Imagine being on the football field. When you’re lining up against the team and then, suddenly, you hear a snap and you realise the straps on your pads have fallen apart. This is some of the things players have had to deal with during a game.

At the beginning of the school year, the Bowie Athletic Department had received new sports equipment to help improve their team. The new equipment were either donated or bought by the department.

These purchases mostly benefit the students, but with the new drones the coaches will be able to use different angles to help improve their game plan. The athletic department now owns two drones “The drones that we received helps us teach the athletes by filming practices from different angles, This helps the athletes by giving a new perspective to the plays that we run during games and teaches them what they can improve on.One drone was bought for about $900 and the other was donated. We got the new equipment largely through fundraisers and donations, which our athletes helped out tremendously with.”

Drones weren’t the only thing that the department received. New workout equipment, such as weights, ladders, and medicine balls, was also something purchased for the athletes.

Robert Hernandez, a lineman on the football team, approves of the new equipment. “With the new workout equipment, it lowers the chances of us getting injured which is obviously an advantage. Also, especially for me because I’m a lineman, it helps me get stronger. The team could really use the new gear to help the team grow physically. Strength is a big thing in football, so whatever helps us get stronger is good thing for us,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez states that with the new equipment, that his team as well as himself as a player, will improve greatly with the new equipment. “There is always room for improvement in sports, Each team needs equipment to get stronger or faster. The new equipment will only help us get to the top of our district.”

Protective gear is a necessity for football players. With the new helmets, pads, and leg pads the players should be completely safe. The brand new and state of the art gear will help protect the athletes like never before.

“All of the old gear is kind of aged. We were due for an upgrade. These new pads are literally brand new and they’re at peak condition. This heavily improves safety for the players and this can also help the performance of the team,” junior varsity player Evan Janacek said. “The new and improved gear will obviously improve our performance and safety on the field. I really appreciate the new stuff because, as a lineman, I’m in contact with the other team at all times.”

The changes with the new equipment has, overall, improved the team as a whole. The equipment will help improve the skills, athletic ability, and the safety of each of the players, no matter what sport they play.

“We obviously needed the upgrade. And now that we now have brand new gear, we wouldn’t have to worry about our pads braking on us mid game. With the workout equipment we will be better prepared for games than we were when we didn’t have this new stuff,” Janacek said.