Chapin High School has undergone major improvements to its athletic facilities over the past few years, and it seems to be paying off.

A few years ago, Chapin began improvements in the sports department with the re-pavement and expansion of the track. Since then, the improvements have skyrocketed, with the additions of the new turf football field and even construction on a new arena. Perhaps the most impressive addition this year is the new field house behind the end-zone away from the hill on the football field. The field house provides new locker rooms for the B-Team, JV, and Varsity football teams, as well as meeting rooms equipped with white boards and storage rooms for jerseys and other football equipment.

The same year that improvements like the field house were made, the Varsity football team finished the regular season with a 7-3 record, going 5-0 in the region to finish as region champs. This guaranteed Chapin a first round playoff game at home with hopes of a state title. So is this just a coincidence or do new improvements to athletic facilities give Chapin’s teams an advantage over opponents? Logan Bailey, a sophomore JV and Varsity football player, seems to think so. When asked if the new field house will affect the performance of the football team, Bailey responded “Yes because they are much easier to access and we will be able to listen to music”.

Chapin is not the only case where facility improvements have seemed to lead to more successful teams. The Easley Green Wave football team was in a similar situation a few years ago. Throughout the 2008 and 2009 seasons, Easley had a combined 1-21 record. After construction of a new high school set to finish in August 2012 began, a miraculous turnaround occurred. The next three seasons, the Green Wave had three consecutive playoff appearances and a 29-9 overall record, including 11 wins in 2011 and a 9-3 record in 2012. Similar innovations and improvements of athletic teams have occurred at Chapman and Pelion high schools.

So does the new success of Chapin Football and athletics in general have anything to do with the new facilities? Logan Cobb, a sophomore student and fan of Chapin athletics, believes so. When asked if he thought the new athletic facilities were a worthwhile addition to Chapin High School, Cobb answered “Yes because it may have contributed to the varsity winning region, which hasn’t happened in 21 years”. Whatever the case may be, it sure does appear that the new sports facilities are giving Chapin an upper hand in athletics.