Inside the gym construction Practices and games to be relocated, PE adjusted

BY ZACH SHAPIRO Staff Reporter

BY WILL KRINER Staff Reporter

For almost two years, a plan has been in motion to renovate the athletic facilities at Burlingame.

“We have some of the oldest facilities in the district. Our indoor facilities are a little outdated,” athletic director John Philipopoulos said. “It’s going to be state-of-theart: two stories, two gyms.”

The gym will feature a new weight room, mat room and multiple new offices on the first level. Construction won’t begin until after summer break starts on June 12, and although the expansion and reconstruction of the gym should offer a new and exciting facility for future athletes, the looming start date poses questions for the athletics program and Physical Education (PE) department. The construction is estimated to take 18 to 24 months, and all sports and PE activities will have to be relocated as the construction takes place.

PE curriculum changes in response to building renovations

For incoming freshmen and sophomores, the PE curriculum is going to experience major changes, as the locker room, weight room, gyms and athletic offices will be torn down. The locker rooms will be relocated to the tennis courts, where two portable rooms will be placed so students can change. In turn, every corner of available space on campus will be utilized in some way.

“I believe they’re gonna bring some of these current lockers we have here, and bring them in [to the new facilities],” PE teacher Anthony Dimech said. “Not everyone is gonna have their own locker like they currently do now. It’s gonna be like our athletic teams: Whatever you need, you bring, and then leave it in when you do PE.”

Smaller portables will also be added for restrooms and PE teachers’ offices.

Indoor sports such as basketball, badminton and volleyball will be affected the most, as the gym facilities won’t be available for those sports to be played during class.

“It’s going to take a lot of flexibility to get all of those units in,” Dimech said. “We’ve looked into getting outdoor badminton courts and outdoor volleyball nets; that’s going to be a challenge, for sure.”

As a result, the PE department plans to extend outdoor units like swimming for an extra week or two if they cannot find adequate facilities to play indoor sports.

Besides these challenges, there are usually three or four PE classes in session during one period, meaning that the facilities could become more crowded.

“We’ll probably use [the weight room] a little bit more,” Dimech said. “It is going to be relocated to the cafeteria, and we’re going to use that as one of our stations.”

Indoor facilities such as the cafeteria and the library will also need to be used more often in cases of rainy days. Outdoor facilities like the practice field will also be occupied more frequently as well.

Although there are restrictions that will be imposed by the gym reconstruction, the finished product will include more up-to-date, usable facilities for students.

“It’s going to be amazing,” Philipopoulos said. “It’s something that’s long overdue and I think it’ll be something that our students and our community will be proud of.”

Construction to disrupt practices, games for indoor sports

The reconfiguring of the space for PE classes has required significant coordination between Principal Fong, PE teachers, the facilities management team and the District, but it’s also posed many questions for the athletic department.

“The thought of losing… all our facilities for two years is a little worrisome,” head wrestling coach Ernesto Nuñez said. “Where are we going to practice, where are we going to train, where are we going to play? I have all those questions just like anybody else.”

Scheduling games for the indoor sports will be fairly straightforward: Every team will play away.

“At first, [the away games] will be an obstacle,” varsity basketball junior Ryan Dougherty said. “But I think it’ll be a unique experience that will become part of our identity.”

As for practices, the logistics get more complicated. Wrestling will likely join up with a nearby squad like Mills or San Mateo for weekly practices in their mat room.

“Where I’m a little concerned is in the winter,” Philipopoulos said. “We have six [basketball] teams — most other schools in the district also have at least five — so that’s where it’ll get tricky with the amount of teams vying for the same space.”

The relocation also introduces a threat to team morale. Playing in a hostile away environment for many successive games often becomes a challenge for players and coaches in need of energy to attack opposing teams.

“It could go one of two ways,” Philipopoulos said. “It brings the team[s] together in an all-for-one, one-for-all mindset. Or I’ve seen situations where… it breaks teams apart a little bit.”

Summer training for the basketball team will look very different. The schedule will vary week-toweek with Burlingame sliding into any open slots available at Capuchino High School. Similarly, the football team will have to adjust their practice regiment due to the relocation of the weight room to the cafeteria space.

“The district athletic directors, we all work very closely together,” Philipopoulos said. “They’re all aware of our situation here… so I expect it to be a harmonious thing.”

In addition to being prepared to forego space for PE classes, teachers will also have to remain flexible with their teachers’ lounge. Head trainer Matt Smith will lose his office in the gym with the demolition as well and, as a result, will be relocated to the A-Building teacher break room.

Two small portable buildings will substitute as locker rooms mainly for the football and lacrosse teams, but will potentially also serve as offices for some PE teachers and coaches.

“It’s the only office and gym I’ve known but at the same time I’m ready to turn the page,” Philipopoulos said. “It’s going to be the envy of the Peninsula… a 100-year building.”