Bonita Vista High (BVH) has undergone numerous physical transformations over the past few years. The obvious changes include a new track and field stadium and new projector screens in every classroom. Other changes are invisible, such as the new block schedule. Some sports greatly benefit from this new schedule, giving them ample time to do other tasks. Other sports are having difficulties adapting to this new schedule. 

While their reason for moving practices to the morning was not solely driven by the new schedule, the Bonita Vista High boys’ basketball team greatly benefits from their new schedule. The team has access to the gym before school, they are able to have efficient practices and are able to finish practice earlier,. Basketball coach Don Dumas notes this efficiency. 

“They [the Basketball Offseason Team] weren’t going to get up at 5 am to do homework. But getting up at 5am to play basketball is something they are more likely to do so I think it just gives them more time to do things other than sports,” Dumas said.

The early practice also allows the team to practice throughout the offseason without having to worry about other sports using the court. The new block schedule pushed the school start time later to 8:30 which gives sports teams more time to practice before school.

“Volleyball and girls’ basketball want to practice in the evening. We usually want to be consistent with our practices so [practicing before school is] the only way we can during the offseason,”said sophomore and potential basketball player Aaron Owens. 

Likewise, other teams that use the gym for practice such as volleyball, are not concerned with the change in schedule and its effect on their practices. As they have lights and have the ability to control the temperature in the gym, they only need the space to practice. This gives the volleyball team an advantage in choosing when to hold practice.

“We practiced relatively late last year which worked considering we practiced in an enclosed space, not like the football team. We weren’t really concerned with the sun being out as it wasn’t really a disadvantage. So I don’t think the block schedule is going to be a huge change for us,” said senior and previous varsity player Nolan Kummerle.

By comparison, teams that practice outside are likely to be the most impacted as they cannot control the sunlight which is needed for practice.  As all BVH students know, even when we leave class we are followed by a trail of homework which can be quite time consuming and take up much of our time away from Bonita. On top of the strains of a new schedule for them, student athletes also have to carve out new time from their busy schedule to set outside to do homework. For them the schedule change is especially detrimental as compared to other sports given how much of their time is committed to the team and it just makes both their athletic and academic life more difficult.

“I think it [the schedule change]depends per person for an athlete. It definitely has a lot more negatives effects than positives, the only thing I see where homework is a little more manageable. But because classes cover more content each period and each week, [as an athlete,] if you miss a class for a sporting event, you miss a lot more content and class time,” said senior and varsity football player Alex Iniguez. 

A new detriment as well is that teams need to start practice sooner meaning student athletes have less time to prepare themselves for practice and get ready after their school day has just ended. For instance, students can’t exactly go across the street to the mall to get something to eat or drink anymore.

“We used to have a lot more time to eat after school before practice started but, since the block schedule moved up the time for class, I have less time to get ready to prepare for football,”said Iniguez. 

Whether anyone disagrees or agrees with the schedule change the fact is at least for the foreseeable future it will be our schedule. This schedule change does bring a particular advantage to one person, the morning person, who are likely thrilled with this schedule change, hats off to them and congratulations. 

“For me personally, I prefer the morning [Practice] cause I’m a morning person,” Dumas said jovially.