I think it just shows that our school is really supportive of all the teams. – Brighton soccer player Gracie Guerts said.
As the old saying goes, out with the old and in with the new.
That’s precisely the mindset that a number of high schools in the area have developed when keeping their respective stadiums and facilities in mind. One school in particular, Brighton High School, renovated its football field and added a brand-new soccer pitch over the summer, and it’s clear that the school is going all out for its fall sports teams in 2015.
“I think it just shows that our school is really supportive of all the teams,” Gracie Guerts, a senior on Brighton’s girls soccer team, said of the new facilities. “I think it just shows that our school is pretty invested in the sports and stuff.”
So invested that it wasn’t just a soccer field that Brighton added, but also some bleachers for friends and families to watch, as well as a new locker and equipment rooms. While some of these projects are still being worked on, the field is in midseason form. The team held a ribbon-cutting ceremony just before its first game of the fall campaign last week.
And no, it wasn’t just the players and their friends and family there for the outing. In addition to the regular attendees, Brighton High’s principal was there, along with the school’s cheerleading squad and some members of the football team, to stand behind their fellow Bengals.
“It was really cool, there was a lot of support,” Guerts said.
Some may ask why exactly do all of these schools feel it necessary to spend all this money on these upgrades when the older facilities may have a few more years of life left in them?
Well for some, it’s necessary.
This isn’t the first time Brighton’s soccer teams have tried to update their field. Just last year, the Bengals made an attempt but failed after a problem with the drainage system flooded the field, resembling a “lake,” as Guerts called the result.
“Comparing the new field to that field, it’s a huge upgrade,” Guerts said. “It’s really nice.”
Another school that experienced similar problems was Timpview, and football head coach Cary Whittingham was more than happy to accept the changes.
“(The school) obviously put new turf down, (and) the drainage system was an issue before that,” Whittingham said. “They fixed that, so you wouldn’t get pools of water standing on it when it rained.”
In addition to the fresh turf the Thunderbirds received, the school also got new stands for its fans and a new all-weather track for the track and field team. Though the football team, the three-time defending 4A state champions, will be the main occupants of the field, Whittingham claims this was a school-wide project, as there are lines painted onto the turf for games of the Timpview soccer and lacrosse teams.
Of course, not having to play in one large puddle is a positive to new turf, but another plus that Whittingham sees is that it’s not as taxing on players’ bodies as the old field was, providing the proper safety for these high school athletes — the No. 1 priority for the school.
“It’s not as punishing of a field. Not as rough on your joints and better with potential injuries,” Whittingham said.
Clearly, the buzz that a new facility or field can bring to a school is exciting, but the eagerness of the athletes to make use of them is immeasurable.
“(The players are) excited to get on it. It has a better feel to it,” Whittingham said. "The old field was a little tougher on your ankles, knees and backs, but (players) are happy to be on it. We were off it all summer, so they are champing at the bit to get on the field.”
Timpview and Brighton are just two schools in the area that have upgraded recently, but the Deseret News sports team is aware that other schools may have also made changes. If you know of any renovations that were done recently, please send an email to gadams@deseretdigital.com, so that we can report on these additional improvements.
Twitter: @GriffDoug