SEPTEMBER 2015, MCNARY FALL SPORTS PREVIEW, PAGE 1 1
(Continued from Page 10)
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
Opposite page: Dr. Vern Casterline cuts the
ceremonial ribbon during McNary’s annual
Blue Day. Above: The fi rst yards of turf are
installed. Top left: A FieldTurf crew stitches
together panels of turf. Top right: Spaces
for numerals are sheared.
The project was paid for through about
$500,000 in in-kind donations and an-
other $500,000 cash. The McNary Athletic
Booster Club is still raising money to help
cover expenses.
The new artifi cial turf fi eld is expected
to be able to handle tenfold the amount of
traffi c the old natural grass fi eld could. It’s
expected to improve fi eld availability for
groups and organizations ranging from the
football team to the band to the lacrosse
team come spring. In the short term, that
same increased-yet-still-limited availability
is causing at least some consternation.
“The turf is nothing but positive for the
school and the girls soccer program pro-
gram. However, the biggest hurdle is work-
ing through practice schedules. Before we
would train and play on grass, but when
you’re talking about different types of sur-
face, we need to be able to train on the fi eld
we are going to call our home fi eld,” said
AJ Nash, head coach of the McNary girls
soccer program. “If we can’t train two days
a week over there, the grass fi eld will con-
tinue to be our home fi eld.”
Nash was speaking a little more than a
week before the games were slated to start
and he’d yet to hear anything about being
able to practice on the new turf.
“We haven’t gotten a training schedule
Custom
Jewelry
BOUCHER JEWELERS
HELPING
HANDS
The following students
all pitched in to help
prepare the new turf field.
Hayden Sader
Ty Penner
Collin Young
Jason Sperle
Trent
Van Cleave
Brendan
Van Voorhis
Kolby Barker
Marc Baiza
Sam Farr
Craig Brod
Jon Anderson
Jakoby Doke
Bobby Botta
Blake Norton
Gage Mance
Jacob Jackson
Tanner Gordon
Ryan Bamford
Kyle Aicher
Ty Covalt
Tyler Stull
Robert Benson
Raymond Byrd
Brycen Boucher
Your Feet Are My Specialty
Dean McNabb, DPM ABPS BOARD CERTIFIED
Sports Medicine
Foot Surgery
Heel Pain
Fractures
Ingrown Nails
Neuromas
At BOUCHER JEWELERS,
we sketch what you have
in mind or suggest designs
to assure a truly stunning
custom-made piece.
4965 River Road N
yet, but last year that fi eld was full and now
we’re adding girls and boys soccer to the
mix.The good thing is there are lights and
if it means we have a couple of 8 p.m. prac-
tices a week, we’ll do it,” he said.
In the long term, Jeff Auvinen, head
coach of the McNary football program, is
hoping it cuts down on injuries.
“In the past couple of seasons, we’ve
actually seen more injuries during away
games on turf because it feels different and
cuts different when the kids are playing on
it. The kids will now be more accustomed
to it,” Auvinen said.
While it will be a few months before the
lacrosse team gets a crack at the turf on a
regular basis, Head Coach Ryan Bowlby
said he expects it to bring about a new era
for the team.
“There’s been a lot of kids who haven’t
been able to participate once parents fi nd
out that we practiced at North Salem (High
School). Having a home fi eld means kids
will be able to walk here and just seeing
those guys walk to school with their pads
in the spring is going to increase visibility,”
Bowlby said.
Since its inception, the Celtic lacrosse
team has practiced and played at North Sa-
lem. In the more than fi ve years the club has
been around, they’ve only gotten to host a
game at McNary once.
503-393-0701
Warts & Orthotics
Nail Fungus
Hammertoes
Diabetic Foot Care
Bunions
PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOOT & ANKLE
4905 RIVER RD N - KEIZER - 503.390.0959