The Indoor Turf Field, located in the Auxiliary Gym or Wrestling room, is becoming a well-used asset by the athletics department. Meant to mimic the stadium, the indoor turf field maintains the environment of the outdoor stadium, accommodating the workouts of the athletes. 

   Michael Wolk, Assistant Director of Athletics, said, “The turf in the wrestling room was completed this summer; however, the money and plans for this addition were made from the referendum in 2019.” Given the pandemic, there were many pauses in school construction. The Turf Field was an athletic development that was set in motion before the current director of athletics, Stephen Asay’s, time. Asay said, “As part of the 2019 referendum, the new construction included many phases, but this installation was truly one of the smoothest projects we’ve had done at the school.” Different from the outdoor turf, the indoor turf appears more ‘carpet-like.’ Since the endurance of the indoor turf is less than that of the stadium turf, it’s more intricately woven. Wolk said, “The original plan was to have a strip of turf in the wrestling room for weight room to push sleds around on, so they don’t have to use the hallways, but instead we decided to do the entire room and added all of the additional logos and markers that are on it now.”  

  As fall sports persist, the addition of the turf field has proven to show some benefits. “We wanted to make sure that the wrestling mats could still be rolled out in the gym, but we also wanted something that simulated our outdoor turf in case sports got rained on.” Whether it be for warm-ups or practices, the indoor turf is meant to be a place that still allows athletes to work on their skills despite inclement weather. Asay adds, “The lines and yards in the indoor turf can give you a pretty good idea of what the play or move may look like on the field. It’s also a workout space for different sports, accommodating the different exercises each sport may require.” Given that it is still early in the year, some sports may not have begun using the space yet; however, many students have already gotten a chance to experience the space as an addition to the weight room. Wolk said, “Weight room is usually in there, pushing sleds, because it doesn’t harm the turf. They use it for walking exercises and other activities that might be otherwise restricted in the original room.” Asay adds, “Since weightlifting has changed over time, many of the activities done now can be tested and utilized in the indoor turf room. Since the turf doesn’t get damaged from that, it opens up doors for endurance and conditioning.” Ultimately, the turf room can/is also be used by other fall sports, and the athletics department hopes to continue seeing sports use it. Wolk said, “ We envision scenarios where different sports can continue to be practiced despite bad weather. For example, if field hockey is being rained out outside, they can maybe still get inside and do some stick work. Similarly, if our football team or lacrosse teams want to do some walkthroughs of their plays, they have a proper space to do it. The hope is that the indoor turf field is simply an extension of our athletic facilities.” 

   Since the wrestling room is multifunctional, the main question was how this would affect wrestling or other sports that need more flat surfaces. Asay said, “In the winter, the wrestling mats will go over top of the turf, and it actually fits perfectly over the top of it. Even though the turf isn’t technically a flat surface, the heaviness of the wrestling mats will more than cover and stabilize the area when wrestling season begins.” The next most asked question was where future exams may be taken. Wolk says, “As far as where testing may be held, places like the library and even individual classrooms may be used. They’ve been used in years prior and still provide a good testing environment for the students. Additionally, the prongs of the desks would damage the turf; therefore, realistically, students will probably never take an exam on the indoor turf due to the impact on maintenance.” 

   With the addition of the indoor turf, the athletics department hopes that sports will utilize it well. Asay said, “I think what’s great about it is that it is going to bring a lot of possibilities that we didn’t have available for our teams. It’s a clean, plain surface area that will allow for a new age of sports training.” Wolk adds, “No other school has this type of training facility, and I think a lot of other schools will try to mimic our indoor turf because it’s very unique.”