Waunakee gymnasts urge district to replace aging competition floor

Ashley Young, head coach of the Waunakee gymnastics team, and team captains asked the Waunakee Community School District facilities committee on an agenda item to approve purchase of a new spring floor.

Young told the committee the existing spring floor was purchased used in 2014 and “was already well worn.” Addie, a team captain, said, “This is not a want, this is a need. One that directly affects our safety, performance, and ability to continue participating in this sport at a competitive level.”

The students and coach told the committee the current floor is glue-bonded to foam, so it cannot be deep-cleaned, and that embedded wear has reduced cushioning. Addie said most spring floors are recommended to be replaced every 10 years when new, and that the Waunakee floor likely exceeded that life span. She added, “Our current floor has deteriorated to the point where it no longer offers adequate cushioning,” and listed possible injuries from repetitive impact including shin splints and stress fractures.

The coach said the booster club has about $15,000 set aside that could be applied toward a replacement but that boosters also recently funded other equipment (beam replacement, vault runway and $10,000 for bar mats), so using the booster funds would strain the program’s budget for recurring costs such as uniforms. Addie noted WIAA rules require regulation spring floors to host competitions and said the current floor “barely meets the standard now,” which could limit the team’s ability to host or safely participate in meets.

District staff told the committee the gymnastics equipment request is on the facilities committee’s capital maintenance list for consideration this month and that the item’s timing was raised because the board is still developing a long-term plan for where the gymnastics program will be housed once the new middle school opens. Rebecca (district staff) and others said the floor would remain usable if purchased now even if the program later moves to a permanent middle-school site: “If we purchased it this year and then you had a permanent home in the future, that floor just goes with you,” a staff member said.

Committee members asked about wear from repeated assembly and disassembly. The coach said the current floor has already been taken up and down repeatedly over 10 years; additional handling for one year would add only a “minuscule” amount of wear in comparison. Board and staff questions focused on timing and whether to buy now or wait until the district finalizes the middle-school/high-school campus decisions.

The committee did not take immediate final action on the floor purchase during the meeting; staff said they would bring further cost and timing information in July as part of the larger campus planning discussions.