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Athletic facilities lacking?
by Elizabeth Michalka, Wake Weekly Staff Writer
Wake Forest-Rolesville High School is not new, but some wish it had the same amenities as newer schools, like Wakefield High.
"Our campus itself is one of the oldest in Wake County," Principal Andrè Smith said. WF-R was built in 1958. Today's standards for high schools include a football field, baseball field, softball field, practice field and six tennis courts, said Mike Burriss, assistant superintendent for Wake County School's facilities. Wakefield High School has eight tennis courts, two practice fields, a baseball field and a field used for softball, soccer and football. "Wake Forest-Rolesville doesn't have the standard number of ball fields, and are short two tennis courts," Burriss said. "Not every school conforms to a rigid standard." The main reason schools, including WF-R, are not up to par is land. "There's just no room for expansion," said Bobby Guthrie, senior administrator for athletics in Wake County Schools. WF-R has about 55 useable acres, said Smith. "The regular high school site standard is 60 useable acres," Burriss said. Five acres may not sound like much, but it's enough to keep WF-R from expanding its facilities. "One thing we can't do is add more land," Burriss said about WF-R. There is, however, a preliminary investigation underway to determine if playing fields could be expanded to the west side of the WF-R campus, but that would involve filling in an area that includes a creek, Burriss said. "We have a plan to bring them [WF-R] into compliance as much as we can," Burriss said. Plan 2004 -- a proposal attached to last year's bond referendum -- includes funding for two additional tennis courts, a ticket booth and playing field upgrades. The tennis courts should be completed by 2006. The entire project, including upgrades for classrooms and labs, costs $2.5 million. WF-R athletic director Chuck Hess hopes the new courts will be built to the left of the visitors' side of the stadium. "Why do we have to sit around and wait for tennis courts until 2006?" asked Jerry Mitchell, whose daughter Cody plays on the WF-R women's tennis team. "The fact is, Wake Forest should have the tennis courts and they should be built by next year," Mitchell said. But Mitchell is also concerned about the quality of the existing courts, which were completed in 2001. "The courts are slick. The surface doesn't have any finish on it, and the kids can slide down very easily," he said. Hess said he isn't aware of any injuries due to the condition of the tennis courts. Water and debris from nearby trees have caused the courts to prematurely deteriorate, Burriss said. Because of the problems, Smith said the courts are a safety concern and will be resurfaced when the season is over. "The resurfacing is only part of the answer to the problem," Mitchell said. Frances Moore, who has two daughters on the tennis team, junior Alysa and freshman Sara, said the insufficient number of courts causes matches to last more than three hours, instead of the normal two. "It delays the game tremendously," she said. As the tennis program expands and student interest grows, more courts will be necessary, Moore said. "Our program is developing, and we'd like to have the opportunity to reach full potential by having the facilities," she said. Increased enrollment and the addition of various sports have strained the facilities at WF-R. "Whenever Wake Forest-Rolesville came into existence many years ago, there were not nearly as many sports as we have now," Guthrie said. There are 11 men's and 11 women's sports at Wake County high schools, not counting cheerleading and lacrosse, Guthrie said. Hess said the men's soccer teams practice off campus and the women's softball teams practice and play games off campus. "We use the seminary field across the street for practice," said Brad Baker, WF-R men's varsity soccer coach. Baker said it's not a hassle to walk across the street. "It's the next best thing to practicing on campus," he said. "Wake Forest-Rolesville is not the only one out there having to do something off campus," Guthrie said. "Everyone is doing something off campus." He said three or four high schools use tennis and softball facilities that are not on their campus, and one school plays baseball off campus. Every Wake County high school's swimming, golf and gymnastics teams practice and play off campus. Despite its shortcomings, Hess said he's proud of the sports facilities at WF-R. "I'm real proud of the work we've done to improve the [Trentini] stadium field," Hess said. He is also impressed with the gymnasiums and a multipurpose facility that was completed in August 2003, which includes locker rooms, a training room, classrooms and offices. "We're dealing with the situation," Smith said. "We're working within our constraints to provide the best athletic program we can." "I don't see how they could address the situation any better," Guthrie said about WF-R.
Last Updated On: September 2, 2004
Copyright 2004 The Wake Weekly