Despite boys’ and girls’ indoor track’s successful season, their meets were impacted after security at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center increased with the addition of metal detectors after a student from another school brought a gun onto the premises, Thursday, Jan. 8.
Students from an earlier meet started a fight where one student displayed a gun at the Reggie Center. The boys’ and girls’ indoor track competed there during most meets.
According to senior Lila Anapole, a girls’ indoor track captain, the new security changed the way athletes warmed up before meets.
“My teammates and I were told to always run with a buddy, which definitely caused a lot of stress and nerves for a lot of our athletes,” Anapole said.
However, she added, “I think the changes to the Reggie Center are not necessarily a bad thing because it allows for more protection and safety.”
According to junior Jack Martin, while some people were annoyed by the changes, most students and coaches understood the importance of heightened security.
“I think what they’re doing is totally reasonable,” said Martin. He added that he thinks the changes were necessary because it was not a good idea to allow anyone to be able to come to high school track meets, especially since the building is in a relatively dangerous area.
According to math teacher Wallace, boys’ indoor track head coach, “If the changes make people feel safer, then I think that’s what needs to be done.”
However, according to Martin, the new security protocols were similar to airport security. “Once we’re inside, we have to take out our laptops, binders, or any metal. We put them in bins that go through, and then they check the bins, the bags, and then we walk through metal detectors,” he said.
“It takes a while to get through security, especially when all the teams are coming in at once, because it’s hundreds of kids going single file through a line,” he added.
According to Wallace, the longer wait time also created the need for the boys’ and girls’ track teams to leave for their meets earlier. He said that since the starting time of the meets did not change, coaches needed to plan for extra time.
According to Anapole, track team members, including herself, had more schoolwork to make up due to their earlier departure time.
