The results have come in for STC's Real Field of Dreams contest.
We are so proud of our fields that were either finalists or nominees!
We are so proud of our fields that were either finalists or nominees!
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2010 Winners of the Search for the Real Field of Dreams
Synthetic turf athletic fields and community parks have transformed the lives of America’s youth and enhanced public wellness. As you’ll see, the winners of the Synthetic Turf Council’s 2010 Search for the Real Field of Dreams Contest have amazing stories to share. Kids in economically-challenged urban areas now have safe play spaces instead of rundown, concrete school yards. A community came together to survive an F-5 Tornado with their new synthetic turf field as a rallying point of local pride. Elite and amateur athletes have exceeded their personal goals by accessing new, state-of-the art facilities. We hope you enjoy reading about how people improved their communities with these real fields of dreams!
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Our unique story begins in the small town of Dresden, Ohio. Dresden started as a bustling little town with a canal cut right through it that connected the Muskingum River to the historic Ohio canal. Ironically, our football stadium was built in 1950 in the valley where that very canal once existed. The Longaberger family moved to Dresden in late 1800’s and the basket business began. By the mid 1900’s the origins of the Longaberger basket company were beginning to take shape. By the late 1970’s, Dave Longaberger had created a booming business based out of Dresden that catered to people all over the world and provided them with handmade baskets.
As the years passed by, Dresden became a tourist hotspot with more than one hundred tour busses stopping daily. The townspeople flocked to buy real estate on Main Street in Dresden, and it filled with shop after shop specializing in baskets of all varieties. Our town had a new identity, one that would remain a source of pride for many years. The Longaberger Homestead, just outside of town, employed over 8,000 and people came from miles away to watch as workers hand wove the baskets they would later purchase. For years, our entire town’s economy prospered because of the Longaberger basket company.
In the last ten years, that prosperity has turned to despair as it has in so many blue-collar towns. The Longaberger Company has cut its workforce from 8,000 to just over 1,000. Many of the small shops that once lined our downtown have closed as the sounds of tour busses have slowly faded over the past few years. Unemployment in our county is nearly 16%, compared to the state average of 10%. As the Longaberger Company faded the one thing that had established our town’s identity also began to fade. With it went our town’s feeling of pride and in some ways the self worth that comes along with being a booming tourist attraction.
Out town needed a shot of adrenaline. It needed something to rally around, and something to be proud of again. This is where our “Field of Dreams” came to fruition.
Tri-Valley High School is located in Dresden. It was created in 1966 when three local districts consolidated. Sine that day it has had a long tradition of sports excellence. However, the one sport that could never establish continued success was football. As if it were destiny, just as the morale of our town started to decline, the morale of the football program began to build. The 2008 season was out third winning season in a row and our program reached the state playoffs for the first two times in history in 2006 and 2007.
With our success, came challenges. Our numbers were at an all-time high as we now had over 175 boys in our program from 7-12 grade. Unfortunately, we had only one football practice field to accommodate all of our student athletes. This lack of space created huge logistical problems when you strive to get your athletes home in time to be good students. Our situation was made worse by the fact that our game field was in no condition to accommodate practices as well as games. As I mentioned earlier, our field was built where a canal once ran and as a result it had severe drainage issues. In fact, by the middle of the season we began painting the middle of the field to make it appear as if we had grass. It constantly drew the ire of opposing coaches because they feared their athletes would get injured as a result of the field conditions.
At the end of 2008, we decided to build on the momentum created by the football program and propose the field turf project to our school and community. Six months later we had our new synthetic turf field and everything has changed. Our student athletes have all reaped the benefits of such a great surface. The football team is now able to play and practice on a perfect surface everyday. Younger players now use our remaining practice field after school. Student athletes have been remarkable as well. With the exception of days in which it was snow covered, not a day has passed since the synthetic turf field project has been completed that our field has not been in use. From soccer and band in the fall, to baseball, softball and track in the spring, our turf gets used on a daily basis. The drainage problems that were so prevalent on our old field are now non-existent.
Describing the great benefits the field has had for our student athletes is really only half the story. The other half of the story revolves around a small town that has been revived by our synthetic turf field project. About a community and a town that had lost its identity and source of joy. The people in our great town, like some many other blue-collar towns throughout America want something to believe in, to take pride in, and something they can call their own. Our field is theirs as much as it is ours. Our schools, our student athletes, and our new synthetic turf field are now the identity of our great town. Like many places in America, people are still struggling to find occupational success. But in our town, every Friday night in the fall, townspeople forget about their problems and share in the thrill of success that our completed project has provided. This year they watched Tri-Valley Football complete a perfect 5-0 home record on the new synthetic turf field. The resurgence of our football program and the resiliency of our town now resonate every day when you look out at our new “field of dreams.”
Other 2010 Nominees include
City of Hollywood, Hollywood, FL
Cotting School, Lexington, MA
Falcon Field, Meriden, CT
Home Plate Baseball, Peachtree City, GA
Loveland High School, Loveland, OH*
Madeira High School, Cincinnati, OH*
Marist High School, Atlanta, GA
Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
Riverdale County Schools, Bronx, NY
South Oldham High School, Crestwood, KY*
*These teams also play on 24/7 Systems
For more information contact:
Zach Burns, Director
The Motz GroupSM
Phone: 513.533.6452
Email: info@themotzgroup.com
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