The whole room is gutted.
Silent.
Banners stripped.
Diving boards removed.
Dust accumulated.
Where water once splashed, whistles once rang and teammates once cheered, now lies a corridor of demolition.
The sweltering summer sun casts rays of light through the clerestory windows and onto the bottom of the empty pool as workers put on their neon long-sleeve shirts and hats.
The silence breaks.
Tiles shatter.
Concrete cracks.
Nail guns fire.
Over months, the construction workers fill the slightly undersized hole that once encompassed the entirety of St. Mark’s swimming.
Jackhammers jolt.
Forklifts beep.
These sounds blare to create a new environment: an environment of cleats digging into turf, baseballs cracking off of bats and flying into nets, and the shrill screech of a whistle.
An environment of opportunity: a new fieldhouse.
In just a few weeks, that sound will become not just a distant desire, but a reality.
In October 2019, a tornado shredded through campus, stripping brick from mortar, knocking down walls, and peeling off roof tiles. Hicks Gym saw the most damage, reduced to just two walls and a fragmented roof.
After 20 years of lively athletics, the building’s structure and spirit lay in ruins.
But from destruction came inspiration.
The school saw the rubble of the gym as an opportunity, not only to rebuild what once stood there, but to improve the state of all other athletic facilities on campus.
The athletic department quickly turned its attention to the other side of the football field, where the outdated and non-regulation Ralph B. Rogers Natatorium was in need of a complete revamp.
A renovation of the aquatics center had been considered by the athletics department for years, but space restrictions prevented it from coming to fruition.
“The tornado gave us a blank slate,” Associate Athletic Director Josh Friesen said. “We were able to move the natatorium over (to the Zierk Athletics Complex) and make it better.”
In the culminating months of the 2024-25 school year, construction began.
Rough, warm turf replaced the slick, cold tiles of the pool.
The sharp scent of fresh white paint overpowered the smell of chlorine that once clung to the blue and yellow walls.
Drywall covered the panels of windows that once faced the outdoor basketball court.
Hanging overhead, new lights illuminate every square inch of the room even in the darkness of night.
Metal cords dangle from the ceiling, waiting to suspend the nets of the batting cages.
The transformation was more than just cosmetic; it was foundational.
Fieldhouses like this are a rarity, typically reserved for massive public schools with thousands of students.
“Flower Mound High School. McKinney ISD. Allen High School. They all have indoor turf facilities,” Friesen said. “But those are all massive school districts. None of our peer schools have indoor turf like this.”
Even though students may be excited to test out the new facilities in their free time, Friesen emphasizes that it’s a place for practice, not play.
“Its not going to be for (students on) free periods to go and do whatever they want,” Freisen said, “But, for instance, if our baseball coach wanted to have a couple of players go in at lunchtime and get a few supervised swings, they can likely do that.”
The fieldhouse is not just an added facility but a hub of opportunity that can accommodate a variety of different sports in a variety of situations.
The baseball team in the batting cages.
The football team walking through plays.
The lacrosse team playing wall ball.
The soccer team gathering for indoor drills.
Strength and Conditioning Coach Kevin Dilworth leading group conditioning.
Even the Lower and Middle Schools using the space for PE classes.
The new facility also solves numerous problems that our teams face daily.
During tiring workouts in the nauseating heat of the summer, or on days athletes can’t get real reps in as pouring rain drenches outdoor fields, teams want to train in the air conditioned comfort of the indoors, free from the natural elements.
Football.
Baseball.
Lacrosse.
Soccer.
In addition to the changes made to the natatorium, just a staircase away, the athletics department fully renovated the wrestling center.
“The wrestling room will now have a new sound system, a brand-new big screen television for reviewing drills and film, as well as a brand new set of mats,” Freisen said.
Along with the new hardware and equipment, an elevator has been installed and two storage areas have been added to further upgrade the facility.
Just below the wrestling room, updated locker rooms gleam of clean marble tile. Two additional coach offices have been added to allow for supervision at all times.
