. (photo by Jedidah Taylor) -
A Place to Rest:
The new addition of a building also gives a place to sit and rest. “It impacts people who can’t drive because they sit there and wait for their parents,”
senior lacrosse player Lily Dlhosh said. There are exactly two benches, located on the opposite side of the new building. Now athletes won’t have
to stand to wait on parents, but can now comfortably relax on a bench. (photo by Jedidah Taylor) -
Community Benefit:
The athletic office allows any sports team to use space in
Ralph Williams Sports Center. Sports like freshman
football also can take advantage of new building by
scheduling it through the athletic office. “There’s a facility
form that they have to turn in my office and coach Dorsey
has to approve it,” athletic assistant Lisa Cottrell said. (photo by Jedidah Taylor) -
Looking Toward the Future:
Lacrosse can now focus on their craft without worrying about the equipment’s security or sharing storage facilities with another
sport team. “Coach Lynch is going to start recording our games,
so we can be like the football team and sit down to watch our
games,” junior lacrosse player Natalie Brown said. These
recordings can be viewed inside this new building with a TV
inside. Showing already what a huge impact this building will have in store, for the future of our school. (photo by Jedidah Taylor)
by Kelechi Anyanwu, Staff Writer
March 4, 2016