Parkdale High School fights for turf field; grass field is ‘dangerous’ for athletes
RIVERDALE, Md (DC News Now) — Parkdale High School is in need of a new field, as the current field has been used for 55 years, taking a half century of wear and tear.
School officials said that the turf’s old age is now harming the athletes.
“With the documentation of the injuries that our athletes have had, the voices straight from the athletes who participated on that field. I don’t know what more else we could do,” Parkdale athletic director, Brian Moore, said.
Moore was named the school’s athletic director in 2012 and ever since then, he’s made it a mission to improve the field condition. He said in his opinion, all sports across all seasons practice and play on the field, and due to the risk of injury they can’t practice at full speed.
He’s not the only one that thinks this, in fact two student athletes agree with his opinion.
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“I feel like there’s so much holes all over,” junior football player, Jacob Wilson, said. “You can’t really play at full speed cause you always think about the next step you’re about to take.”
Wilson’s football team practices on the baseball field next to the football field. Moore thinks this is an disadvantage for the team, since the markings and dementions of a baseball outfield and football field are completely different.
“You have to focus more on which way the bumps are where the holes are” said Lucy Saldane, a sophomore soccer player at Parkdale.
Saldane’s team also practices on the baseball field. She said she feels the the conditions are inadequate for athletic play.
“Our field is dangerous to our students and people who come in to play and people are rejecting our field. It’s something that they don’t want at all,” she added.
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Moore also has one request for the county council when it comes to the field.
“Walk the field with us,” he said. “We can show them personally what the field looks like and what the challenges that our student athletes have playing on that surface.”
Prince George’s County Council will vote on the 2025 budget Thursday morning, and Parkdale hopes that the new budget will bring a new field.
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