The Edith Robb Dixon Field now has a brand new turf for the student-athletes to play on this fall semester. The surface is a Spinturf’s Ultrablade DFE model.
The new turf was a big project for the entire athletic department at Cabrini according to Orlin Jespersen, the new associate director of athletics, recreation and community Engagement.
“There were a number of people across campus involved in the discussion, since it affected several areas. Since this was a capital improvement project, it followed the standard process for proposal and obtaining various approvals across campus,” Jespersen said.
The project was undertaken to replace the existing turf that was put in during the fall of 2006. The field was natural grass the previous years of existence.
“There are a number of positives in having a turf field. When we had natural grass on that field years ago, the field was often unusable for several days following a heavy rain, which meant our outdoor teams had to move inside. With the turf, we have a consistent playing surface, which is playable during light rain events and quickly accessible after heavier storms,” Jespersen said. “It also allows us to better manage the gym, since we don’t need to schedule practice space for outdoor teams as often, with the occasional extreme weather exception. The artificial turf can also handle much more traffic without the same wear a grass field would experience in goal areas, etc.”
The new turf directly affects the lacrosse, soccer and field hockey teams.
“The turf is thicker and slower so we have to hit the ball harder, which has made our team stronger. At first it was hard to adjust but after weeks of preseason we have gotten used to it being so thick,” Ally Fiorelli, senior field hockey player, said. “It will help us adjust to other teams that have thick turf or even grass fields where we will need extra hard hits.”
The Edith Robb Dixon field now features the Cabrini Cavaliers logo on both sides of the field and the center circle is filled with a large Cavaliers head logo.
“The new turf is definitely a good thing for the team. It is thicker but I do not think it is going to make a huge difference in our play,” Ben Roda, sophomore soccer player, said. “We still have to play well and execute no matter what. Happy to have the new field though.”
