Private School Athletic Facilities

The Washington Post had a good article in the Sports section today on DC area private high schools and the trend of building multi-million dollar athletics facilities.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/15/AR2007051502035.html

I personally found the article interesting, since I was an athlete at a Maryland private school, and have witnessed the boom in development of athletic facilities since I graduated. The pictures of Georgetown Prep's new facilities are amazing. 23 million dollars is also a ton of money to spend on athletic facilities, but certainly isn't surprising knowing Georgetown Prep. However, it is probably money well spent. Prep's AD Dan Paro, my middle school English teacher for a side note, is right on when he stated that Prep isn't just doing this for what they need in the present, but for what they might need 25 to 30 years down the road. If you are going to spend big money on athletics, you definitely have to think about the long term needs of the school. Prep is addressing their needs for future generations of their athletes, and is setting a standard that will be hard to match. Its no wonder their lacrosse, basketball, and football teams have been much improved over the last decade with this type of leadership. They will definitely be able to attract top area athletes to the school with this type of dedication, and I expect them to continue to be successful with their sports.

Other schools that I have observed make improvements over the years.

Gonzaga - They have a great downtown location in DC, but that leaves them short on field space. Putting field turf on their on campus field was a great idea. Their field was always hard and short on grass when I played their, and having a low maintenance, perfect playing surface is good for the athletes, potential recruits, and the school.

Dematha - For a school with one of the best athletic reputations in the country, they have always had awful facilities. They have just started work on a new center that will change the landscape of their campus, while upgrading much of their athletic facilities. They still have a problem without a field on campus, but the article noted they might put field turf in at local fields to help their teams.

Calvert Hall - Calvert Hall made big changes to their athletic landscape by building a true football stadium...not just bleachers for their teams. Their new track is also great, and they have taken a big step in making their facilities attractive to potential students.

Loyola - The Dons created a great looking building to house their athletics. Their new weightroom is great, and their pool is amazing for a high school. While things look good they could have improved their football and lacrosse field and basketball court more. I think they lacked some of the long term thinking when it came to those two areas.