Are Turf Fields Coming To Washingtonville High School?
By: Jennay Amaral
Upcoming this month in the Washingtonville Central School District, there will be an annual school budget vote. This year the Washingtonville Athletic Department is urging fellow voters to vote “yes” in this year's budget vote.
The reason why there is a push to vote “yes” is because Washingtonville finally has a chance to have a new turf field, thus changing drainage on their upper fields! More is coming with the budget vote but some popular aspects are a turf field.
With having turf fields many benefits can come along for our fellow wizards and community.
Suzanne Lendzian, athletic director for Washingtonville Central District, addressed, “Synthetic turf allows use at all times, even in inclement weather conditions, or immediately after rainfall. Turf fields can even be used in freezing conditions.. Multiple sports fields of play lines and field slopes are constructed into the turf, allowing multi events on a single field.”
She went on to add, “Durability leads to a reduction in risk of injuries. Some sports cause mud/dirt areas to develop because of heavy use. Think of a football field 35-yard to 35-yard lines, or the net area for LAX, or the PK line for soccer. By the end of a season with a grass field, conditions can become unsafe with mud and small divets, causing ankle injuries and slipping from poor foot grip.”
The upper fields at Washingtonville High School have countless holes and it can be exceptionally dangerous to play on following rainy days or dried up moments. Athletes who have played on these fields have been injured.
Gracie Drenth, a junior and Varsity Girls Soccer player at Washingtonville High School, mentioned, “There is no drainage on the upper fields leaving many of my teammates and I with injuries that can be prevented.”
New athletes at Washingtonville High School also took notice of the field conditions.
Madison Bruno, a freshman and player for the Varsity Flag Football team at WHS, addressed, “It really hurts falling in the mud sometimes and I have rolled my ankle multiple times this season alone because of all these holes.”
Bruno added, “All the practices and games we had to cancel because we can’t play on the fields when it is raining because we will run them even more and sometimes during games I can’t see the 20 yard lines or where the down lines are because the paint isn’t appearing on the ground.”
Turf fields can evidently be beneficial for all athletes, faculty, and students in the building. This new addition to the high school can really bring more spirit and change the look of what Washingtonville can be. Athletes in Washingtonville High School travel to various schools, catch sight of their own turf fields, and wonder why there aren't such upgrades at Washingtonville. Well, there is now a chance.
Susanzine Lendzian finished off by continuing, “I am optimistic about Washingtonville School District obtaining turf fields. I believe that a multi-purpose turf field is a necessary safety upgrade that provides a safe main stage for athletics that can be used in various weather conditions, various times of the day and numerous times throughout a day by several different sports with little to no maintenance or field preparation.”
To learn more about the budget vote before voting on May 21st, check out this video on its information and there will be more videos and news to come!