Over the summer artificial turf was installed on CP’s football field. The new turf will prevent players from some injuries as it is softer than regular grass and maintains its look for a longer period of time because it is more durable.

According to Dr. Murrell, the turf didn’t pass in two bonds, but the Conroe ISD Board of Trustees, with recommendations from Dr. Null, the Trustees decided to fund the project of turf for the high schools that did not have the fields with excess funds from the fund balance, Oak Ridge and The Woodlands High school also received new turf fields. The fields make it possible to have play at a safe level, and now weather will have less impact on the turf.

“The turf is definitely so much better than the grass, the smoother consistency and grip for our cleats is a great benefit. Although the turf being much hotter than grass, practice is better because we actually have a “grass” surface instead of patches of dirt,” said Luke Adams, the starting left guard on the varsity team. 

Before the upgrade, the field was natural grass which was easily torn up by the football players and was susceptible to the weather resulting in missed practice time and increased laundering time & costs. The artificial turf will provide a newer and more durable surface for them to play and practice on, and it will reduce slipping and risk of injury for the players now that there is something for their cleats to grip to rather than dirt and mud.  

“The new turf improves practice by not making us dirty. With the old grass field, by the end of practice our jerseys and pants were covered with dirt from the different drills that we did, but now that we have the new turf, we don’t get dirty at all,” Peyton Robinson, center on varsity said. “The dirt tended to get on our hands which caused us to have bad snaps and dropped passes.”

 Football is not the only group that utilizes the field, but so do many other athletic groups including band and soccer. Getting extra time to practice on the field before games and competitions is helpful without the worry of too much disruption on the grass field because the turf can stand the use more than the grass. 

“It gives us the opportunity to have a few runs on the field when football is done, that way we have experience without our dots on our practice field and it makes us better prepared,” band member Emma Gratland said.

These improvements were made to our school, and many athletes today and in the future will benefit.

“Overall the turf really does benefit our team” said Adams “I really think the turf field is a great addition to the school.”