At the end of every year, Oxford High School’s gym floor gets a good sanding and refinishing.
But after so many years of wear and tear, eventually, just doing the top layer won’t suffice and a complete makeover is in order.
This was the case this year, as the Athletic Department shelled out more than $19,000 to get the main gym floor redone and more than $10,000 to get the auxiliary gym done.
Athletic Director Cole Andrews explained the gym still has the original wood floor, but they stripped all the layers of seal and wax right down to just the bare wood and refinished it from there.
Redoing the floor also keeps players safe and will keep the court ‘tacky? for longer.
‘Right now, it’s almost too tacky,? Andrews said. ‘You could probably trip on it if you weren’t used to it, where before it was probably more like an ice rink.
As far as changes go, Andrews pointed out the main thing fans will notice as they look at the floor is that the roaring Wildcat in center court has been replaced by a large, block-letter ‘O.?
‘I love the big ‘O,?? he said. ‘That’s what colleges are doing now and we’re trying to do things that will attract kids to participate in athletics and stuff like this, I think, gets kids excited.?
‘Not that the Wildcat was bad, but everyone likes the ‘O,?? he added. ‘It’s on the football field and we’re trying to be consistent. If it’s on the football field, we’re going to have it on the basketball court.?
Another change Andrews highlighted involved the volleyball court. He said if anyone had attended a varsity volleyball game, they probably watched the girls play the width of the baskeball court only on one side of the gym, but now, with new lines painted, the varsity girls get to play the entire length of the court.
?(Typically,) you can have two courts going on for volleyball, so you can play freshman and JV at the same time (on each half side of the basketball court). Before, all they did for a varsity match was take one set of nets down and have the varsity play. Now, you can have a main court,? Andrews explained. ‘It goes with the basketball court now. Now, you pull out the side bleachers and it makes for a much more intense atmosphere.?
Varsity Volleyball Head Coach LaToria Thomas said the new court was ‘well worth the wait.?
‘The girls are really excited and they’ve been asking about it since we started playing (earlier in the season),? Thomas said. ‘It took like five minutes (for them) to get used to it, but they love it. It just makes more room and feels more game-like with the crowd beside on the main court.?
Andrews looks at the new court as another thing for Wildcat athletes and fans to take pride in and it’s definitely something he himself is proud of.
‘I’ve been in a lot of gyms, as a player, as an athletic director and (as) a coach. I would say the floor surface in this gym now has got to be one of the nicest ones I’ve seen,? he added. ‘It’s comparable to a college (arena) and they’re only playing games on it. It’s top-notch, no question about it.?