The fields of FHC see their fair share of wear and tear. Soccer, football, and regiment, to name a few, are regularly walking, running, marching (you name it) across this relatively delicate patch of grass. There is almost always one team feeling hot and bothered towards another for “ripping up” the field. Thankfully, the district has finally found a solution in approving the installation of a turf field.
“Francis Howell High got it four years ago, and since then our community’s been wanted to get [turf],” said activities director Mr. Scott Harris.
Surprisingly enough, the very high school that sparked the desire for the turf field was indirectly responsible for the decision to give it to FHC. The originally planned renovations and improvements for Francis Howell schools ended up coming way under the $75.8 million budget. Now, the district can attack long withstanding problems at schools whose issues weren’t on the agenda.
“The timing just worked out with the extra bond money,” said Mr. Harris.
Although the final cost is being discussed in meetings this week, it was estimated that both Central’s and North’s new fields combined will be about $1.4 million.
As expected, the athletes that use the field are meeting this change with enthusiasm. Not only do turf fields look nicer, but they can have a substantial impact on the performance of a player or team.
“I’m really excited, because our field always gets torn up,” said varsity football player, junior Brody Allen. “Also, now we won’t have to worry about rain.”
As Allen mentioned, the rain tends to be a problem for students. Spartan regiment trombonist Ricky Miller explains the roadblock that a drenched field can become.
“”If it rains, our grass field here gets very muddy and hard to practice on,” said Miller.
Despite any concerns that putting in a new, unfamiliar field world potentially make it harder for teams to practice, varsity soccer player, junior Jaclyn Zilch explains how she is already more comfortable with turf fields. Central is certainly not among the first schools to get this and almost everyone who will be impacted by the turf has already learned to work with it.
“I think I play a lot better on turf,” said Zilch. “Different complexes have turf, and that’s what I play on with my club team.”
