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Nearly $800,000 of bond money was spent to replace the athletic turf at Al Ritt. The reaction from athletes is incredibly split
By: Noah Boyce & Sam Burgos
Junior Sam Renaud is a big fan of Al Ritt’s new turf. As a goalie on the District Championship-winning varisty soccer team, Renaud said he’s been able to play better thanks to the new turf.
“I like how bright the colors are,” he said. “Because as a goalie my peripherals are what I use to position myself in net. When I see the sidelines in my peripherals, as bright as they are, it’s so much easier to know where I am on the field.”
Regardless of the opinions on the turf, the change was still necessary.
The Principal of Operations Craig McCalla was one of the main people behind the resurfacing of Al Ritt. According to McCalla, “The Board of Education voted to have the turf replaced and the track area renovated. Many people voiced their concerns and dislike for the design of the turf, so it was time to give it a makeover.”
Superintendent Dr. Chris Timmis, Athletic Director Mike Bavineau, and McCalla all sat down and discussed how they wanted the field to look.
“We wanted our logo to have a prominent place on the field. We also decided on the color layout of the endzones.” McCalla said.
After deciding on the final design, the resurfacing commenced in June. After two months of work, the turf was completed with a final price of $773,575.
Most of our interviewees mentioned how they like the new turf and how they thought it was softer. However, not everyone likes how the new turf feels.
“It’s so long and it feels like carpet,” sophomore Addison Zogaib said. Right now, the turf is long and not broken in, which is not ideal for some Dreadnaught athletes.
The opinions about the design of the turf were mostly positive. Many students liked the new logo in the center of the field rather than the old one. However, others did prefer the old end zones.
“I was a fan of the colored endzones personally,” sophomore Cooper Arendt said, referring to the now green endzones with just maroon and white lettering.
Renaud had a favorable opinion on the field regardless of the new endzones. “I like how simple the field is compared to the old one,” Renaud said, recalling the plethora of blue and yellow lines which was more complex.
Although there was a difference in opinion about the feeling of the new turf versus the old, a majority of the people like how the field looks and feels.
“I love the colors, you know,” junior Bulamu Esilaba said. “They pop out more.”
