By Greg Halbleib
BLOOMINGTON – Expect fewer postponements of soccer games at Bloomington High School, as its new artificial turf is ready for use.
BHS Athletic Director Tony Bauman reported the installers gave the go-ahead on Wednesday. The new surface at Fred Carlton Field will host football and soccer. A girls soccer game against Central Catholic on Saturday night will be the first contest on the turf, although Bauman said the squad planned to test the field with a practice.
“(The soccer coach) emailed me this morning when I wasn’t sure we were going to have it and said the girls were about ready to riot because they were so excited that they can’t keep it inside anymore,” Bauman related. “They keep getting frustrated every day, (asking) ‘Can we be on it yet?’ So to finally get the go-ahead to use it, he said it’s going to be a great practice tonight and everybody’s thrilled.”
Bauman says the turf will better accommodate game and practice schedules, which weather can severely disrupt.
“Some of these days where the temperatures are questionable and maybe it’s drizzly or we’ve just got done with rain, we’re going to be a lot quicker to get on a playing surface than we would have been with a regular grass surface,” Bauman said. “When some schools might still be rained out due to playing conditions, we might be able to get on the field and still have the game.”
The turf project cost less than $1 million and was part of an $8 million bond sale that included other renovation and construction work at Bloomington High School.
Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected].
