Field of Dreams?
Harrington Field is primary located just south of Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. With its lush, green turf is a beautiful sight for any grass athlete. It appears to be the ideal grass expanse for whatever outdoor activity you wish to do. It has a numerous amount of uses, from ultimate Frisbee to flying remote control airplanes above its open airspace. Several different sports are played on it including women’s rugby of which I am a part of. The field is vast allowing for the ideal playing conditions of whatever sport walks onto it. It has some seating for a home crowd, but not much. Above all Harrington Field supports the ever growing program that is Western Washington University athletics.
Harrington Field is a beautiful all-weather astroturf field that was just recently completed in 2014. As far as college fields go I believe it could potentially rank among the best. Astroturf is a great replacement for natural grass. As we are in the Pacific Northwest, is rains a lot. If Western had a natural grass field we would constantly be dealing with a flooded swamp instead of a beautiful field. Another one of the perks of having a turf field is that it costs much less to maintain than a natural grass field. Astroturf doesn’t have to be replanted, mowed, or even watered. Harrington saves a lot of water since it doesn’t have to be watered, ever! This bodes very well amongst a school that is so concerned with conserving what natural resources we can. I have also seen many athletes roll ankles on natural grass fields due to holes in the dirt, but not on Harrington. No holes equals no unnecessary injuries. Another great characteristic of Harrington Field is the tall, black fencing around its borders, which make it so no loose balls can roll away.
However, there are some significant flaws that this field presents. From the looks of the seating, large crowds appear to be discouraged at Harrington Field. I come from a very small school in California of about 500 students, and even my home field allows for a substantial amount of seating on the home side and the guest side. I see the seating situation at Harrington Field as a huge concern. When I step out on a field I like to have a big home crowd supporting me.
It is also true though that some people and athletes do not like astroturf. One aspect of having a grass field that I really enjoyed back in California was the smell of the grass after it was cut. There is no way astroturf can give that. Astroturf has also been known to have a nasty chemical runoff when it rains. It can also lead to a scorching turf burn when you fall! This is a very common occurrence. I have only been out on the field for a week and I already have a few turf burns. Granted, even on grass fields, athletes get scratched up, but it’s not nearly as bad as when you fall on turf. So if you’re claustrophobic when it comes to cramped spaces and large crowds or you’re the type of athlete who doesn’t like to get a little scratched up, then the Harrington Field stadium is not the place for you.
I believe that a massive, supportive crowd yields better results on the field. So would it be necessary to put in more seating at Harrington? Although the seating is not ideal for larger crowds and the turf burns may sting a little and even leave a scar, having played on both a natural grass and an astroturf field, I can honestly say that I prefer the astroturf. This stadium has its flaws, but what stadium doesn’t? Western’s teams still get the job done. You could be a spectator whose cramped in the stands or you could be the athlete taking a dive on the astroturf. Overall I see Harrington Field as a great asset to WWU athletics. Harrington Field caters to the needs of any and all parties involved, even the remote control airplanes pilots.
