Feet were stomping. The crowd was bellowing. And as an opposing player stepped up to the freethrow line, the building was shaking.
The OVS student body showed up in force last month to support the girls basketball team in its historic CIF opening round playoff game, packing the gym at the neighboring Thacher School to cheer on the Spuds.
“I went up to [Head of School Lars] Kuelling and said, ‘This is why we need the gym,’ ” Head of Upper Campus Craig Floyd said after the game.
The need for a gymnasium has long been a conversation at the Upper Campus.
For far too long Ojai Valley School’s basketball teams have virtually only played away games, and practices have often had to be canceled due to weather. The same holds true for volleyball teams.
Frankly, those teams are at a disadvantage in competing against other schools that simply have better facilities and, as a result, better fan support from students, parents and faculty.
“It was even a conversation between Lower students deciding on what high school to attend,” said OVS alum and four-year varsity basketball starter Max Wheeler (L06, U10). “It has always been an important detail missing at Upper.”
The lack of a gym also has created an issue with admissions, making it difficult to recruit students to come to OVS.
“From an admissions standpoint, the lack of a gym also limits the school’s ability to attract some prospective student athletes who expect a gym on campus,” Director of Admissions Tracy Wilson said.
It seemed like everyone knew that a gym would be a valuable addition to the school, so what was the issue?
“The problem was, it was never a priority,” Mr. Wheeler said.
Several years ago, it appeared that the gym finally had some momentum as a plan emerged to convene a panel of alumni, teachers, coaches, directors, and architects to explore the prospect of a new athletic facility.
Then the Thomas Fire happened. The school had to quickly change plans, and the gym became an afterthought.
This past winter, however, brought the need for a gym back into the spotlight, as both the boys and girls basketball teams qualified for the CIF playoffs.
The girls earned a home game against Buckley, which had to be played at the Thacher gym. The school community showed up in full force to support the team. To say the crowd was loud would be an understatement.
“The stands were rocking! I couldn’t believe that our students were able to make so much noise,” Head of School Lars Kuelling said. “Their enthusiasm was contagious.”
Despite the loss, the crowd was raucous the whole game.
The school spirit was still on display the following day, when the boys basketball team played Midland in their playoff game all the way in Buellton.
“It was exciting, it was crazy,” senior captain Ethan Chen said about the two games. “It was the best school spirit moment I’ve seen.”
These moments showed glimpses of what could be a regular occurrence for OVS sports with the addition of a gym.
However, the goal would have the gym not just be for sports, but be an epicenter for many other activities on campus.
“I think a dedicated space for fitness activities, outdoor ed,” Mr. Kuelling said. “Other activities such as dance or yoga would be welcome.”
Currently, the school is in the process of updating its conditional use permit. This includes submitting any potential building projects over the next thirty years, at that list will include the long-awaited gym.
Director of Campus Planning and Facilities Katrina Rice Schmidt and Director of Facilites and Grounds Peter Clark are working with architecture firm Frederick Fisher and Partners, which did the recent redesign at Upper Campus, to finalize the proposed plans of the gym.
It has long been a goal to better unite the Upper and Lower campuses, and since the COVID-19 pandemic it’s been difficult.
A gym would help reach this goal. Both Upper and Lower teams would be able to use the facility, along with everything else it has to offer. This would result in more cohesion, and better relationships between Upper and Lower students.
“There is an expectation within the independent school world that schools have facilities such as the one we are considering,” Mr. Kuelling said. “I believe it would aid us on the admissions front as we continue to field competitive athletics teams.”
While the gym is still a long way off, it’s exciting to think about the prospect, and it’s about time the process begins.
Gretchen Wachter has been the girls basketball coach for 10 years, and for her the lack of a gym has created many problems
“It’s hard because we practice in the rain,” she explained. “It’s difficult to coach when it gets super cold, and the way the courts are set up now we can’t even practice layups properly.”
“It’s been a long time coming,” Ms. Wachter added. “This school needs a gym.”