With more students joining wrestling, the need for additional space has never been greater. While creating new rooms is a challenge, SVHS is working on a solution by constructing a second floor in the wrestling room. This new space would serve multiple purposes and benefit several teams—such as basketball teams who currently give up court space for wrestlers who do not have room to practice in the wrestling room.
The proposed second-floor addition comes with several factors and challenges that must be addressed. One major consideration is securing enough building materials, such as steel and other necessary metals. Another challenge is finding a construction company that can complete the project in a timely manner. Ideally, if everything goes as planned, the school and district would like construction to begin after spring break. However, if the project experiences significant delays, the school may have to reassess whether it’s the right time to move forward. Budget is another key factor—finding a company that can complete the project within the allocated budget is crucial. The school has set aside several hundred thousand dollars for the construction of the upper floor.
Currently, the recommended practice space per wrestler is 50 square feet, but with the wrestling room measuring only 87 by 42 feet, there isn’t enough space to accommodate all wrestlers properly. The new second floor would help alleviate this issue by providing additional room. It would be accessible via stairs on the north end and feature doors connecting to the indoor track.
“As of now, both the boys and girls wrestling teams must alternate between early morning and after-school practices to make room for one another,” explained athletic director Rob Erickson. “Additionally, wrestlers often have to move mats into the basketball gym, which takes away court space from the basketball teams. The new upper floor would help solve these issues. It’s not just the wrestling teams that would benefit—cheer and dance teams could use the space for stunting, and it could also serve as a makeshift P.E. room when the gyms are occupied by games or other events.”
With the continued growth of school sports, expanding the facilities makes perfect sense. “We just added girls wrestling, so space is tight, and the number of boys wrestling keeps increasing,” said Farren Haderlie. “We are always looking for more space, and we’re excited to move forward with this project. We’d love to have it ready for next year.”
