Over the summer, new synthetic turf fields were installed at Buffalo Grove, Prospect and Rolling Meadows, leaving Elk Grove the only school without a new football field.
“We are the only school in the district without turf and we are concerned about that,” principal Nancy Holman said.
A committee of parents, community members and school representatives are working to confirm a corporate sponsor to place artificial turf, a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like real grass, in the stadium.
The synthetic fields that were approved by the school board last February cost about $1 million but the district agreed to split the cost with various partners.
According to Assistant Principal of Student Activities Rick Mirro, turf is critical for physical education instruction and various sports and extracurriculars.
“With this new type of surface you can use it for a lot of things,” Mirro said. “You can put sports and P.E. classrooms on there; it’s a multi-use surface with minimal wear and tear.”
Furthermore, Elk Grove will also be able to realize the profits of renting out the stadium with an artificial turf.
“You can rent out that facility and in turn get money that we can use for all of our different activities,” Holman said.
In addition, other advantages include that turf will also help us remain competitive with other schools in the mid suburban league conference and it will allow us to equalize access to practice time, according to Mirro.
However, one thing that junior Adam O’Malley is worried about are turf burns; it occurs when falling on a field made of synthetic grass in a similar way a person gets rug burns.
“A disadvantage of turf would be turf burns because they really hurt a lot,” O’Malley said.
Senior Miguel Rodriguez, who frequently plays soccer on a turf field at Olympic Park in Schaumburg, counters that the synthetic field allows for a faster played game.
“I like it because the ball goes faster, and it creates a faster-paced game,” Rodriguez said.
By: Julianne Micoleta
