Although there are multiple facilities where students can improve their skills, most come with a financial cost. Additionally, the uncertainty of choosing, pursuing and devoting time to a sport may put pressure on their decision. With an open gym practice, however, students can refine their talents with a budget-friendly option.
Direct with its name, open gym sessions are hosted by various SCHS sports teams, such as badminton, basketball and volleyball, and are available for SCHS and non-SCHS students to practice in a supervised yet unstructured environment. Many, like senior volleyball player Matthew Chan, see open gym as beneficial for the school.
“I think open gyms are a great way for players to practice and really hone their skills in order for them to get better and to get ready for the season as well,” Chan said.
Others, such as badminton assistant coach Wai Yan Phyo Min, known as Justin, views open gym as an opportunity to stay active.
“It’s a good way for the students on the team and also other players at Santa Clara High School to have a time to practice and play some games,” Justin said.
For many student athletes, securing a practice site often comes at a financial cost. Senior badminton player Fahao Mei finds that open gym sessions are a great way to save money compared to other on-demand locations, even offering a better practicing experience overall.
“If there’s no open gym, I would go to Bintang (Badminton court facility), and it’ll cost me 15 bucks,” Mei said. “I get to practice my badminton skills (in open gyms) with my friends and coaches, and the coach can teach me some tips on how to beat opponents.”
Although coaches are present during these gym sessions, head badminton coach Yann Chan noted they cannot practice with students. Students are encouraged to grow by themselves and learn through the process, as well as with each other.
“The official stance is that we can’t coach,” Yann Chan said. “We will give pointers, but we can’t do coaching during open gym.”
Although there are many advantages to having open gyms, there have also been some issues with keeping them open to all. Yann Chan noted that keeping doors open to all has prompted safety concerns and discussions on unmonitored participation.
“We’ve had people who aren’t from Santa Clara coming in and trying to do stuff in the school. It’s like when you’re out late at night and you don’t want to keep the doors open because you don’t know who’s going to walk in,” Yann Chan said.
In regard to student safety, school administrators, such as Vice Principal of Activities Sharon Freeman, have set boundaries on who can be allowed to enter open gyms. Despite the sessions being open to the public, SCHS has limited open gym opportunities to district students only.
“We have said no to that (allowing non-district students) just for security reasons, making sure that it’s folks that we know,” Freeman said. “There have been parents that have wanted to come to open gym, and we try not to have that either for student safety. We don’t want it to get too out of hand.”
Many coaches find hosting open gym events easy to schedule and communicate with the school for off-season practice. The flexibility of the weekly schedule lets coaches plan ahead of time and claim the best dates for their teams.
“Generally how it works is that the athletic directors are in charge of week days,” Yann Chan said. “If we want to have open gym time, especially during off season, then we need to communicate with the ADs (athletic directors), and they’ll let us know what the current schedule is and what times are available.”
Coaches have the ability to choose from a variety of campus facilities to accommodate their sport.
“Any of the facilities that are connected to their sports (are available),” Freeman said. “The weight room is also available as long as it’s not being used by an in-season sport or in-season team. It’s usually the main gym, the pool – those are our big spaces for that (open gym).”
Aside from the staff perspective, open gym has helped draw in new students to the sport, helping to pave the way for new recruits. During his open gym sessions, senior Mateo Chan saw newcomers who were interested in trying out for volleyball.
“I know one kid. His name is Mark. He’s a freshman. I’m pretty sure,” Mateo Chan said. “I’ve seen him a couple of times at open gym, and I feel like he’s a kid who’s generally interested in the volleyball team.”
Likewise, open gym sessions have managed to bring in new players from different schools. With the positive atmosphere provided by regular attendees, they too have been convinced to play a new sport.
“I brought my friend from Wilcox,” Mei said. “At that time, he didn’t play badminton, and I asked him if he wanted to show up and he did. I said, ‘How was it?’ and he told me it was pretty good. He said I taught him a lot of stuff and now he’s trying out for badminton.”
Despite being centered around student athletes, many feel open gyms have helped to foster community bonding, building strong relationships between the school and community.
“I’m always down to have more people come and play,” Yann Chan said. “It’s great for the community as a whole.”