NEW PHILADELPHIA - The Gillingham Charter School students have already hit the hardwood.
The school's basketball team held its first mandatory practice Friday at the gym at Simon Kramer Institute, which is the former Blythe Township High School.
"The school is both excited and nervous," Devin Rushanan, the school's athletic director, said in an email. "This is a big step for us and we wanted the students to understand how to compete. Sports teach students how to compete and that will help them later in life when they are competing in the job market and in college."
The team, the Wolfpack, followed the practice with its first scrimmage Monday. Basketball started with a club team at the school and is now Gillingham's second competitive team sport. Last year, the school started an archery team, which also started as a club team.
"We wanted to give the students an opportunity to compete in athletics and this was the starting point. The goal for this year is to show our student athletes how to compete against other teams while emphasizing sportsmanship," Rushanan said. "It is important for the school to have athletics because it allows the student athletes to compete against others and gives them an opportunity to use teamwork and show their athleticism."
There are nine students on the team, according to coach Chris Blackmon, who also teaches fifth and sixth grades at the school.
"We are doing everything we can to get this program rolling," Blackmon said. "The kids want to be here. They are really excited."
"We chose the Wolfpack because it was the popular vote at school and the wolf is loyal to it's pack and they all work together for the good of the pack," Rushanan said. "We thought this represented what we do at the school, we work together to educate and make our students better citizens in society."
The Wolpack will play home games at the newly-renovated basketball court at Simon Kramer Institute. The school is still making final plans with the cancer institute to use its facilities. The agreement will also include a weight room, track and football field.
"Without them, I don't think we would be able to have the team," Storm Hutchinson, an assistant coach, said.
Hutchinson's wife, Nicolle M. Hutchinson, is the director of education and CEO at the school.
"There is so much community support for the school, I'm sure it will carry over to the athletic program as well," Hutchinson said.
In September, Gillingham was denied participation in the Schuylkill League for at least two years because schedules for that time period had to be submitted in 2010. The school can reapply for the fall 2014 season.
Until then, the team will play in non-league games against other charter and private schools and public schools in tournaments.
"I'm pretty excited," Isaiah Thompson, 14, of Saint Clair, said at practice Friday. "I've been playing with the same people for years, and this is a chance to play with different people."
Thompson said he played basketball since fourth grade and was worried there wouldn't be enough players for a team.
Alexander Saoefski, 13, of Tamaqua, participates in many club sports at the school and wasn't worried about not having enough players.
"I was pretty confident they would have a team," he said. "I'm glad I didn't have to play for another team. I like to play for my school.
"We all get along pretty well because we are all friends at school," Saoefski said. "We have the same classes so we already know each other well."
Saoefski is excited to travel out of the area to play games.
"I'm looking forward to traveling and meeting other teams and players," he said.
Rushanan said he is completing the schedule, which consisted of 13 games as of last week.
The school also has golf, tennis and soccer clubs and hopes they will be varsity sports in the future.
Club sports are offered to students in grades seven through 10 and students are also allowed to participate in a varsity sport at their home school district if the charter school doesn't offer it. Students at other school districts can also participate on a team at Gillingham if their school doesn't offer it.