As Cleveland High School works toward a major modernization effort, one crucial issue continues to be ignored: the poor condition of the athletic facilities.
Cleveland’s softball and baseball teams must put up with the worst facilities by far. These teams technically don’t have their own field. The fields they use, Powell Park and Woodstock Park, are owned by Portland Parks and Recreation, which allows the school to use them. This brings up major issues for both teams. For starters, Woodstock Park is over two and a half miles away from Cleveland, a very hard commute for any athlete without access to a car. Beyond this, playing at these parks significantly impacts team performance, and can even risk our student’s health and safety.
“The public parks we are forced to play at are often overrun by homeless people. Players have found needles, drugs, and stuff like that. It’s bad,” said junior Arlo Copony, a member of the baseball team. “We just want a place to call home. Right now, we split home games at Powell Park and other public parks”
Players and coaches are also fed up with the conditions of these fields. Rain can cause major safety concerns for baseball and softball players, and can often result in a traditional dirt and grass field being ruled unplayable. This has remained a constant issue for Cleveland athletes
“We have to spend multiple practices every year just trying to get the field playable. One good rain can set us back weeks,” Copony explained.
To combat this issue, most schools in the PIL have built multi-purpose turf fields. These turf fields can be used in any weather and by any team, not just baseball and softball. A field like this is the main goal of the Turf Powell Park Project, headed by Cleveland parents who are active on Facebook. Parents, students, and coaches all maintain that this field would significantly improve our school’s athletics.
Bradley Blocker, head baseball coach, said a turf field would lead to performance improvements. “That’s a no-brainer… between that (the new field) and having a hitting facility we can start earlier in the year when all the other teams get to,” said Blocker, a health teacher.
The hitting facility that Coach Blocker mentioned is already confirmed to be part of the school modernization efforts. The facility will be a part of a new multi-level field house built at the track.
Indoor hitting facilities will help solve the issues of space and weather plaguing the two teams. However, the turfed field, which has yet to be confirmed, is still necessary for games and practicing defense.
Senior baseball player Jame Ho added, “I think nicer facilities would draw more players to Cleveland and we could actually practice year-round regardless of the weather.”
Copony built on this idea, stating, “We’ve already seen the Grant program improve a lot since getting their new facilities. I’ve seen a lot of players go to Grant because of the facilities. I think this could do the same for Cleveland.”
These new facilities will also benefit other sports teams and the greater Cleveland community. For example, football, girls’ and boys’ soccer, must compete for practice and game time on one field during the fall. A new multipurpose turf field similar to the one at Grant would allow teams to practice longer and more frequently, especially during their off-season. Part of the effort is to also make Powell Park a safer, more friendly place, by including things like lighting and fences to discourage illegal activity. This would open up Powell Park to be a place for all Cleveland students.
Please visit @turfpowellpark on Instagram for further information and opportunities to get involved
