Carly Risom
Reporter
This upcoming spring, New Canaan will see the addition of new athletic fields. According to NCHS Athletic Director Jay Egan, town officials plan to resurface Dunning field and install a new full turf field, as well as a half turf field.
Exact plans for the fields are in the works, “There are basic plans to put turf on the field right next to the water tower, where there is grass now,” Mr. Egan said. “There is a group of people in town, including representatives from youth Soccer, Football, Lacrosse and Field Hockey, who are interested in getting more synthetic fields so that less practices will be missed.”
Dunning Stadium has had the grass-like texture of “gurf” since 2004, after having graduated from the original Astroturf in 1997, according to the New Canaan Patch. Varsity Football senior captain Joao Rocha prefers turf to grass in terms of preventing injuries. “Turf makes running and dodging easier, and unlike grass, there are no holes,” he said. “The grass can lead to injuries similar to the ones my teammates have now.”
A New Canaan Parks and Recreation Commission report stated that the Water Tower turf was finished in 2006. It is utilized by the high school Field Hockey and Soccer teams in the fall season. In order to accommodate the number of athletes using the field each day, the town has decided to implement additional turf fields.
Hailey Coutts, a junior Field Hockey player, feels that the amount of fields we have now creates tensions among teams all vying for the same space. “I think this project is completely necessary,” Hailey said. “Teams are always arguing about which field is theirs and what time their practices are.”
Varsity junior Soccer captain Courtney Overacker thinks that the new fields will put the Rams on the same level as other FCIAC teams. “A lot of schools that we compete against practice on turf,” she said. “So when we play against them they have an advantage because they know how quickly the ball moves on the surface, in comparison to grass fields.”
According to Mr. Egan, the turf fields will most likely be installed next summer, in time for the 2014-2015 sports seasons. “We’re in a preliminary phase right now, but the group has gotten permission from the necessary town boards in order to jumpstart the project,” he said. “Basically, it’s going to come down to a fundraising campaign, with a potential budget of around 2 million dollars.”
