The Arcata Basketball program hosts open gyms for students of Arcata High throughout the fall. Athletes who aren’t participating in a fall sport are welcome. The women’s basketball program meets on Tuesdays from 4:30–6:30 p.m. and Thursdays from 5–7 p.m. They’ve been in the weight room, on the court, and on the track, putting in that off-season work. During these practices, they push themselves to the best of their ability.
Open gyms have been going really well. We’ve grown a lot,” last year’s varsity captain, Mae Wolford, said. ”Some days the workouts are hard, but they’re fun.”
Finishing the workout is the only way to see some sort of improvement. The basketball players are there to get work in and have a lot of fun. Especially when they’re scrimmaging against each other. They build new relationships and connections throughout. Making relationships with the basketball girls is a big part of creating a family.
With the school year just beginning, freshmen see a new perspective of what a high school open gym looks like. There have been five freshmen who have been consistently showing up.
“Middle school workouts are very different from high school because we just sat around. Now it’s more intense and we actually do things to get better,” freshman center Kelsa Allen said. They lift weights and do explosive squats with 25-pound weights.
The men’s basketball team also started open gyms. They meet on Tuesdays from 6:30–7:30 p.m. They scrimmage on the court; every possession is fast-paced and controlled, putting in the work for an amazing upcoming season.
Senior center Jack Luh is not a big fan of conditioning. “I don’t like running. It’s a lot of running,” he said.
Besides conditioning, the boys play with intensity and confidence. Around 25-35 boys show up consistently to get better. Some girls join in after their open gym times to play against the boys. Five varsity girls frequently get put onto teams and play the boys until they are ready for their night of playing to end. The girls focus on pump faking, communication, passing, and taking good shots.
Open gyms help the basketball community, both boys and girls, work together before the season starts and establish that support set for each other.
