Wrestling Facility Will Offer More Practice Time
With extra space available after the weight room was moved, the HUHS school board approved a plan to turn the old weight room space into a facility for the wrestling team.
The space is closed off to students as construction occurs throughout the school day. As construction happens during school hours it would come to no surprise that it may affect classes and their schedules.
Athletic director Scott Helms, however, ensures that it does not interfere with classes.
“The space wasn't being used so construction started right away,” Helms said. “Construction right now has no impact on the school day or events at HUHS.”
Construction started in November, shortly after the plan was approved. This was due to the fact that the fitness/wellness center was not in use. It being vacant made it easier to get started on construction.
Construction is expected to be finished by the middle of January. The space will be keeping the same dimensions as it originally had.
The wrestling facility will be featuring new wrestling mats that will act as flooring throughout the space.
The new mats and other additions such as ropes and pull-up bars will be paid for through a fundraiser by local youth program, the Hartford Wrestling Club. So far the club has raised about $10,000 of their goal amount, $55,000, and other local businesses are looking to donate money at the start of 2021.
However, the high school is not expecting to receive the new mats till sometime in February, but that will not stop the wrestling team from using the facility.
Head coach Corey McCauley understands that they will not have the mats by mid January, yet he does seem bothered as he knows the old mats will still be available.
“The thing that is holding us up right now is the mats that we ordered may not be in,” McCauley said. “So we will use our old mats in the meanwhile.”
Although receiving the mats late may be a setback, the coaches and their wrestlers remain excited about the facility as it is making history at HUHS.
“It is the first time in Hartford’s wrestling tradition that we have had a wrestling room,” McCauley said. “Hartford has never had a dedicated wrestling room.”
The wrestling facility enables the team to have more practice time. In the past few years, the program has lost a week worth of practice time having to exit the gym for gymnastic meets and basketball games.
“[The wrestling facility] gives the program a home and they won't need to cut their own practice time short everytime there is an event in the field house which is usually three to four times a week,” Helms said.
Since the facility is going to allow wrestling to have more practice time, it will only be used for practices and occasionally, youth meets.
As the wrestling facility gets closer to being completed, wrestlers like senior Alex Bognar get more and more excited to use it.
“I am definitely ready to finally have our own area that will really engage our entire program for years to come,” Bognar said. “The wrestling facility will be worth it because it is finally our own area separated from gymnastics, basketball and any sports.”
Not only is Bognar and the other wrestlers excited about the new facility, but also what it will do for the program in years to come.
“I believe more people will join because it adds a new flare to Hartford athletics that compares to all other schools in the area,” Bognar said. “The future is bright for the next years in Hartford Wrestling.”
