Volunteer groundskeepers maintain local fields

PALMER — The sight of the Colony Knights running on to their field for the first time tonight will be extra special for a group of Colony High School football faithful.

Throughout the summer, parents and boosters have spent countless hours repairing and maintaining the football field in preparation for tonight’s 2010 home opener against West Anchorage.

The Knights football and soccer programs have worked with less than ideal playing conditions on their main field for years. Problem spots are stretched over the center of the field and along the home team sideline, and these parents and boosters have done whatever they could to fix them.

Cynde Oleck, a parent of a football player and member of the booster club, has been a regular at Colony High School this summer.

“None of us are complaining about the work,” Oleck said. “We love our kids and want to see them succeed.”

Oleck said helping ensure their children have a safe field to play on is the primary motivation for their efforts, but the parents and booster club also wants to create a field and stadium the football program can be proud of.

“That’s been our drive the whole summer, from the time the summer went away,” said Kirk Bricker, another Colony football booster.

Bricker has spent nearly every day it didn’t rain this summer, along with Colony assistant coaches such as Nathan Dahl and Ray Kizer, watering the football field. The field is also mowed about once a week by volunteers.

“Without the boosters and the coaches willing to sacrifice their time, I can’t tell how bad a shape (the field) would be in,” Colony activities director Mike Boyd said. “We’d be playing in unsafe conditions if it wasn’t for the booster club.”

Boyd said the school and volunteers have worked hard throughout for years repairing and maintaining Colony’s three fields — two practice fields and the game field. Last year, the field on the very back of the school’s property was repaired. The soccer field that sits adjacent to the Colony game field was hydroseeded earlier this year after new dirt was added. The field is now off limits until the prep soccer season, Boyd said, as the Knights prepare to host the conference soccer championships.

One of the biggest headaches is caused by the center of the game field, which had become plagued by a seemingly permanent lack of grass. The Alaska climate can be blamed for part of the problem.

“We just don’t get enough of a growing season,” Boyd said.

There’s also no natural windbreak.

“We don’t get the snow accumulation to insulate (the field during the winter),” Boyd said.

And after each harsh winter, volunteers return each spring to prepare the Colony football field for opening day.

“We’ve had a lot of good parent turnout,” Bricker said. “Three weeks ago we did a complete field clean up. Lots of volunteers showed up.”

The volunteers weeded the grounds, and painted and repaired the concession stand and ticket booth. Bricker said there are a number of reasons why the loyal volunteers continue to lend their time.

“We just truly support the program,” Bricker said. “We support the coaching staff. The school is wonderful. Mike Boyd is wonderful.”

At Wasilla High School, there’s one volunteer in particular who is dedicated to the upkeep of that school’s field.

“Ron Rucker, he is the Warrior groundskeeper,” Wasilla High assistant principal Dan Michael said. “He dedicates hours and hours of time. (The field) would not look good without him.”

Rucker, who also operates the clock for just about every Warrior varsity football and basketball game, does virtually all of the mowing and the watering, Michael said.

“It’s fantastic,” Michael said. “He does stuff like figuring out what fertilizer to put on it.”

Michael said Rucker even takes core samples to the UAF Experimental Farm to make sure the right treatment is being used.

“It’s completely his baby,” Michael said.

Palmer High activities director Jeff Thiede said the Palmer football coaching staff puts in extra hours to maintain Palmer’s Machetanz Field. Head coach Rod Christiansen is often the person watering the field. Assistant coach Brad Hanson regularly mows Machetanz, Thiede said. Another assistant, Kay Omer, lends his time. Thiede said Gary Alcock, a longtime supporter, paints the yard lines and hash marks.

“It’s a total testament to their belief in the program and the school,” Thiede said. “When it’s all said and done, it’s for the kids. These guys are out there busting their humps so it’s a safe field. They give up family time and other things to do it.”

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.