It was a hot summer morning, 8:30 am on August 20 to be exact. Parker’s Varsity and Varsity Reserve field hockey teams were walking out to the buses on Webster St. to travel to in their first game at Loyola Academy. As I walked along with the team, I couldn’t seem to find the bright yellow school buses I was used to boarding for games. “Oh great! The bus is late once again,” I thought to myself. As annoyed and worried as I was, I wasn’t surprised.

But then I saw it: We weren’t taking school buses anymore, but instead Infinity coach buses. As I walked through the open doors of the white, shiny vehicle, I was greeted with reclining leather seats, laminate wood floors, overhead storage compartments, and two tables. Certainly an upgrade from the classic school bus. And not once in this recent field hockey season did a bus break down, arrive late, or get lost.

For years as a Parker athlete, I have experienced a number of issues with the transportation system. I vividly remember our bus driver getting lost during the seventh grade field hockey season. We had been driving for about forty minutes already when the coaches made an announcement to text our parents that if they were coming, they should be aware that we were going to be late.

While I was sitting in the heat of the bus, our coaches were busy acting as a GPS for the bus driver. When we finally arrived at the game, we had the required ten minutes to warm up, compared to the usual thirty minutes. Then it was time to play.

Back then, we were lucky enough to get there in time to play the game, but if the bus had been minutes later, we would have had to forfeit. We were risking our success as a team because of our bus company.

According to Athletic Director Bobby Starks, normal school buses cost significantly more than Infinity buses. In my opinion, they were a great investment for Parker Athletics.

Another clear memory I have is the night when my sister, senior Evan Hughes, was sitting at the dinner table with me. She was discussing how the JV field hockey bus had broken down, resulting in countless girls being stranded on the side of the road. This made me wonder why. Why should student athletes should be put at risk for playing a sport?

This stuck with me the next year, when the transportation system didn’t change in the slightest. This year, it’s obvious that the athletics department recognized the change which had to be made for the success of the team and the safety of the team members.

From what I’ve both seen and heard, Parker athletes seem to be enjoying the new transportation system. Yet at the same time, I assume there are some who believe it is pretentious and not a necessity because they don’t know the truth behind it.

The high school tennis team took a limo to one of their matches this year, and the golf teams took limos to a large number of their practices. Of course it’s a fun experience, but it may rub other teams the wrong way, forming a reputation of Parker athletes being “stuck up” or “spoiled”.

The truth is the individuals who feel this way are unaware of the reality behind it. As previously mentioned, Bobby Starks chose to use the Infinity Buses because they cost significantly less than the yellow school buses Parker has used in past years. So really, the Infinity buses don’t seem to have any downsides.

In the future, I think this new transportation system needs to stay in motion. Not only does it make the student athletes happy, but administration as well. I think it was about time to say goodbye to the yellow school buses and hello to Infinity Buses, and it wouldn’t be beneficial to anyone to dispose of them.