Sparkman High School has been undergoing several renovations this summer. Besides the school buildings getting a facelift, the Athletic Department is also seeing some new equipment that is very unique.
The school has spent $2.4 million dollars to update the football field and track. The football field has been transformed from grass to turf, but the turf used for the Senators is one-of-a-kind. Typical turf field are filled with black rubber pellets. Sparkman’s field will contain a mixture of black and green pellets. The green pellets act as cooling gels that will supposedly keep the field surface 20 degrees cooler than a typical black-pellet field.
According to the Safe Healthy Playing Fields Coalition, synthetic turf can be anywhere between 40 and 70 degrees hotter than the surrounding air on a warm, sunny day. Those temperatures can melt shoes, blister hands and feet, induce dehydration and can even lead to heatstroke.
Sparkman is the only school in Huntsville to have its own regulation, turf field. Meaning everything from the goal posts to the painted dashes on the sidelines are regulated for big-time games such as playoffs.
“If it rains for hours, this field can be dry in fifteen minutes. It also will keep our uniforms clean. We don’t have to worry about them getting muddy,” said Sparkman Principal Chris Shaw.
The Senators new field will also be available for other sports team, other than football. The field is painted for regulation soccer as well.
“So our football team can use it, our soccer team can use it, our band can use it, and even our feeder middle school athletes can use the fields,” Shaw added.
Shaw also says the school is looking into expanding the bleachers at the stadium. Right now, they can seat up to 3,000 guests, but Shaw said that doesn’t hold up to the Class 7A standard. He is hoping to expand the facility seating so the Senators new stadium is comparable to their 7A counterparts. That update is something Shaw plans to start in the future.
Also being updated is the track and field facilities. Before, the Senators were not able to host track meets due to the old school concrete track they had. Today, they have revamped the track into an 8-lane rubber track with all necessary field event sections.
“We have shot put, long jump and a pole vault area. So we can host a State track meet if we wanted to,” Shaw said.
Hosting a State meet is exactly what Shaw hopes to accomplish in the years to come. He said the next venture for that goal is finding the money to spend on the remaining equipment such as hurdles, pits, etc.
The football team will begin practice on the new field August 1st. The first home game for the Senators will be August 30th against Hazel Green.
