In Santa Rosa, a perfect home record is being built on away courts. A crisis of space and safety is forcing local middle school athletes to scramble for a place to play.
Per the Press Democrat, after Santa Rosa Middle School was shuttered and merged into the high school campus, athletes were bused back to their old gym just to practice. But a wave of December vandalism—including stolen pipes and destroyed equipment—has left that facility unusable.
As the district faces a massive $23 million budget deficit, more middle schools are merging onto high school campuses that are already at capacity.
While board members insist sports are vital for keeping families in the district, coaches warn that without gym space, programs will wither. For now, teams are relying on the generosity of rivals and local colleges to finish their seasons, while parents fear that losing sports means losing the community itself.