Gym completion excites students
The new gym is decked out with new mats detailed with an SH decal and an orange and black boarder along the perimeter.
The long saga that was the gym floor renovation is finally over. The floor has been redone, the walls repainted, and the gym as a whole is now a great representation of the town of South Hadley and of Tiger pride. Now is the time to forget all problems it may have had before and during its renovation, and take in the awesome aura of the newly renovated gym.
“I think it looks like a gym that South Hadley students should take pride in,” said physical education teacher Shane Harrington. “It gives the kids something to be excited for.”
The gym now features a brand new floor, complete with orange and black lines, a tiger paw in the center circle, and baseline lettering that reads “SOUTH HADLEY TIGERS.” The bumpy, water-damaged floor is gone, replaced by a new, shiny, flat floor that won’t interfere with basketball or any other gym games.
“It’s nice having something that’s clean and not destroyed and bumpy,” said junior Ben Reed. “You can actually play basketball on it.”
“I love it,” said junior Zak Jagodowski. “It looks great and it’s going to be great for our basketball team.”
Reed and fellow basketball teammate Nate Flachs, a senior, seem to agree.
“It’s fresh,” said Reed. “Having something new in the gym definitely pumps us up at practice everyday.”
“And the better you practice the better you play,” Flachs added.
In addition to the new floors, the old, musty black and orange wall padding has been thrown in the dumpster to make room for fresher, cleaner ones. Now the walls are lined with all-black padding, with the school initials inscribed on each end of the gym.
Another feature that goes unnoticed by many is the black and orange triple-stripe running along the walls above the bleachers. This addition, although seemingly unimportant, actually ties together the whole new look of the gym. The previously plain white walls of the gym are now decorated with vibrant school colors, which add the perfect touch to the entire new-look of the gym.
The only drawback of having the gym redone is the new restrictions put on it to keep it in top shape for as long as possible.
“The Phys. Ed. Department is going to have to be more strict regarding dress code,” said Harrington. “We have to make sure nobody’s wearing boots or shoes that could scuff the floor.” Harrington also noted that food and drinks such as coffee and soda will no longer be allowed in the gym, to prevent having sticky floors due to spills.
However, these few restrictions should not be a problem as students should be able to respect new regulations in order to keep their exquisite gym in tip-top shape.
