Saints will be gym-dandy

A white cinderblock wall has replaced the stage inside the Ss. John Neumann-Maria Goretti High gymnasium. An old storage room above the gym has become a new athletic office.

The space offers a bird’s-eye view of the major remodeling being done to accommodate the Saints’ volleyball and basketball games.

The court used to belong to the Goretti Lambs, but with the Neumann boys moving in next month, renovations are designed to unite all of the sports programs while also preserving the former schools’ identities.

A hardwood floor yet to be installed will proclaim "Home of the Saints" at center court, with "Goretti" painted along one baseline and "Neumann" on the other.

The past athletic histories of both schools will remain intact, with championship banners and retired jerseys decorating the walls at 10th and Moore streets. Of course, hopes are that Neumann-Goretti will create a new winning tradition.

"We are trying to get the building in shape and make it something special for students," said assistant athletic director Chip Reitano. "We want them to have confidence in their school."

Once the hardwood floor is installed, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will add about 30 lockers to the existing 54. A cinderblock wall will separate the locker rooms for home and visiting basketball teams.

Reitano and athletic director John Murawsky Jr. have spent much of their summer vacation prepping the school for its historic opening day. For the first time in South Philadelphia, boys and girls will attend the same Catholic high school. Just organizing the athletic office took five weeks.

Reitano was previously Goretti’s assistant athletic director, while Murawsky was Neumann’s recruitment director, a role he will maintain at Neumann-Goretti.

"It’s a team effort," Murawsky said. "Rather than having an athletic director and assistant athletic director, we are just helping out with getting everything done."

The first challengeis making sure all the teams have places to practice and play home games.

With the Neumann-Goretti gym under construction, the girls’ volleyball team moved last week’s tryouts to Neumann, 26th and Moore streets. The Saints’ home games scheduled for September are now away games, with the home contests being pushed back to October.

"Who knows, it might be an advantage for us," Reitano said.

Nothing has changed for the football team, which will continue using McNichol’s Field behind Neumann for practices and 11th and Bigler streets for home games. Neumann-Goretti will provide transportation to and from the field.

Football players and other athletes can bulk up in the weight room, now located across the hall from the gym. Once a home-economics classroom, the facility will now be filled with free weights and other exercise equipment. Treadmills and exercise bikes are on order. The room might be available to fitness-minded students before school.

Aside from the new court, afterschool activities for non-varsity athletes as well as coed soccer and volleyball fall intramural programs "will help with the change," said Murawsky. The athletic director noted that other sports, such as flag football and basketball, could be added.

But first, some athletes, like the Saints soccer players, will want to improve their respective records. Both Neumann and Goretti often struggled in the win column. The coed school is placing its hopes in new girls’ coach Jim McBride and returning boys’ coach Matt Kelly.

"The coaches really understand what they need to do to get us to the next level," Reitano said.

The boys and girls will hold separate soccer practices, but will share the field at Palumbo Rec Center, 10th and Fitzwater streets. The guys will play their home games at 26th and Moore streets, while the girls will continue using Palumbo as their home base.

The athletic directors believe having more Catholic Youth Organization feeder programs would improve the odds for Neumann-Goretti soccer teams.

Local players now have limited options, which include the Southeast Youth Athletic Association and recreation-center programs.

The Saints might need to improve in some athletic areas, but have serious credentials in others. The boys’ basketball and bowling programs have been championship regulars, while the girls’ basketball squad came close to the playoffs last season.

The athletic directors hope to make the new school a win-win situation for the players.

"A lot of coaches are win or nothing," Reitano said. "We want them to be successful, but we also want the kids to come here and be part of the family."

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Ss. John Neumann-Maria Goretti High School will hold a community open house Sept. 19 at 1 p.m.