The start of the school year has brought lights and a brand new field to the campus, but the long and unfinished process of acquiring them has taken its toll on Carlmont students.
Since the end of school in May, the football team has been working out in the weight room, stirring up strategies, and tearing through their training in order to prepare for the new season.
However, due to the recent renovations, the team has been sentenced to practice on the softball and baseball fields.
Lines were drawn on the grass of the fields so that the players could continue to practice. But according to football coach Jason Selli, “the dimensions of the field are not accurate, which makes it difficult to gauge timing, run plays, and kick field goals.”
Some players have expressed concern due to practicing on an unfamiliar field.“Because we haven’t been playing on the real field, my cleats haven’t been broken in all the way yet,” said junior Tristan Gasperian. “And it’s really annoying that the school year and the football season started, and we still don’t have our own field to practice on.”
But even with these worries sifting through some of the players, Coach Selli says that the lack of having a field has not really impacted the players’ attitudes and mindsets.
“We anticipated that there would be a delay. We kind of expected it. But it has not changed the effort of the team,” Selli said. “If anything, they are just really anxious and excited to get onto the new field.”
Gasperian confirmed Selli’s statement by saying, “When I saw them lay down the turf, it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. It looks so professional! I can’t wait to play our first game on it.”
In addition to the football team, the unfinished construction has affected other sports such as cross country, as well as students enrolled in P.E. classes.
“Since we aren’t allowed on the field or track yet, we have to stay inside during class,” said sophomore Helene Hauregud. “We can’t really do anything inside though because all of our sports are supposed to be played outside.”
The atmosphere of the class has also changed, according to Hauregud.
“Because we run inside every day, people don’t try as hard, and we have to run more laps. I think I’m going to have more fun once we get to actually go outside instead of being trapped in the gym,” said Hauregud.
The administration has also been dealing with the delay in construction, but according to Vice Principal Ralph Crame, it hasn’t been too much of a disruption to the Carlmont community.
“We haven’t been getting any complaints about the construction, and it’s not really a distraction in comparison to other projects Carlmont has had. If anything, it’s more of an inconvenience,” Crame said.
Students who usually utilize the field at lunch are not able to play their sports, and students who eat lunch on the bleachers no longer have a place to sit.
Although there have been negative effects from the field replacement process, many believe that the benefits will outweigh the detriments.
“It’s so much less of a hassle with the built-in lights,” said Vice Principal Robert Fishtrom. “All we have to do now is turn them on instead of bringing out and setting up the portable lights.”
Fishtrom and Crame believe that the stadium will bring much more school spirit, attract more attention and attendance to games, evoke more pride within the students, and provide a more community-like feel to Carlmont.
“Since we can now have night games, parents who are usually at work can attend. The games can become sort of like a family outing; something for the whole family to do on a Friday night,” said Crame.
Fishtrom is very excited to have the new stadium, saying that “we are the last school in the Sequoia Union High School District to get this, and Carlmont really deserves it.”
Crame agrees, saying that “even though it was a long process, it’s going to be so worth it.”
The new Scots stadium will be ready just in time for the first home game on Sept. 21.
