For a student athlete, practice is crucial in preparing and developing his or her skills for upcoming games. Due to the limited gym and field space at RHS, some teams are forced to prepare outside of the easily-accessible athletic complex at RHS.

Students should not have to worry about how they will get to practice locations from school at the end of the day. Walking or searching for a ride to other fields adds an unnecessary amount of stress to the students and also increases the risk that players will show up late to practice.

In the fall, the boys’ and girls’ soccer and field hockey teams practice at off school locations that include Earle B. Wood MS, Maryvale ES and the Rockville Recreation Center across from the Rock Creek Shopping Center.

“It would be a lot easier if we could just stay after school instead of having to go all the way to Wood,” sophomore varsity soccer player Alexander Nagy said.

In addition to practicing off school grounds, the girls’ volleyball team occasionally has to relocate their practice from the main gym to the auxiliary gym. During poor weather conditions, the football team moves inside to practice in the main gym, forcing the volleyball team to relocate.

Furthermore, the tennis team is simply unable to practice in poor weather conditions, although they could potentially practice in one of the gyms. The lack of available gym space makes them unable to prepare for upcoming matches.

Some spring teams are also required to practice outside of RHS. The boys’ lacrosse team practices at Wood MS while the girls’ team practices at Maryvale ES. Also, the fields there are not in top-notch condition.

“It can be kind of a nuisance not being able to practice at school,” boys’ lacrosse coach Kurt Kohler said.

As for transportation, students are often left scrambling to find rides if they do not want to walk the almost half-mile to their practice location. Junior and senior team members’ cars are filled to the brim with underclassmen players in addition to their gear and backpacks.

It is unfortunate to see these students crossing main roads and walking as far as they would run during practice just to attend. “It would be awesome [if the teams] could practice here, but we just don’t have the room,” Athletic Director Michael Hayes said.