By John Sutherland ’16

Students will be pleased to find a redone gym floor with a shiny new design at the center of the gym when they return to Sherwood in the fall. The new gym court will feature a large royal blue “S” in the center of the floor and will have “Sherwood” on the sideline at one end of the court and then have “Warriors” on the sideline at the other end of the court.

The color of the new “S” will more closely resemble “warrior blue” than the current design. MCPS will pay for the cost of the floor but Sherwood will be charged for any extra work done on the gym.

The gym remodeling process will start on June 10 with the walls being painted. The week immediately following, the construction on the actual gym floor will begin. The floor will take around six weeks to remake and finish.

Sherwood’s current gym floor needed to be replaced as it has become old and worn. Volleyball Coach Ben Sanger agrees with the decision to get a new floor. “Being a volleyball coach, we utilize the court the most of any fall and spring sport. It’s imperative that the lines are bright and easy to see; this helps with positioning on the court. Having a new floor can also prevent injuries … a new gym floor will have the same effect as it does at the beginning of the season when it’s just waxed. You are able to make better cuts and move quicker to the ball,” said Sanger. Multiple coaches, physical education teachers and Warrior Club members provided input on the new design. Athletic director Kathy Green emailed them the design choices and asked them to voice their opinion on which one they wanted for the new design. The preferred design choice was decided in March by a majority vote. “I believe my input was heard,” said Sanger.

The construction of the court will not significantly affect sports teams that plan to use the gym for summer workouts and tryouts since the floor will be ready by August.