By Ethan Walshe
Managing Editor

As everyone knows by now, Westford Academy installed a new turf field this year. Many teams now play on this field consistently, and it has made an impact on their athletic performances.

The turf field differs greatly from the one that was previously in its place. Firstly, it is much more consistent, meaning that the field is always level and there are no unexpected areas in which players may stumble or seek to avoid. This field is always ready for use, which is a huge plus for the teams as a whole. In addition, the field is extremely versatile.

Westford Academy is the most recent school in the division to invest in a turf field as every other school (besides one smaller one) that we compete against has already had a turf field for a number of years. WA teams can now consistently play and practice on turf, which means that players have one less thing to worry about when they play away games.

“When we go play at schools away [teams have] had a lot of chances to play on the turf surface, unlike what [teams have] had in the past. . . A lot of time’s we’d play and practice on grass field and we’d go and play on turf and it would be a problem,” said Athletic Director Dan Twomey.

The new field has had a profound effect on many of the varsity fall sports teams, notably football, soccer and field hockey. Field hockey in particular can be a completely different game depending on the surface according to varsity coach Raeann Gembis.

“[The game] can be about twenty percent faster in speed and each skill is expected to be performed quicker. The skill set used on turf is both different and unique. There are many skills that cannot be practiced on grass and then utilized on the turf,” said Gembis.

Varsity soccer coach Tony Dileo also agrees that the new turf allows the team playing to focus more on their skill set than on the field conditions, making for a far cleaner game. In addition, it has given his team more confidence in their game play.

“The performance of the entire team has improved tremendously. . . We are more willing to go forward as a team because the risk of turnover is lower. . . we play with a lot more confidence as a result” said Dileo.

Varsity football coach Richard McKenna agreed with Gembis and Dileo in that the new field allows his players to concentrate far more on what they are doing during the game and far less on what is going on with the field. The inconsistency of the field has become something of the past that no players need worry about.

Twomey believes that it will take every team a few years to get used to consistently playing on this new surface, but it will by no means be an insurmountable challenge for anyone. Many tournaments, particularly for field hockey, are already played on a turf field, so the players already have a lot of experience.

It is certainly not just the school sports teams that get to reap the benefits on the new field. Every gym class for the past few months has gone outside and utilized the new field facility. Many teams besides the varsity level compete for play and practice time on the field.

“The problem is there just aren’t enough hours in the day” said Twomey.