SPRINGING INTO THE S
Many end of year sports have differing plans to practice at off-campus sites. By Sarah Ohlde Reporter
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arge sports teams have had difficulties with finding adequate practice space. Sports like swimming, tennis and baseball can only do so much to improve outside of their designated facilities. When the team gets too big the next best thing is to find space off campus. As more and more people go out for a sport like swimming, only so many swimmers can fit in the pool at one time. With the opening of the Shawnee Mission Aquatic Center, the team gets a chance to spread out and focus on swimming and not the overcrowded lanes. “A pro is we don’t have to share with the swimmers, because that gets kind of hectic and the boards are a lot nicer at the SMAC,” freshman diver Greta Waller said. The $28 million SMAC
opened in Nov 2019 but was only really used by the boys team, as the girls’ season was canceled due to COVID. “[The SMAC] is a lot nicer than the pool at south but a con [to practicing at the SMAC] is that it breaks like once a year,” sophomore swimmer Olivia Ponnuru said. As more and more boys go out for tennis in the spring, the south courts fill up fast, leading the team to split up practice locations between the south courts and the Marty Park courts. “Pros of practicing offcampus at the Marty courts is the quality of courts. Most of the Marty Courts are well maintained even through their heavy use, both by the south tennis team and the general public,” freshman tennis player John Kelley said.
BEN BELANGER tennis
JACK RUPP Baseball
ELI THURSTON Golf Golf practices at Brookridge, Deer Creek, and St. Andrews
Baseball practices at South but plays all of their home games at 3&2 which is about 15 minutes from South.
