What happened to our turf?

Monarch Turf damaged and repaired

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It has been less than a year since the Monarch  turf was replaced, and once again it was damaged.

The spring sports players have had a hard time with rescheduling due to the turf’s condition because the turf could not have games played on it so any home games can not take place at Monarch.  With several bumps and holes in the field, the turf is cautiously used by a few teams in fear of injury or breaking an ankle.  But it was also repaired quickly.

“In an attempt to remove snow so we could proceed with our spring sports, the type of vehicles they used damaged the field,” Athletic Director Russ McKinstry said.  “It cause creases in the turf and it displaced the subsurface, leaving it with mushy or soft spots.”  The turf being in poor condition caused problems for a lot of spring sports that have need of the field, such as girls’ soccer and boys’ lacrosse.

“Two years ago, they tried something very similar, and the same thing happened; the field was damaged again.  But they were just trying to be helpful and get us prepared for our spring sports and clear the field for us, which was a very nice thought,” Mckinstry said.  The entire situation was a pure accident, and a result of miscommunication.

“It kind of sucks because our season just started, and we had to play indoors a lot more because the turf was messed up,” sophomore varsity soccer player Sarah Holland said.

“We are not able to play games on it, and all of the parents were really mad because they were informed that we were going to have all away games,” Holland said.

Lucky enough, the entire turf problem was cleared up very quickly.  “They took a special kind of roller, and spent about 12 to 16 hours rolling the turf out, and it worked well.  The creases and soft spots are gone,” said Mckinstry.  The problem could have been a lot worse, but thanks to the turf team it was fixed.

“You can’t even notice the creases at all anymore,” said Mckinstry.  After a bit of teamwork, the turf was restored to its original state.  Teams can resume practicing on the turf, and home game can be held at Monarch again.