There are approximately 850 student athletes that play sports at Air Academy High school per school year. More than half of these athletes play soccer, lacrosse, football, or cheerleading. All these sports require a few basic items, including the field.

Some would argue that the field is the most important basic need for high school sports, so when Air Academy was introduced to the new turf in the 2018 school year, students got excited.

“The grass field had holes and disadvantages when playing football for these past 3 years and I’m excited to see a change this 2018 school year,” said senior Kyle Pope.

Obviously, the old field posed a pressing issue to our sports teams. Air Academy’s solution to this problem was the new turf.

The new turf field was introduced to AAHS this year, and immediately showed positive results. This change implemented a more eco-friendly environment and has caused less injuries to occur. For example, water made the real grass slippery, which forced athletes to work harder to perform. Cheerleaders suffered greatly from these issues.

Sophomore Grace Moose claims that the turf does not look different.

“It’s more bouncy than grass and it makes it easier to tumble for cheerleading on the side lines,” she said.

An important question is, do the benefits outweigh the costs?

Kadets had varying opinions about the topic.

Moose says, “I think  it’s better in the long run for the schools well-being so yes the price is justified.”

The overall cost of the field is $800,000. However, keep in mind that the grass will essentially last forever and save water bills each year because of its eco friendliness.

Junior Atticus Cain uses the field daily for soccer practice and games.

“The coaches have been impressed with the field and with how clean it stays because of how well maintained the new field looks,” Cain said. He also expressed that the competitors are more intimidated by the fresh looking field.

It is proven with research about athletes and sports injuries, that turf is useful as it provides more support to the athlete’s foot, making injuries less common than if they were playing on grass.

“The turf grips more of your foot when playing lax and it is easier to run on to score a point,” said junior Amanda Abbott. “The old field was super bumpy and hard to run on, the ball wasn’t played how it should of been and it effected how our players played as well as the amount of injuries given from plays.”

Also, the turf does not need maintenance, which saves the school money that can be put into furthering our education. The athletes of Air Academy see this upgrade as a true gift.