On Milton’s Turf Field

By LUKE MONNICH '21

A few months back, the entire student body was presented with the idea of getting a new, and definitely necessary, turf field. The project began on Voses field behind the Norris and Millet dorms. The ground was first broken on May 14, and, with that, many announcements and emails came further explaining the process. According to Mr. Ball, this turf field will be the first of a few other renovations happening over summer vacation. However, this project started so early because of its difficulty. All of the dirt from the field must be removed in order to start laying the turf, and, according to Mr. Ruiz’s email, “Trees in the construction zone will need to come down on both the Voses Lane and ACC sides.” This disruption of the nature around the field will not be permanent, however; he later states that the school is “replacing more foliage than we are taking away.” These difficulties make it a much lengthier project, but also one with a nice reward.  

For sports, the turf field will be an incredible improvement. While many other schools have created turf surfaces, Milton has been playing sports on grass fields. Voses field, where the turf will be added, is used in both the fall for Field Hockey and the spring for Lacrosse. This field is also used by sports where cleats are constantly tearing up the grass, lowering the quality of play. Additionally, during and after rainy days, the grass field becomes muddy, making it dangerous and easy to destroy, resulting in cancelled practice. However, because the turf field is comprised of synthetic material, it will always be open for use, no matter the weather. Therefore, this new turf field is beneficial as it allows these sports to play and not have to worry about the quality of the field. Also, sports such as field hockey are mainly played on turf fields; for the past few years, Milton’s field hockey teams have been playing on grass, a disadvantage because they are not playing on the same fields as most of the other teams. Also, all official field hockey games and tournaments are now played on turf, and Milton’s team in the past had to play on unfamiliar fields in their biggest and most important games.

This addition of a new turf field will be a big step for Milton. For Field Hockey and Lacrosse, this turf field is definitely necessary. This turf will allow students and teams to be able to get outside and practice as much as possible. The athletes will be able to not only play, but also practice on a safe and easily maintained field.