The wait is over, Tigers. McKinley High School’s track, field and tennis courts officially opened in February and the track, football, and tennis teams have already started practicing in the new complex.

According to athletic director Bob Morikuni, track has about 80 runners, which is more than previous years. He said he believes the new facility has attracted more students to join.

One runner, senior Connie Cen, is excited to use the new track for practice.

“The new track and field is very nice,” Cen said. “I like that it has nine lanes instead of the standard six [because] we can run more. I love running, and having our own track is more convenient than commuting to use another school’s track.”

Freshman Johanz Delos Reyes is on the MHS football team. He is excited to practice on the new field because he said it is easier to run on compared to the baseball field, which was in use while the football field was under construction.

“[The field and courts aren’t] super necessary but if we can get it, it helps. PE can use the field and it impacts the students participating in athletics, which in turn will hopefully impact their academics,” Morikuni said.

Both Cen and Delos Reyes said that an athletic complex is important for high schools because it encourages more people to be involved in sports and it helps players that had to travel previously, like tennis, to practice.

The new facility is available for students to practice. However, the football field will not be used for games because there are no bleachers or lights. Cen said she believes that the field should be open for games to show school pride at home games in Tiger territory.

“I think the field should be open for games because I feel this year the McKinley football team will make a difference and we should be able to show that on our own field at our school,” Delos Reyes said.