OPINION: A Davis High gymnastics team is unpractical; keep it private
By Amelia Biscardi,
BluedevilHUB.com Staff-
While Davis High has many teams that students can try out for and participate in, a gymnastics team is not one of them— that’s a good thing.
The first issue that a gymnastics team at DHS would have would be not having their own facility. Proper gymnastics equipment is not cheap; most have to surpass stringent safety regulations, meaning you can’t just go to Costco and buy a trampoline.
If a team were to use the North or South gym, they would have to rotate the equipment in and out of them, since they would have to share the facility with other sports. On top of that, hardware floor with concrete underneath would not be safe for gymnasts; even if their was a sort of cushioning — allowing for injuries.
Although it might be possible to rent out a place like Davis Diamonds or one of the other gymnastics facilities. This would prove to be difficult because private organizations like Davis Diamonds already have their facilities being used by their own gymnasts.
Between that and having to train after school, getting a good place to train may be near to impossible and there is no budget or place to create a gymnasium or have a site for one.
Even if by some miracle DHS were able to get a facility with properly regulated equipment there would still be more issues. For instance, there would be issues with insurance and seeing as gymnastics is so rigorous, the strain on the body from repetitively doing the same movements would lead to injuries.
Then there’s the issue of getting coaches. Most of the qualified gymnastic coaches in the areas are more likely than not already snapped up by one of the gymnasiums like Davis Diamonds, seeing as how gymnastics is not a popular sport compared to basketball, football, or other American staples. While it may be possible to borrow a coach from one of the nearby gymnasiums, that would just throw another variable into trying to schedule a time to train after school.
It may just be a better idea to stick with private gymnasiums.
