Next school year,McCallum is set to welcome its very own turf field. Coaches and players believe that change will bring athletic programs new opportunities to grow and improve on and off the field.
Athletic director, head football coach and head girls varsity soccer coach Tom Gammerdinger has previously reaped the benefits of having a turf field, and seeing that football games are played at turf stadiums, Gammerdinger knew right away that the change from dirt to turf was much needed.
I see no disadvantages to getting turf fields; it’s going to improve play and it’s also a lot safer to play on as well.
— athletic director Tom Gammerdinger
“I see no disadvantages to getting turf fields,” Gammerdinger said. “It’s going to improve play, and it’s also a lot safer to play on as well.”
Gammerdinger knows the advantages of having nicer facilities to practice and play on.
“For football, having a good surface is safer for impacts and being brought down to the ground a lot more,” Gammerdinger said. “As for soccer, a smooth playing surface is critical because we’ve been out there practicing, and I even notice how hard it is to get a good pass in when every other square foot is a hole in the ground.”
The biggest concern for Gammerdinger was player safety, after seeing the uneven and dusty terrain that is currently the McCallum fields.
“I think that grass fields can be safer than turf fields at times, but the problem is we don’t even have a grass field,” Gammerdinger said. “What we have now is dusty and uneven rock, which is obviously not safe for any sport.”
Sophomore soccer and football player Jax Hicks feels a weight lifted off of him, knowing that there will be less of a risk when he steps on the McCallum field.
“Now that we are getting a different field, it’s not only going to be easier to play on, but safer as well,” Hicks said. “I know that now that we have these facilities, it’s going to take away the problem of having all of the holes in the ground, which can be dangerous if you step in them and twist your ankle.”
Another benefit to having these fields will be the continuation of practices. As the seasons get colder and wetter, the fields have caused many problems with flooding and muddy conditions. So adding in sustainable fields will allow for more practices and games to be played through the rainy conditions.
[The turf] ensures we can stay practicing in the rainy months and increase the overall quality of all of the practices of the sports that use the field.
— sophomore soccer and football player Jax Hicks
“[The turf] ensures we can stay practicing in the rainy months and increase the overall quality of all of the practices of the sports that use the field,” Hicks said. “Pretty much all of the soccer practices for one week were canceled due to the rain, and that wont happen once we have turf.”
The girls JV soccer game on Jan. 24 was set to be hosted at Noack but was canceled due to field conditions.
Freshman JV girls soccer player Athena Wintle was one of the soccer players affected by the constant cancellations from problems with weather.
“It just is so unfortunate to look forward to playing our games and putting in all our effort to prepare, just to find out that we can’t play just because of a little rain,” Wintle said. “This is probably why I am most excited about the new fields because problems like this will be avoided, and we can just start hosting games at Mac.”
With the addition to the fields, other teams will be brought to McCallum, in order to provide the best hosting field for several games.
“So [the field] is all a part of the new AISD bond package, and every high school gets a certain amount of money in order to install a turf field, lights, bleachers and maybe even a little concession stand,” principal Andy Baxa said. “It’s exciting because now McCallum will be equipped to host middle school games and JV sports games here.”
The AISD bond will also take away some of the wear and tear of current hosting facilities.
The purpose of this is of course to offer better facilities for schools but also to relieve some of the pressure, and conserve our current playing fields like House Park, Burger, Nelson and many more.
— principal Andy Baxa
“The purpose of this is of course to offer better facilities for schools but also to relieve some of the pressure, and conserve our current playing fields like House Park, Burger, Nelson and many more,” Baxa said.
Per the AISD bond package, every high school, not just McCallum, is set to welcome new turf fields, in order to not only provide a place for their athletes to play, but the fields will offer a reliable place to host JV games, and each school’s respective middle school will also be offered a reliable place to play.
“It’s vital that we get in a good practice for all teams, and the current fields just don’t accommodate for any of that,” Gammerdinger said. “And now that we have these fields, we can play sub varsity games here on campus, which is just generally easier, not to mention the lights, so now we can host games but also run practices later.”
The current McCallum field has served its purpose, but coaches and players are ready for the change. The fields will begin construction by the end of this year, and will be usable just in time for the 2024 football season, which will come with improved safety, reliability and even terrain for all to enjoy.
Luella • Apr 16, 2024 at 2:44 pm
this article was very informative and interesting a special learning about how different sports struggle with the current field.
David Herring • Apr 3, 2024 at 2:54 pm
I enjoy how this article shares how the coaches see the importance of the new field.