South athletes and coaches are adjusting to the differences in quality and convenience of their relocated practices. The turf construction has forced teams to move practices to fields they have not played on in the past.
Teams have been practicing at the Brown/Oak Hill complex, the Weeks complex and the Lincoln Field in Waban, Athletic Director Scott Perrin said. Perrin explained that these locations would not be permanent for the entire fall season. “We expect the fields to be done by the end of September,” he said. “Almost all the teams will return to the [South] fields at that point.”
According to Perrin, the two completed turf fields will serve as competition and practice fields for soccer, football and field hockey if needed.
Senior football player Dan Okren has been practicing at Oak Hill/Brown since the beginning of preseason. While he noted there have been lines painted on the grass to aid the players, he said playing on a real field would be safer. “We’ve been able to run plays, but it’s a little dangerous. There’s not really a flat surface on the field, so people are falling and tripping and getting hurt.”
Field hockey coach and English teacher Jim Norton said that moving to Lincoln Field has posed little problem for his team, even though the field is slightly further away from South than Weeks, where the players practiced in previous years. This year, the soccer team is practicing at Weeks due to the construction.
“Most people got a ride to Weeks field in previous years, so now they just get a ride to Lincoln [Field],” he said. “Our practices are pretty much the same.”
Junior field hockey player Jen Kaufman agreed with Norton. “Our practices haven’t changed at all [compared to previous years’],” she said. Kaufman also said the field conditions of Lincoln are relatively the same as those of Weeks.
Although she is happy playing at Lincoln, Kaufman said that Weeks Field was easier for her in terms of transportation. “Weeks is definitely more convenient for me [to get to] … because it’s closer to my house,” Kaufman said.
Junior Kathy O’Keefe, a member of South’s cross-country team, said her practices have been negatively affected because the team cannot use the track. “I’ve only done one season of cross-country with the track, but last year we started practice with a timed run on the track,” O’Keefe said. “It’s much easier to run on the track because you know how far [you’re running].”
The cross-country team has compensated for having no track by running around the Brown/Oak Hill fields, Cold Spring Park and on the roads. O’Keefe prefers the track to these alternatives. “I like running on the track better than on the road because you have to watch out for cars on the road. I also like the track better because I can … work on my pacing. Without the track, you’re kind of guessing,” she said. “[At Cold Spring] we run a lot [through] the trees, [and] our coach can’t see us.” Like Okren, O’Keefe added that not practicing at South could potentially cause more injuries, since running on a real track is better for joints.
O’Keefe also said that the changes in practice locations have inconvenienced many members of the team. “It’s nice to run new routes, but it’s difficult for kids who can’t drive themselves places or don’t have transportation.” She said the relocation can also be confusing. “I wouldn’t be surprised if someone shows up at the wrong place,” she said.
While many teams will be returning to the South’s fields at the end of September, the cross-country team will not be able to use the track. Until an appeal is settled, workers must stop building within 100 feet of the wetlands, which includes a portion of the track.
O’Keefe, who also runs track in the spring, is very upset that she won’t be able to return to the South track. “I’m just not happy at all,” she said.
The team will have to find a track to run on elsewhere. “Sports already take up a lot of time, but then if you have to go somewhere else [they] will take up even more time,” O’Keefe said. “It’s just going to be a really big hassle.”
