Moss Field reconstruction affects athletes

Sam Enlund
Social Media/Sports Editor

Construction on Moss Field started on Aug. 21, 2023, as an almost year long project began. With the construction, all the sports teams that utilized the field and track had to relocate to neighboring schools.

Athletic director Jerry Collins said that the construction of the new field has a tentative end date of
Aug. 1.

About how he chose when to start renovations, Collins said, “It was not going to be a short time. It was not like we were going to pick between losing football season or track season… it was a matter of which year it was going to be.”

Due to construction, the Webster Groves track team had to relocate to Affton. Now, after complications with Affton and scheduling, it moved to the walking field at Kirkwood’s Nipher Middle school.

“It has definitely presented as a logistical nightmare, but we are working through it together as a team and I think it has made us stronger and better as a team,” men’s track and field coach Jon Petter said

The track team has had to organize carpooling, with forms for parents to sign at the beginning of the year so that they could find rides for all of the runners.

“I drive freshman sprinters who I probably would have never talked to… which is kind of fun,” senior Tessa Garrison said.

The women’s lacrosse team also uses Moss Field for its games. The team has been able to continue its regular practices at the practice field at Dr. Henry Givens Jr. Elementary School. The team has to use the Kirkwood field for its home games.

Regarding the construction, Varsity lacrosse Coach Jeremy Winingham said, “It makes it really hard for us to find fields and find space. All the coaches are trying to figure out how to adjust.”

Seniors on both lacrosse and track are without a home field for their final season and will not see the benefits that the underclassmen will.

“It was very exciting that progress was going to be made. It was just upsetting that progress wasn’t going to be made while I was still here,” senior lacrosse player Carina Dickie said.