New field might draw in more students

Blurb: Lyndon State College’s sports teams look forward to seeing the results of the renovations done to the sports fields.

Section: Sports
9/12/08

By Jack Carney
Critic Staff

The torn dirt and ripped grass of the beaten up varsity field is hopefully going to be a thing of the past with the athletic department’s new renovations to the varsity and practice fields.
Some of the renovations include elongating the varsity field as well as getting the practice field up to varsity standards and possibly having two varsity fields. The decision to renovate the fields was made by the administration initially, said assistant athletic director Bill Johnson.
"We’re renovating our fields mainly to fit the needs of our athletes," Johnson said. "It gets used up a lot with both soccer teams as well the lacrosse team using it in the spring."
"So what we've come to is to renovate the varsity field and get the practice field to varsity standards," Johnson said. "If we can do that it will give the varsity field a little rest and we will be able to keep up and maintain its condition."
Over the last few years poor field conditions have been a source of frustration for many of the athletes. These new renovations could eliminate that frustration for LSC athletes. And for LSC soccer and lacrosse player P.J. Danforth the decision to make the renovations could not have come soon enough.
"I think it’s a good thing because we all share that one field," Danforth said. "The camps they run in the preseason tear up the field so when the soccer season starts our field is already torn up and when the soccer season ends they cant do anything with the field cause its under snow and ice so by the time Lacrosse rolls around its still in bad condition."
Over the summer LSC runs many athletic camps using the varsity field these camps provide a key source of income to the schools athletics. Jim Davis head coach of the woman's soccer program here at LSC said having another field to work with during the summer camps would take some of the wear and tear off the varsity field.
"The camps just make it hard to keep up and maintain in good condition," Davis said, "So if we can have that other field to work with and move our summer programs to the practice field it would be an enhancement for our programs."
But renovating the varsity fields wont just help Lyndon State varsity athletics now but could be the gate way to luring in new recruits to LSC. Davis said the new renovations could be a key selling point for LSC athletics.
"What sells a student athlete is their game facilities," Davis said, "You look at the competition of LSC and a lot of other school are putting money into their facilities. If your LSC you have to compete, you have to show the student they can excel not only academically but on the field as well. The student athletes want to know that the school cares about their athletics."