Turf is more than a possibility for Bellomy
By Eric Nelson
As the ultimate fate of Bellomy Field comes into question, 513 Santa Clara students have chosen to answer the call, stating their opinions as to whether Bellomy Field should switch from grass to turf.
In a campus-wide survey that is being conducted for the entire month of January, 390 (76%) have voted in favor of turf while 123 (24%) opposed the proposal.
The motion calls to completely convert the current field into synthetic turf while leaving the existing softball area alone. Along with changing a majority of the field, additional field lights would be installed in the left-most quadrant of the field, which would allow for additional nighttime usage.
A final addition is to relocate the fence that currently encircles Bellomy Field to the inside of the track that runs the circumference so students can have access to it even when the fields are locked.
The potential project is aimed at providing students with a more dependable area where sports can be played.
After weather conditions last year forced the fields closure from Jan. 19 to nearly March, Campus Recreation and Facilities have been working together to explore new possibilities that would offset such setbacks.
With the exception of only a handful of club sports home games, club sports and intramurals were forced to relocate to Stanton Soccer Fields where many students learned to become quite familiar with the turf.
Junior Jeff Becker, whose team DBK United captured the intramural D1 soccer title last year, felt that turf is a more viable option.
"Running on the turf field you don't have to worry so much about the rises and runs, potholes, dirt patches and overall wetness that you might find on Bellomy," said Becker. "It's a lot easier just to concentrate on the game around you."
Junior Nathan Rogers disagrees with Becker's call for turf.
"I'm a grass man," said Rogers. "My pops always used to say if there is grass on the field, play ball, and if there's not, then play in the mud. When you battle nature you always lose."
As the Director of Recreation, Janice DeMonsi is trying to find a way for students to feel that their schedules can be consistent.
"I understand that it is really hard to get an intramural game rained out one day and then rescheduled," said DeMonsi. "Chances are you might forget which day that following week your game was rescheduled to."
That is what this project has been marketed as: another way to benefit campus life and the students who use Bellomy field on a daily basis. On the Campus Recreation website visitors are able to view in- depth pictures outlining the proposed changes.
"Campus Recreation would gain 36 hours per week or 1,080 over the academic year of programmable space for Intramurals, Club Sports and/or Open Recreation with a synthetic turf field," commented DeMonsi.
While the debate is still ongoing, students must weigh both the pros and cons that a turf field could create. If you would like to impact the final decision, respond to DeMonsi's next round of emails; the student survey closes on Feb. 1.
Keep in mind that this is a decision that will certainly affect generations of Broncos to come.
Contact Eric Nelson at ehnelson@scu.edu or (408) 551-1918.