New turf field will enhance CC’s athletic program

The new turf at the Lyn and David Silfen Track and Field.

Connecticut College sports are now one step ahead of Mother Nature and Old Man Winter.

New artificial turf installed this summer at the Lyn and David Silfen Track and Field enhances CC’s athletic program and provides a state-of-the-art all-weather surface on which the field hockey, soccer and lacrosse teams will practice and compete.

“It’s a field of dreams,” said Fran Shields, Katherine Wenk Chistoffers ’45 Director of Athletics. The field is made of a synthetic carpet that sits on a 500,000-pound layer of rubber and sand pellets.

The cosmetics are impressive, but so are the advantages the field provides for CC athletics, Shields said. Nine of the eleven schools in the New England Small College Athletic Conference now have artificial turf fields.

Game cancellations or postponements due to snow or heavy rain will be a thing of the past since the turf is plowable and absorbs up to 11 inches of rain an hour. In addition, the new surface will allow spring teams, which begin their season Feb. 15, to stay outdoors for practice, freeing up indoor space for intramurals and open recreation. Physical education classes, intramural sports teams and students looking for a place to play will have access to the field as the schedule permits.

“It will serve all students,” Shields said, “and we also want to be a friend to the local community by hosting their events when our schedule allows.”

Other improvements to the area near the field support the track and field teams. Two new throwing areas for discus, hammer and shot put were added during the renovations as well as a new runway for the javelin.

The project was spearheaded by Carolyn Holleran ’60 and her husband, Jerry. Their granddaughter, Katie Williams ’07, is a member of the field hockey team and a standout player.

The field will be dedicated at a ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 24.