Field closes for repairs

Junior Robin Fay has twisted his ankle several times while playing Ultimate Frisbee at Woodlawn Field.\nFay says the field is barren, uneven and filled with potholes.\n"It's not an adequate field to be playing on," he says. "People get hurt on it."\nThat's why the Division of Recreational Sports closed Woodlawn Field last week to begin a series of repairs to improve the condition of the field. The field will reopen next spring.\nFay, who is the president of the Ultimate Frisbee club, said although the field is in need of repair, he wishes RecSports wouldn't have closed it so abruptly.\n"They haven't provided us with field space," Fay said. "We don't have anywhere to practice." \nAbout six club sports teams practice on the field.\nJackie Puterbaugh, an associate director at RecSports, acknowledges the club sports teams currently have no field to practice on, but she said the closing will benefit them in the long run.\n"They'll be disappointed, but they know we have to do something," Puterbaugh said. \nPuterbaugh said RecSports is currently working to move practices into Gladstein Fieldhouse and Mellencamp Pavilion, and that this time of year is usually when club teams begin to move practices inside anyway. \nPuterbaugh said the problem is that there are always people playing on the field, so there is not enough down time to adequately repair it. New dirt and seed, new lighting and new irrigation is needed. The field also has a severe runoff problem. \nPuterbaugh said they plan to bring in as much dirt as possible to cover the field before it gets too cold this winter. Next spring, they plan to reopen the field through the semester, and close it for more repairs during the summer.\nPuterbaugh said parking, concerts and continuous use of the field has caused its deterioration.\nWhen RecSports met with the University about improving the field about two years ago, they estimated it would cost $1 million to make all the necessary repairs -- a price tag too costly for the University to cover.\nPuterbaugh said several students called RecSports Monday asking them to open up the track, but according to an e-mail sent by the division to club sports representatives Friday, "No groups or individuals will be allowed to utilize the Woodlawn facility for any type of activity."\nGraduate student Matt Molter has been using the field for about five years.\n"It's upsetting that it's taken up until now," he said. "For the longest time its been the worst field to go to."\nMolter, who also plays on the men's Ultimate Frisbee team, said he is upset that his team hasn't been provided with another place to practice for the time being. \n"They closed it out of nowhere," he said, adding that November and early December is an important time for his team to practice because their season starts in the spring. \nPuterbaugh said the changes needed to be made immediately.\n"We can't continue to let these fields deteriorate if we're going to be able to use them next year," she said.