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REDDING, Conn. — The Daily Voice accepts signed, original letters to the editor. Letters may be emailed to weston@dailyvoice.com.
To the Editor,
My family and I have lived in Redding for 13 years. We love it. However, we have seen debate after debate over the need for turf fields.
Meanwhile, almost every town in the surrounding area has made the leap into turf fields. I'm not one for follow the leader, but the lack of turf fields in our country environment is putting our student athletes at a growing disadvantage every year that we waste.
Cancellations due to weather mean less practice time, rearrangement of schedules and in some cases, finding time in neighboring towns to "rent" their turf fields. Playing on turf is now the standard for outdoor teams, and lack of practice and playing time on turf can be a considerable disadvantage during conference and state tournaments.
Additionally, we have many fields in Redding and Easton, but it seems logical to focus on the high school level as a starting point when you consider the possible locations. Seeing as Joel Barlow is roughly in the middle of the two supporting towns, that location makes even more sense.
As a teacher, I recognize that academics come first, but I also know that my children, and many other children, learn so many important life skills while playing sports.
For sure, we are in challenging economic times, but we need to invest in our athletic programs and facilities to be on a par with our excellent academic settings.
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