After Principal Burt Clark requested upgrades from the district, new construction will take place on the school campus within the next year. Some of these changes include rubberizing the track and adding new tennis courts.

“My plans are really just to get the best possible facility across the board here at West Shore,” Clark said. “My goal is to make [the track area] as functional for our students and student athletes, and still provide us with all the parking that we need.”

As of now, rubberizing the track is Clark’s main goal, and he has already requested that the district begin working on it.

“Our track will include a full renovation plus rubberization, so it’ll be safer for athletes when they train on the new track,” Clark said.

Junior Abby Bernard runs for the high school track team, and she said she believes the new track will be useful.

“I think it’ll help us practice,” Bernard said. “It’ll definitely increase our chance of winning because our current track isn’t in good condition.”

Additionally, rubber tracks provide more cushioning for runners, reducing the risk of potential injuries.

“[The track] is concrete, so it’s not the best to run on, compared to the rubber tracks we compete on,” Bernard said. “Concrete is never very good to run on, especially sprints where you’re slamming your foot down.”

Campus tennis courts in the works

As well as upgrading the track, Clark said he hopes to build on-campus tennis courts.

“Our tennis teams and tennis players are at a huge disadvantage, having to bounce around not only to compete, but just to practice,” Clark said. “So I think adding tennis courts here would be valuable. It would increase safety and increase the opportunity for them to practice and compete.”

Girls tennis coach Samantha Martin said that transportation was an issue for the tennis team.

“It is sometimes a little inconvenient to have to drive off campus to go to the courts,” Martin said. “It’s not always a close location for everyone on the team. Sometimes we also have other people who aren’t affiliated with our team who are trying to come onto the court or use the track, which can be a big distraction and potentially a safety issue.”

The girls team currently plays at the Hoover Middle School courts, whereas the boys team is required to play at the Jimmy Moore Courts.

“I think whether they’re on campus or not, having courts where the boys and girls are separated kind of pulls them apart,” Martin said. “When I was in high school, we usually practiced in the same place, so it was kind of fun to have everyone together.”

Seventh-grader Ava Lyttle-Allen plays for the girls tennis team, and said transportation was a big issue.

“I’m excited to not have that long drive, so we’ll be able to hold practices earlier,” Lyttle-Allen said. “So in the future, we can have more time to do homework because the courts will be at our school, and we won’t be required to drive there.”

Clark said he hopes both tennis teams will now be able to host games and practices on the school campus.

“I’m hoping for at least six courts,” Clark said. “I feel like six would give us the opportunity to have both the girls and boys team practice. We’ll work on getting seating, as well as seeing what the final timeline looks like.”

To build new tennis courts on campus, Clark plans on relocating the underclassmen parking lot.

“We should expect the current underclassmen parking lot to be relocated from its former location inside the track over to where the practice field is,” Clark said. “So right by the senior parking lot, we should have many, if not more, parking spots, which will benefit our events because parking will be centralized in one area.”

Practice fields may change location

To still have two practice fields, Clark plans to move the new practice field to where the inside of the track once the track gets redone.

While the district hasn’t issued a starting date, Clark said he is hopeful changes will begin soon.

“As far as a timeline, I don’t know exactly when construction will start,” Clark said. “[The district] thinks the infrastructure needed is very minimal, which should move our project to the top of the list, where I’m hoping we could be potentially the first [school] that gets done.”

Clark said starting the project earlier will benefit students more, as construction will not be a quick process.

“This is just a speculation, but I’m hopeful for construction to start sometime in 2026,” Clark said. “I don’t know if that’s January or summer, but I’m hopeful we can start soon; construction will probably take between 10 and 12 months to finish.”

Clark said his biggest priority is to initiate changes to the track.

“I am 100% sure the track renovation is going to happen, and I’m almost certain we’ll be able to get those tennis courts done,” Clark said. “We already have a press box, a concession stand and extra bleachers, so my next priority would definitely be having the tennis courts on campus.”

New changes to the campus will benefit functionality and put student athletes at an advantage.

“I’m excited and hopeful, I can’t wait,” Clark said. “I’m excited to see the first hosted tennis match here within the next year and a half.”

By Nikita Sinha