Panther teams to open A-Turf field Saturday
By: Bob Nuse
They had to wait a little longer than expected, but when Princeton Day School unveils its new A-Turf Field on Saturday, the athletes will realize the wait has been worth it.
"We were hoping that it would be ready by September, but we ran into a little bit of bad luck," PDS athletic director John Levandowski said. "But the bottom line is we’re ready to go. A-Turf is a great product. We waited a little longer than we wanted to, but the bottom line is we couldn’t be happier."
The new field will be dedicated during a ceremony on Saturday that will be part of big day. The Panthers will host varsity field hockey, girls’ soccer and boys’ soccer on the field, which will be dedicated to Bill Smoyer, PDS Class of 1960.
The new turf field was made possible though the generosity of past parent and former trustee Stan Smoyer, who funded the field in memory of his son Bill Smoyer, who lost his life in Vietnam.
"We’re very indebted to the Smoyer family," Levandowski said. "They’re very generous and it was a wonderful gesture. The field is going to be a big help to our athletic program."
The new A-Turf synthetic field features a playing surface very similar to the turf recently installed in the Continental Airlines Arena in the Meadowlands, as well as at many top colleges. PDS is one of only a handful of secondary schools in the area to see their athletic program benefit from this new technology.
"On the surface, most of the turf fields look the same," Levandowski said. "But they all have something different about them and we are very impressed with the A-Turf product."
On Saturday, the field hockey team will kick the day off by hosting Hightstown in a 1 p.m. game. The girls’ soccer team will host Ewing at 2:45 p.m. and the boys’ soccer team will host Trenton at 4:15 p.m. Between the two soccer games will be the field dedication ceremony.
In addition, the girls’ tennis team will host Morristown-Beard at 1:30 p.m. and the cross country team will host Princeton at 2 p.m. The day will be capped off by the football team hosting St. Joseph’s of the Palisades in a 6:30 p.m. game at Baker Field. It will be the first night game ever at the school.
"It should be an exciting day," Levandowski said. "We’re looking forward to it."
And down the road, the new A-Turf field will be a benefit to the whole athletic program. The field has been lined for field hockey, soccer and lacrosse. And it will be used by all teams.
"And we’ll be able to use it for (physical education) classes as well as seventh and eighth grade sports as well," Levandowski said. "They might not be able to get their games on there, but they hopefully can use it for practice. And maybe we’ll be able to get them a game on it."