Otterbein remains one of the two schools in the Ohio Athletic Conference that still plays on natural grass along with Ohio Northern University. But for how much longer?
Field turf has been a topic of discussion among Otterbein personnel.
“I have been trying to get it going for a couple years,” athletic director and men’s basketball head coach Dick Reynolds said.
Otterbein is slowly becoming landlocked, making it difficult to produce alternative areas for teams to practice and to give fields time to rest.
“Just shortage of fields and weather limits it even more,” Reynolds said. “So like so many high schools and so many colleges, we are looking to alternative places so we can practice and get more utilization, particularly during the inclement weather.”
For example, the soccer field has a remote location, hidden behind homes and shaded by trees, but the far right corner of both goalkeeper boxes is a swamp after an evening of rain, making it a difficult playing service.
Reynolds said that there is no detailed plan for the project, but it’s moving forward. So what and where are the possibilities that turf could bring to Otterbein?
The first possibility is the most obvious, which is reconstructing Memorial Stadium to make it playable for all Otterbein sports, but it would mean an expansion.
“The track has got to be moved,” Reynolds said. “It’s got to be widened. The lanes got to go out. The seats on the visitor side have to be moved.”
The options that turf presents are more than just an answer to difficult field conditions.
“The biggest thing is serviceability. To accommodate our teams, to accommodate our practice times and our game times,” Reynolds said. “But there is something to be said because a lot of kids come to us from facilities that are pretty nice because of the local booster clubs and things like that, and coming to college they expect more sometimes.”
Freshman allied health major Jared Alcorn said, “I think it would be good. It would stay in shape and would be a good long-term investment since we could then make money from hosting tournaments.”
The implementation of turf and the process for the project to become formal relies heavily on donations.
“The length of the process depends on a couple things,” said Mike Griffin, the advancement resources research analyst at Otterbein. “One, we have to do all the planning in terms of engineers need to come out and design … so all that planning process needs to take place. Second part of the process is in terms of the funding of the project. So you would have to have donors come forward, and depending on their ability to give over a certain period of time is how long that’s going to take.”
Griffin said this type of project is not on a similar scale to a new dormitory, where millions of dollars must be obtained, but does depend heavily on the ability to raise money, which can determine the plan’s approval.
“We are actively working on the feasibility of it all,” Griffin said. “I do think … there is always potential for that to happen, we do have a strong donor base, athletics and the “O” Club have been very good, so when you have already that contingency that’s existing, it makes it easier to go out and try to raise money for something like this.”
No formal plan exists as of now. Reynolds has met with several different companies who have given estimates, but until the money is available, no details will be formed and released.
