Why Fields Matter: Understanding the Need in Larchmont/Mamaroneck
Play is important. Outdoor team sports develop kids physically, socially and emotionally, and are a proven antidote to obesity and at-risk behaviors. Through sports, we foster community, celebrate diversity, nurture healthy lifestyles, and help many kids stay connected to school. Improvements to the high school field will benefit all kids in the district — through PE classes, district teams, intramurals, recess, and community youth leagues.
More kids playing than ever. Over the past 10 years, our student population has increased by nearly 24%. A demographic study predicts growth will continue, with a 12% increase at the high school alone over the next 10 years. Involvement in field sports has likewise increased dramatically in both school and community programs, compounded by a welcome increase in girls participating. Our lacrosse league — one of the biggest in the county — didn’t exist 10 years ago; and our youth soccer, baseball, softball, and football programs continue to grow. The school district sponsors 30 field teams involving about 700 students. Local youth programs add over 5500 participants with nearly 2600 games and 6500 practices a year!
Very limited field space. While participation has been growing, our field supply has been shrinking. We lost a field at Hommocks and at Mamaroneck Avenue School due to building expansions. We are one of the largest school districts in Westchester, but we only have 5 fields on school property. Only three are varsity-sized. And only 1 — Memorial — is a multi-use field big enough for lacrosse, field hockey, soccer, or football. (The other 2 are for baseball and softball.) With 20 teams sharing one field, it is no wonder Memorial is always in poor condition. By comparison, Scarsdale is a smaller district than ours but has 17 fields on school property, 9 varsity-sized; and they converted their main field to synthetic turf 2 years ago.
Field improvements are long overdue. Memorial Field was built and dedicated in the early 1950s. There were some renovations in the early 1970s, but nothing significant has been done to the field in the last 35 years. The plan to move the Kemper Memorial was proposed in 2001 because of the severe shortage of playing fields even then. The current field plan — with turf and lights — was proposed a few years ago as a solution to preserve the memorial and address the field capacity and safety needs of the district.
Our fields are simply not safe. Because of constant use and poor drainage, our few fields are characterized by dangerous pot holes, bald spots, mud bowls, and tufts of tripping hazards. There is little or no resiliency in the compacted dirt. Poor playing surfaces put our kids at a competitive disadvantage and expose them to unnecessary harm. League officials, athletic directors and coaches from other schools have repeatedly complained about the condition of Mamaroneck’s fields. Let’s take some pride in the efforts of our student-athletes and give them a safe platform on which they can shine.
Rainouts on sunny days and other miseries. It’s one thing to cancel games and practices when it’s actually raining; but our few grass fields are so precious, we close them for days at a time so they can “rest” and dry out. Field time must be rationed so frugally that it is nearly impossible to make up games or add practices or expand programs in any way. Our teams practice indoors or on asphalt for much of the spring, while teams from neighboring districts are out on their fields in early March. And without better facilities, we cannot offer meaningful intramural programs at the high school so that more kids have an opportunity to play.
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Excellence in Physical Education? We have updated and improved many of our classrooms, science labs, music rooms and auditoriums in recent years. Physical Education is a state requirement for all high school students, and yet our P.E. facilities are shamefully inadequate. It’s time to update our main field at the high school and promote excellence in our outdoor classroom!
If you build it, we will come! So say the teens of this community who have nothing to do and no place to go on Friday and Saturday nights. In Rye there are soccer, field hockey and football games every Friday and Saturday night in the fall — drawing hundreds of kids, parents and other community members cheering side by side in the stands. With this field project, we will finally be able to provide a wholesome venue where kids can feel safe gathering to enjoy a game and support their friends. Recent RADAR survey results confirmed that we have a serious problem in this community with at-risk behavior among teens. We must find a way to provide a healthy alternative for our kids.
The grass is greener in every other town. 25 neighboring communities have made it a priority to improve the quality of their playing surfaces. White Plains, Scarsdale, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, Harrison, Bronxville, Ossining, Port Chester, Rye, Rye Brook, Yonkers, and Eastchester — just to name a few — have all updated and improved their sports facilities in recent years.
A visible sign of wellness in our community. Fields are out there for everyone to see. Fields in poor condition say a lot about how much pride we take in our schools and properties. Fields in great condition will make it clear that we are a vital and healthy community, committed to our kids and our schools and our health.
At last, a community on the right track. The improvements at Memorial Field will eventually include the installation of a large oval track, open and accessible to the community even in the evening. Meanwhile, the most inclusive school sport — Track & Field — will finally have a regulation-size track to compete on.
New field plan leaves room for growth. By putting a track around Memorial Field, the district is looking ahead and leaving an expansion option available for the future: the square track around the current baseball field can be removed someday to make room for an additional multi-use field.
The new field at the high school will be safe, durable and environmentally friendly. The district’s plans have been approved by the local Coastal Zone Commissions and the State Environment Quality Review (SEQR). A recent definitive study on synthetic turf by the New York State Departments of Health and Environmental Conservation has determined that turf poses no health or environmental risks.* Nonetheless, the district has decided not to use crumb-rubber infill from recycled tires, nor will the field material contain lead. Drainage on the improved fields will be excellent; no chemicals are needed to care for the field; maintenance is minimal compared to grass; and the field will not attract geese or their droppings. Importantly, synthetic turf has been proven safer in studies than grass fields in preventing serious injuries to bones, joints and ligaments.**
** Meyers, M and Barnhill, B. (2004). Incidence, Causes, and Severity of High School Football Injuries on FieldTurf Versus Natural Grass [Electronic version]. American Journal Sports Medicine, 32(7),1626-1638.