by Jackson Otterberg | October 7, 2019 9:54 am
The booming sound of the new scoreboard rings loud throughout the stadium. Contrasting shades of the fresh green turf replace the old.
Elkhorn High School Assistant Principal and Activities Director Mark King says these changes, among others, such as the locker rooms, parking lot, and visiting stands at Elkhorn Stadium reflect the changes in the district.
“It absolutely was the growth of the district, that made these improvements necessary.” “We just didn’t have enough space, we didn’t have enough room,” King said.
However, some student-athletes believe the additions to the stadium and field are unnecessary.
“Although they’re nice additions to the field, I don’t think they’re necessary because there are other sports that need more money,”Junior wrestler Kade McNamara said.
King argues the stadium updates are fair, as he said the field and stadium is a hosting spot for a multitude of activities.
“Our stadium is a multi-use facility including physical education. There are some sports that are not in the stadium, but for the most part it is a multi-purpose facility,” King said.
EHS Cross Country coach Bob Wolf agrees.
“I can see how a person can {think sports could be neglected} but I think it’s bigger than one sport,” Wolf said.
Wolf views the additions to the stadium as justifiable, but he does feel Cross Country in general is neglected at EHS.
“We’re pretty ignored. In tangible ways, there aren’t signs up that announce when our next meet is, it takes longer for us to get our pictures up on the wall,” Wolf said.
In addition to Wolf seeing Cross Country as being neglected ,McNamara says Wrestling at EHS goes unrecognized.
“Wrestling gets no respect from students or select teachers,” McNamara said.
McNamara also viewed the new additions as negligent to other sports.
“There are other sports that need more attention when it comes to budget,” McNamara said.
Though people may view the stadium additions as focusing on sports, physical education, and other activities, Wolf sees other groups benefiting from the new-look facility as well.
“I think it even helps non-athletes. It builds a positive feeling in the community,” Wolf said.
McNamara instead sees the renovations as benefiting a small group of athletes.
“I think they’ll only benefit soccer, football and track, because there’s only a select amount of sports that actually compete on the field and track,” McNamara said.
According to King, the updates are very much needed and are overall helpful to the district.
“For instance, last weekend at the football game (Elkhorn South vs. Elkhorn), we had over 8,000 people. Without the additions I don’t know where we would put the other 3 or 4,000 people,” King said.
On the topic of future plans for the stadium, King said there aren’t any as of now.
“Right now we do not have any concrete plans on adding concrete,” King said.
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