STARKVILLE — Starkville Academy believes it”s getting just the boost its athletic program needs to be competitive.
A $300,000 on-campus locker room and training facility is under construction and is excepted to provide something that is considered to be overdue.
Brian Prisock Construction is handling the project, which is expected to be completed in two weeks and in time to help the football team finish preparation for the season opener against Ackerman on Aug. 21.
Prisock said work is going smoothly and is on schedule to meet that deadline. He hopes to provide a “first-class facility” upon completion.
For senior football players like quarterback Will Goodwin, the new facility will make a big difference.
“It”s good I will be able to use it for my senior year,” Goodwin said. “The field house we had has been around for who knows how long. I know some of the older guys who have kids my age remember using the same field house. The new one we are getting is going to be really nice.”
The new Scott Moore Athletic Complex will feature multi-sport and multi-gender training and media rooms and football, baseball, and soccer locker rooms. The training room can be accessed without having to go through the locker room.
Prisock said the building that houses the current weight room has been renovated and new plumbing and new electrical system has been installed.
Starkville Academy Booster Club President Randy Scrivner calls the facility “a dream come true and the difference is night and day (from the old field house to the new).”
Scrivner said the booster club opened discussions nearly three years ago about what could be done to improve facilities and tried to identify the most pressing need to help the school”s sports teams.
The booster club asked coaches, the administrators, and different organizations for ideas, and it became clear which direction they needed to go.
“The locker room renovation rose to the top every time you talked to somebody,” Scrivner said.
Starkville Academy Athletic Director Glenn Schmidt said the project wouldn”t have been realized if it weren”t for Scrivner and the booster club.
“We couldn”t function without them,” Schmidt said. “The facility is wonderful. It gives the kids a place to go and really look forward to go. It puts us on an even playing field with everybody.”
Football might be the first sport that benefits from the complex, but football coach Brian Sims believes all teams will share the rewards. He agrees with Schmidt that everyone can take pride in and be excited about the facility.
“It”s going to help us function better as a team and gives us more room to be a better host for somebody else,” Sims said. “The school has gotten behind it, and I think everyone is anxious, excited to see the finished project, and we”re ready to use it for sure.”
Sims said the anticipation surrounding the completion of the project is like the feeling you get Christmas morning before you open your gifts, but he”s trying to be patient.
“You know how it is when you are finishing, everything seems not to go fast enough, but everybody is working hard and we”re excited,” Sims said.
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