The
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September 2012, Vol IV, Issue I
At last, let there be light By Graham Godwin Staff Writer When the Carlmont football team runs on the field Friday night, Carlmont Athletics will start a new era with the unveiling of a brand new stadium overhaul. After years of speculation and build up, Carlmont will no longer be the only school in the Sequoia Union High School district without lights. “All of freshman and sophomore year I was really embarrassed to play home games [for soccer] because we would never be able to finish our games if it got dark,” said junior Jordan Kiss. District officials did want Carlmont to have lights, but the mission for them was not an easy one. Rumors swirled for years that lights
were on the way, but they never materialized. However, during the second semester of last year, the school held a series of townhall-like meetings to judge the community’s feelings toward the possibility of stadium lights. The feedback was mostly positive, but there were also some setbacks; neighbors were concerned that the school getting new lights would surely mean more traffic and noise in and around their neighborhoods. District officials took the neighbors concerns and crafted a set of guidelines that Carlmont must follow when using the field and lights.
The regulations for using the lights included the following: the lights cannot be used during the weekdays past 8:30 a.m. at night, 10:30 a.m. for football games on Fridays, and cannot be used on either Saturday or Sunday. Carlmont would also be limited to the number of night football games and field usage by other sports will also have its restrictions. After being approved by the school administrators and neighbors the district was able to give Carlmont the money needed to buy and install four floodlights. “School spirit is going to improve with the new lights, especially because night games get everyone very pumped up,” said Varsity Soccer player Jake Retchless, “no matter what sport is playing.” Four 70-foot tall high-tech light poles have been put in around the field, each equipped with bulbs that emit beams directly on the field which reduces unwanted spillage into neighboring areas. These lights will be used
during nighttime sporting events such as football, soccer, and lacrosse. “Whenever the school rented out lights in the past years people would flood to the games, with new lights everyone is going to all the games from here on out,” said junior, Pasha Minkovsky. The new visitor stands will seat 456 people and the added visitor capacity will be accommodated with the increased parking spaces adjacent to the field which also serves as additional parking for seniors and juniors during the day and spectators during sporting events. “The parking spaces for juniors are going to be greatly appreciated, now we won't have to park far away from school and walk in or wait in traffic and be late to class,” stated Kiss. When Carlmont Football takes the field for the first official time on Friday, Sept. 21 against Aragon High School everyone on the field and in the stands will be very proud of all the hard work and effort that went into this massive project.
Construction Consternation Athletes, students and faculty deal with complications By Rachel Schuster Staff Writer
The start of the school year has brought lights and a brand new field to the campus, but the long and unfinished process of acquiring them has taken its toll on Carlmont students. Since the end of school in May, the football team has been working out in the weight room, stirring up strategies, and tearing through their training in order to prepare for the new season. However, due to the recent renovations, the team has been sentenced to practice on the softball and baseball fields. Lines were drawn on the grass of the fields so that the players could continue to practice. But according to football coach Jason Selli, “the dimensions of the field are not accurate, which makes it difficult to gauge timing, run plays, and kick field goals.” Some players have expressed concern due to practicing on an unfamiliar field. “Because we haven’t been playing on the real field, my cleats haven’t been broken in all the way yet,” said junior Tristan Gasperian. “And it’s really annoying that the school year and the football season started, and we still don’t have our own field to practice on.” But even with these worries sifting through some of the players, Coach Selli says that the lack of having a field has not really impacted the players’ attitudes and mindsets.
“We anticipated that there would be a delay. We kind of expected it. But it has not changed the effort of the team,” Selli said. “If anything, they are just really anxious and excited to get onto the new field.” Gasperian confirmed Selli’s statement by saying, “When I saw them lay down the turf, it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. It looks so professional! I can’t wait to play our first game on it.” In addition to the football team, the unfinished construction has affected other sports such as cross country, as well as students enrolled in P.E. classes. “Since we aren’t allowed on the field or track yet, we have to stay inside during class,” said sophomore Helene Hauregud. “We can’t really do anything inside though because all of our sports are supposed to be played outside.” The atmosphere of the class has also changed, according to Hauregud. “Because we run inside every day, people don’t try as hard, and we have to run more laps. I think I’m going to have more fun once we get to actually go outside instead of being trapped in the gym,” said Hauregud. The administration has also been dealing with the delay in construction, but according to Vice Principal Ralph Crame, it hasn’t been too much of a disruption to the Carlmont community. “We haven’t been getting any complaints about the construction, and it’s not really a distraction in comparison to
other projects Carlmont has had. If anything, it’s more of an inconvenience,” Crame said. Students who usually utilize the field at lunch are not able to play their sports, and students who eat lunch on the bleachers no longer have a place to sit. Although there have been negative effects from the field replacement process, many believe that the benefits will outweigh the detriments. “It’s so much less of a hassle with the built-in lights,” said Vice Principal Robert Fishtrom. “All we have to do now is turn them on instead of bringing out and setting up the portable lights.” Fishtrom and Crame believe that the stadium will bring much more school spirit, attract more attention and attendance to games, evoke more pride within the students, and provide a more community-like feel to Carlmont. “Since we can now have night games, parents who are usually at work can attend. The games can become sort of like a family outing; something for the whole family to do on a Friday night,” said Crame. Fishtrom is very excited to have the new stadium, saying that “we are the last school in the Sequoia Union High School District to get this, and Carlmont really deserves it.” Crame agrees, saying that “even though it was a long process, it’s going to be so worth it.” The new Scots stadium will be ready just in time for the first home game on Sept. 21.