Lacrosse Under The Lights

Tabled more than once, discussed at numerous Nutley Board of Education meetings, the Park Oval renovation finally got its time in the spotlight. On April 6th, the NHS boys lacrosse team played their first home game on the renovated Oval field under the new lights.

The Oval work started peak pandemic and, to any ordinary person, it may just look like new turf was rolled out and new fencing was installed but it goes  beyond that. Beneath the playing field was a series of drainage pipes to keep the field clear of any water, and for believe it or not melting snow. Even after two years of snow storms and several floods the field still has its spongy feeling and brand new look.

The old field constantly had all these different drainage problems and, when stepped on, it felt like stepping on pure concrete and presented serious injury hazards for players. The new field doesn’t present that due to the rubber pellets that cushion the field.  BOE Trustee Lisa Danchek Martin described it as, “walking on memory foam”. 

One of the lacrosse players whotplayed on opening day, Christopher Roque, said “it was cool playing a home game under the new lights and it was nice seeing my friends in the stands because they wanted to see us play under the lights. Opening day was exciting. The vibe I got from the team was that we were not going to lose our first game in our hometown under the lights.”

Mr. Joe Piro, the Director of Athletics here at NHS, he says that the athletic field is not just for the athletic department it is for the good of the entire community.