Both the Columbus East and Columbus North football fields are getting makeovers this summer that will give the fan base a little different scenery while making the game more safe for players.
Both fields have already been ripped up and will be replaced with new turf. The process already has begun for North, and Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. project Manager Randy Surface said the new Bull Dogs field should be finished in the next couple of weeks.
The East field will be next, and athletics director Pete Huse said the projected completion date for the Olympians is July 16.
The paint and other features for each field obviously will be catered to each school, but the actual design will be the same for both fields. There will be permanent soccer lines on each field, and both schools are getting new goal posts, as well.
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The main difference with these fields compared to the old ones are the shock pads that are being laid underneath the turf. The shock pads are projected to extend the life expectancy of the field by two or three years, so the expected life span of these fields are at least 14 years instead of the 12-year life span of the old fields. More importantly, the shock pads should help limit head and joint ligament injuries to the ankles and feet.
“I think it just shows our commitment to the safety of our athletes,” Huse said. “Not only East, but the entire BCSC commitment to putting our athletes’ safety first and make sure we’re putting them into the best possible positions to compete in a safe environment and compete at the highest level by doing so.”
A field assessment called Gmax testing is testing the amount of impact that the field absorbs in order to limit the impact for the player, which helps create less injuries. North AD Jeff Hester said fields with shock pads have been proven to keep its Gmax rating longer than fields without one.
East football coach Bob Gaddis was the Olympians AD when the the first turf fields were installed in 2006. East and North joined together with the community to raise $1.5 million themselves to pay for the fields. BCSC is funding the new fields that are costing a combined $853,111.
There weren’t many turf fields in Indiana when North and East installed the first fields, but Gaddis said turf has become more of the norm over the years.
“It’s become a no-brainier that a lot of schools are putting turf in just because of the multiple use of it and the lower maintenance (along with) the safety,” Gaddis said. “… I was very happy when this time, the school corporation recognized the value of the turf, not just for football but for everything, and they decided to replace it for us.”
Gaddis spoke about how the fields aren’t just used for the football team. He said the fields are used during the school days and by almost every other sport. The bands also get quality use out of the field.
Conversations about replacing the turf have been happening within BCSC since Surface joined more than two years ago, and they have trusted CSO Architects, a company based out of Indianapolis, to install the fields. CSO also has brought in a landscape architect company called Context Design to help put in the shock pads.
“They have installed many of these fields and we consider them to be experts in the area,” Surface said.
The old East logo on the field was facing away from the home crowd after the new bleachers were installed. Now, the logo will be facing the home stands once the field is complete.
Neither team is able to practice on its main field at the moment, but should be back on the new turf in time for their home scrimmages Aug. 10 and the start of the regular season Aug. 17.
“Everybody is real excited,” Hester said. “And right now, our team is practicing on the grass field, so they’re looking forward to getting back on the turf.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Out with the old in with the new” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Old turf installed: 2006
Life span: 12 years
Cost of new turf: $853,111
Life expectancy: At least 14 years
Key improvement: Shock pads
Projected completion date for Columbus North: Late June
Projected completion date for Columbus East: July 16
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