While the main building at Salem High School received a complete overhaul in the past year or so, you can go out the back door and see some improvements to the athletic facilities as well. The Spartan fieldhouse has been expanded to include more than just the Salem High football team. The first thing you’ll notice as you walk toward the field house is the grass under your feet. The former Billy Sample Field, which was what it was called when the baseball team played there 20-some years ago, is now a beautiful practice field. Sure, the field has been used for football and lacrosse practices for years, but it never looked like this. The old dugouts and scoreboard, which had grown old and ugly, are gone and there’s no sign of an infield. The grass over the whole field is green and lush and it’s a great place to practice. As you stand on the field and look toward the new wing of the fieldhouse you’ll notice two sets of two-doors each leading onto the field. Those are entrances(exits?) for four new lockerrooms for Salem High outdoor teams. One set of two is for the boys’ soccer and lacrosse teams. They each have their own lockerroom with a mutual office, shower and restroom facility between. That shouldn’t be a problem as one plays in the fall and one plays in the spring. The other set of doors is for the women’s soccer and lacrosse teams, and it’s the same deal. There are 44 lockers in each room for a total of 176 athletes. Each locker has its own stool with the Spartan logo, a “cool stool” you might say. Atop one set of lockers in each room is a mounted large screen television, which can be used for video sessions or just enjoying watching something while you change.
A new weight room, separate from the football weight room, is state of the art. It was designed by Jason Malachi, who punted for Boston College during his college football days. Salem High athletic director Drew Barrett had visited several sites for ideas for the weight room and field house in general. Among the places he observed were Liberty University and several high schools, including Blacksburg, Patrick Henry, Western Albemarle and E.C. Glass in Lynchburg. “Everywhere we went, the people were awesome,” said Barrett. “I think it turned out great. This is something all the kids can be really proud of.” Drew got some ideas from Jarrod Burton regarding the weight room. Burton was recently the assistant strength coach at West Virginia University and he’s highly regarded in the field.
All the equipment is new and state-of-the-art, with some even personalized. The letters “SPARTAN STRENGTH” in maroon can been seen at the top of the lifting stations along one wall. “The fieldhouse addition was an opportunity for other sports to have a place of their own while giving the existing fieldhouse updates to refresh the space,” said Troy Henderson of G&H Contracting, who did the work at the high school. “G&H was glad to be a part of this expansion and was happy to provide added value considering this project was done concurrent with the high school’s last phases.” The new wing is attached to the old fieldhouse, and that will remain the home of the Salem Spartan football team. The football team got a new floor in the weight room, which already had great equipment. Other than that things are business as usual with the football players. And, business is good.