Preuss offers many sports for their students to play, ranging from track and field, lacrosse, soccer, and basketball. However there’s an issue: only the outdoor sports have regulated practice areas. For indoor sports, we play in the Walton Center, but it’s not the regulated size for high school sports. What does this mean, and how is it an issue? It means that volleyball and basketball athletes have to play on a smaller court. This is a problem because the small space does not allow the athlete to have a real feel for courts other schools have.
Playing basketball in the Walton Center here at Preuss does not simulate playing at another high school since the court is smaller. This makes practices easier than the actual game. For example, running from one sideline to the next is faster on our courts and is much easier. When we compete at another school with a regulation court, players feel more tired. Another point is the lines painted on our courts. What we may call a deep 3-pointer, may really just be a standard 3-pointer at another school since our lines compact to fit the smaller court. Regulated high school courts are often 84 feet long and 50 feet wide. The Walton Center, on the other hand, does not fit these requirements at all.
What if you were playing volleyball though? The basketball court has a smaller volleyball court within it. Therefore the size of the court isn’t a problem. The Walton Center has yet another dysfunctionality because the rims for basketball are often raised above the court when volleyball plays. This game can get interrupted when the ball hits the rims, because offense can not efficiently set or bump the ball over the net if it will hit the rims, affecting the game. For example, a couple of weeks ago, when a visiting team came to Preuss because the UCSD gym wasn’t rented out, the visiting team couldn’t be as productive on both offense and defense due to the rims affecting their sets and spikes and other movements. This may have played a small but significant portion in their loss, and served as a disadvantage for the away team since they weren’t at all prepared for it. This was the first time Preuss ever hosted a volleyball game, further illustrating that the Walton Centeris not a game ready environment.
Improving the Walton Center would cost too much. This is why we should rent out the UCSD gym more for practices. Renting the gym, or even just going when it’s empty is way cheaper than constructing a new gym. If that is not an option, La Jolla Country Day is right next to us, so working out an agreement is a possible option as well if the school is open to cooperate.
I believe those who play indoor sports need a larger and improved space to practice their sport. It will better prepare the athletes for their games both physically and mentally. The more prepared the athlete is, the better performance they are likely to have.
