Schaumburg High claims its new turf
With the sounds of the Saxon fight song playing in the background, Schaumburg High School students burst out onto their new artificial turf field Tuesday for its official dedication.
They carried flags and seemed to jump for joy at the chance finally to set foot on the long-awaited new field, whose completion had been set back by a number of obstacles.
"It turned out better than I expected. It looks great," said senior receiver Josh Spandiary of Schaumburg, who wore his Saxon football jersey for the occasion.
Schaumburg's boys soccer team played the first game on the field, taking on Wheeling High Tuesday afternoon after the opening ceremony.
"It's really, really nice, compared to our old field, which was getting pretty torn up," said senior forward Mark Czarny of Schaumburg.
For many, it seemed like a long time coming.
In September, a cement mixer crashed through the ground during construction. Not only did it leave a gaping hole, but it crushed a section of the drainage pipe, one of five that runs beneath the field to catch runoff water.
The torrential downpours in mid-September also held up construction, officials said.
As a result, the earlier completion date in late September, planned for the Saxons' homecoming game against Fremd High, had to be postponed, leaving Schaumburg to continue playing its home games at Conant High in Hoffman Estates.
Tuesday's ceremony launched the start of the rescheduled homecoming festivities, which now will culminate Friday with the last home game against Conant.
"We're really excited to be here, and not have to commute back and forth to Conant," said junior drum major Kristen Kuzor. "It's just nice to be back home."
Schaumburg is the second of the five Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 schools to get the artificial turf. Fremd dedicated its new field, earlier this month.
In April, the District 211 board approved an estimated $8.7 million for the districtwide project. Construction could begin at Conant, Hoffman Estates and Palatine high schools in 2009.
"We fully expect this field to be used by all the students in the building," said District 211 Superintendent Roger Thornton, "from physical education students to clubs and activities to student athletes."
Students from a variety of sports and activities - including soccer, track, cross country, cheerleading, poms, flags and even volleyball - were on hand for the ceremony.
But it was the Saxon Marching Band members, all 266 of them, who received the honor of using the field first. Marching in step, lined up with the freshly painted hash marks, they played the finale of their halftime show, appropriately called, "Get It On."