KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Construction and renovations at Kodiak High School have been underway for a few months, but now that school is back in session it’s made certain aspects of student life a bit more difficult, particularly athletics. The gym is currently being remodeled, which has forced the volleyball team to practice down in the middle school gym, and the cheerleading team held tryouts last week in the auditorium foyer.
Kodiak High School Athletic Director Bryan Ferris said the construction work has definitely displaced fall sport groups that depend on indoor spaces to practice.
“Even more affected of course would be the P.E. classes. They’ve been, I think, outside as much as they can, using other venues.”
Ferris said the goal is to have the new gym ready to go by the third week in September, just in time for the first home volleyball games.
“Once it comes online we should be close to back to a normal type of schedule. However, we will not even have bleachers in it, until late November. So our first home volleyball game, which is October 4 and 5, we are hoping to have in the high school gym, if everything goes well. Again there’ll be no bleachers so we’ll be using either folding chairs or encouraging people to bring their camp chairs and maybe we’ll have a beach type setting there, I don’t know.”
The bleachers should be installed in the new gym by November, so Ferris said he’s not too worried about inconveniences for the basketball season. Wrestling, however, is another story.
“Their wrestling room has been under construction since last spring and we do not have a facility for them this year. So we’re probably going to have the wrestling team rolling out the mats every day in the foyer area, or the commons. The middle school which also usually comes up here and wrestles will probably have to do the same, and then the little kids program.”
Ferris said he doesn’t expect a permanent venue for wrestling until next year, if everything goes well. He said that will have a big impact on the wrestling programs in the community. As for the annual Robin Hervey Tournament, Ferris said that should still go on this winter as planned, especially if the gym is completed on time and bleachers are up.
