Construction underway on new athletic facilities

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Robby Sutherland
September 30, 2009
Filed under Sports

The homecoming football game in 2007 is significant in BSM’s future plans for the athletic program. “It was raining and…it turned into a mud bowl ,” football head coach Krieger said about that night. With the new construction on the athletic facilities beginning this fall, the history of the “mud bowl” will not repeat itself.

Fundraising efforts started two years ago with the “Raise the Red” campaign. According to the campaign’s website, about $2.6 million has been raised for the renovation of the athletic facilities.

Artificial turf will be used on the main football field so BSM will not have a repeat of 2007 where nearby artificial fields had to be rented 13 times. “It’s going to be great. It will give us extra practice space because now our main competition field, because of artificial turf, will allow us to practice on it. You don’t have to worry about weather or fields getting muddy,” said BSM’s athletic director Mr. Pettinger.

BSM’s new turf field will be joining other schools. “Burnsville, Farmington, and Lakeville… just in our conference alone Cooper, Irondale, and Spring Lake Park all have artificial turf,” Mr. Pettinger said.

Because of the tall mounds of dirt and the wetland relocation process, the football and soccer teams have had to adjust to less practice space. “The space is a little tight… Everyone either has a smaller practice space, less practice space, or less game space,” Mr. Pettinger said.

Not only will it be great for the athletes using the new fields, but according to Mr. Pettinger, the fans will enjoy it as well. “You can be at a varsity football game and you can use a bathroom instead of a Bif. We’ll have a real concession stand and not [sell concessions] out of a shed,” Mr. Pettinger said.

Mr. Pettinger commented on how the new field will make it more convenient for BSM’s fans. “If it’s raining out, you don’t have to walk through the mud to get to a game and you can park in our lot or the synagogue lot and walk right into the stadium. There’s going to be a lot better quality of experience of everything,” Mr. Pettinger said.