Photo Credit: Matt Cooper
Hayley Smith
Editor-in-Chief
Following storms on the Fourth of July weekend, water flooded the floor of the gym and caused damage to other rooms in the 500 building on the El Dorado campus.
According to Director of Facilities Management Lynn Umholtz, approximately 70 percent of the lower level of the 500 building was flooded. Although the cost has continued to be ongoing, it is expected to be a substantial amount. According to Umholtz, the money will come from the school’s insurance.
Since there is currently no usable gymnasium on campus, the women’s volleyball team has been holding team practices at the recreational center in El Dorado, which is connected to the high school. This is also the location that the home games that are not conference games have and will continue to be played until the gym renovations are complete.
Conference games that were scheduled to play at home were rescheduled because Head Volleyball Coach Richard Younger explained they wanted to keep conference games on conference courts.
Although the gymnasium had the most extensive damage, there were damages to other areas of the 500 building as well.
“The incident caused damage in the athletic training room and the women’s basketball and track and field locker rooms,” Associate Athletic Director Matthew Jacobs said. “Certainly it has been an inconvenience for multiple departments on campus, not just athletics.”
According to Younger, he does not believe it has affected the team’s appearance.
“We have two good courts to practice on, we just don’t have all of our equipment we use in practice that we have lost in the damages,” Younger said.
Although others may believe this could affect the volleyball team in a negative way, sophomore volleyball player JaNay Maggett disagrees.
“We haven’t let it affect us in any kind of way,” Maggett said. “We just come together more as a team.”
Younger believes it ultimately helps the team.
“It is no big deal we are keeping it in stride and are taking it as a challenge so it is building unity and strength we are the road warriors for August and most of September,” Younger said. “It is good to practice away and play away so we should be fine.”
The flooding and renovations have affected more than just the volleyball team, however.
“In addition to volleyball, the basketball teams have had reduced area to practice, being confined to the small gym, which just was re-opened this week,” Jacobs said.
The renovations are projected to be completed in mid-October, with no noticeable changes to the gym’s appearance.