Ruined Field, Ruined Budget?

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September 9, 2009  
Filed under Opinion

Sod patches, hilly slopes and mud puddles litter the Ottawa High School soccer field. Changes have been made in attempt to salvage the field that we have left. Even though the soccer field has significantly improved over the past couple of seasons, it still has its flaws.

Since a natural grass field will probably never reach perfection, it has to be well maintained in order to host both the boy’s and girl’s soccer matches throughout each school year. Some soccer players and other high school students have debated whether it would have been smarter to invest in a turf field to serve as a multi-purpose sports facility.

It definitely would have been more costly, but how much more? A multi-purpose field would have cost the school nearly $800,000. That seems like a rather large number, but Athletic Director Brad Graf said that in 10-15 years the new and modern turf field would have eventually paid for itself since a turf field requires little to no maintenance.

Last year in the fall soccer season alone, the school spent $20,000 on the upkeep of the soccer field and fixing all of those sod patches and holes that could have been potential ankle breakers for the OHS soccer teams. I think safety is important for a sports team even if it is worth $20,000, but that money would not have to be spent every year if we had a reliable turf field on which to play.

If the school spent $40,000 a year on the soccer field, in 10 years the maintenance bill would have come to a whopping $400,000, and this number doesn’t even include the amount spent on repairs for the football field.

Another reason why some soccer players want to invest in a turf field is because practice wouldn’t be as much of a hassle. Each day for practice the soccer players have to drive to Eisenhower Elementary School to practice on their field in fear of ruining their game field. Transportation is an issue as well for practice. Some of the freshmen who do not yet have a license to drive, have trouble finding a ride to practice and may miss it on occasion. They have to walk the five blocks to get to practice. When I was a freshman finding rides was difficult at first if you did not know anyone.  Thankfully, the upper-classmen offered rides to their new teammates and most of them, it without a problem.

An additional problem is that when our “bi-polar Kansas weather” decides to grace us with its wonderful thunderstorms that produce about three inches of rain in one hour, the field soaks up all that water and turns the grass into mush. When the field is soggy and unstable, the games have to be moved to Ottawa University’s turf field. This move takes time and energy, and some of the schools that are visiting OHS get confused about where the game is taking place. If we invested in a turf field, rain-out games wouldn’t be a problem. Ottawa University also gets all of our profits while hosting our “home game” (from concessions and admissions.)

I think the most important factor is our high school pride and home field advantage. A high school is supposed to be confident and sure of themselves when they walk onto their field that they have left their imprint on and broken in, like a pair of old cleats. When things change so much and games are being switched to numerous fields, it throws off the players and coaches’ concentration.

Having a reliable field is a major factor in how a high school sports team works. It is the foundation of the games that are played, won and lost, and I think it is important enough to put in the time and money to create an ideal field to host OHS’s boy’s and girl’s soccer games as well as other sporting events.

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Haley Butler

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