The past few months have been full of activity for Collins Field, and there’s no sign of it slowing down.
Stoughton Area School District was generously donated money to renovate Collins Field by alumni of Stoughton High School, Keith and Tammy Anderson; however the project was truly brought to life by the support of the community.
Donations were given by local families and businesses alike to raise the remaining funds. This summer, the field underwent substantial renovations and was ready by early Sept. for the 2022–23 school year, and has already held a slew of events.
Of the new renovations, it’s the artificial turf where attention has been drawn, and it is the greatest contributor of all to the field’s newfound versatility.
Athletic and Activities Director, Andie Alexander, played an essential role in the planning of the new field. She was in charge of picking the turf, and other design choices, along with other district admin- istration.
Alexander explains some of the benefits of the new turf.
“It drains water tremendously well. The weather doesn’t really impact the artificial turf as much as the natural grass, and then the wear and tear of those activities aren’t displayed on the field,” Alexander says.
The artificial turf replaced the old grass field, which required more maintenance and time to keep up. The new field allows for increased use year-round and in poorer weather conditions. Weather, especially, is no longer such a contingency for those using the field. Rain drains through holes found in its backing, so the “grass” won’t get soggy.
Players will also no longer have to wait for the grass to grow back in the spring, and instead they will get an earlier start on their seasons, which ensures more practice time.
A great example of increased practice time is softball potentially jump starting their season on the turf because they’ll have access to a playable surface during early spring months.
Learning Strategist and Head Football Coach, Jason Becker, explained the convenience that the turf will provide.
“Now with the turf, anybody and everybody can use that facility […] any day, all day,” Becker says.
His words aren’t only true for students and those in sports and extracurriculars, but also for our greater community. So much so that according to Alexander, the turf will be another feature that the school can have available for reservation because of the amount of traffic it brings in.
A great example of its community use is that the field is utilized for youth sporting events and practices.
Becker mentioned this idea while talking about the vision he had originally for the space.
“I know Steve Lyons, the Booster president, had talked about the excitement of potentially hosting concerts up there or other events,” Becker says.
Becker later went on to say, “I know when we initially started talking about the process years ago before we even started fundraising, that the major goal was to make it a true community event space that can be utilized to not only support the students within our schools, but community groups and other activities [as well].”
The field is a new hub for student life and community building. Between Friday night football games, P.E. classes, and a space for marching band to practice, most SHS students interact with the field in one way or another. Soccer, lacrosse, dance, and many other sports make heavy use of the field throughout the year.
The school and community’s efforts were towards the hopeful betterment of an evidently well loved space.