Field of Dreams: Athletic Teams Eagerly Await New Sports Facilities
Kathryn Gleeson-Feldman
New athletic fields are underway as construction continues on campus.
Big construction has been taking place at Nanuet Senior High School, and student-athletes are ecstatic to soon be able to play on the newest additions to the athletic facilities. While the excitement for this project is high, athletes have had to contend with not having a home field in the meantime. The anticipated opening date is for a field hockey game on September 29th.
Due to the construction, teams like Field Hockey, Football, Cheer, Cross Country and Girls Tennis have had to travel great lengths to play in their games. In some cases, athletes have had to travel at least an hour a week for games.
Teams have anticipated the opening of the facilities since the announcement of the construction, as Nanuet is one of the only schools in the county without a synthetic turf field. When it comes to practice, most teams have easy solutions and relocate, but with construction underway, there isn’t much room for game play. The new field will be a great addition to campus.
When games are played on turf, it changes the whole dynamic and adds a huge advantage to the sport, according to Mrs. Dube, physical education teacher and coach of the Varsity Field Hockey and Lacrosse teams, which both had to relocate during the past year.
“We knew that with the construction we would face obstacles,” she said. “But in a situation like this the end result is worth the trouble.”
Student athletes have also learned to adapt to game and modified practice schedules, and they have developed incredible time management skills. This was expressed by Senior Field Hockey Captain Jessica Owens, who has spent much of her senior season traveling to Westchester for games.
“We are already stressing about the [games] we are about to play and if we will win,” she said. “Teams get home late and students have homework, projects and tests that lead to sleepless nights of schoolwork and long days of learning and practice.”
Athletes also look forward to the new field, as it will allow for more opportunities and safer play for all sports, according to Owens.
“A handful of schools dropped the opportunity to play us because they didn’t want to play on a grass field,” she stated.
For teams like Tennis and Cross Country, the relocation hasn’t been the easiest, as the tennis team has had to relocate to Pearl River, and Cross Country has been running in the parking lot. These creative ways of using the resources that are currently unavailable have allowed practice to take place, but can still prevent teams from gaining a home-court/field advantage.
Just this week the Tennis Team ended up having a practice in the gym. As the shortest fall sport season, team members already feels the season is growing shorter because of the circumstances, according to Junior Ryka Rohilla.
“If [Pearl River players] have a match, that means we won’t [a] have productive practice,” she explained.
Although student athletes and coaches have faced many challenges during construction, the entire community looks forward to the completion of the project, according to Mrs. Dube.
“In the long run this project will benefit everyone,” she said. “The students are ready to play and others are ready to cheer on their classmates.”