They could have brought out the band and had a ribbon-cutting, but the Norfolk Academy field hockey team had other ideas about showcasing its new AstroTurf ® field.
A meeting between a pair of defending state champs would do just fine.
So on a scorching hot and stiflingly humid Wednesday afternoon, the Bulldogs hosted Cox in a battle of South Hampton Roads top-10 squads — defending Group 6A champ Cox at No. 1 and defending VISAA Division 1 champ Norfolk Academy at No. 5.
The Falcons entered ranked third in the country in the MaxPreps preseason top 25, while Norfolk Academy was sixth in the Mid-Atlantic Region top 10.
Showcasing the new field was difficult despite all its shiny newness.
But when the underground water cannons popped up to wet the surface (AstroTurf has to be watered to slow the ball), you could see the pride beaming from everybody in Navy blue and orange.
The field was part of an 18-month effort (to) give the Bulldogs the best playing surface possible. Beach teams have long had an advantage because of the two AstroTurf fields at the former National Training Center.
The City of Norfolk installed a turf field surface at Powhatan Field several years ago, Cape Henry recently opened its turf field and Norfolk Collegiate will open its new facility in the near future.
Norfolk Academy had to raise the area approximately a foot for infrastructure that includes drainage and padding.
A special pump house was built to work the three watering cannons that push out 320 gallons a minute.
The sides and ends of the surface were extended to 80 yards wide and 120 yards long – well beyond a hockey field’s 60-by-100-yard confines.
Boundary and other official lines were inlaid into the surface instead of having to be painted on each year.
“We got just about every bell and whistle you could get,” associated director of athletics Chad Byler said. “AstroTurf (representative) Andy Belles tells us we’re only the second high school in the country to have such a surface.”
Norfolk Academy dodged questions about the cost.
But according to AstroTurf, installing such a field cost between $1 million to $1.7 million.
“It cost us more than we thought it would and no corners were cut,” Byler said.
“They just started on the fence around the perimeter today and it should be done by next week.”
It proved to be a perfect place for the high-intensity match-up that saw Norfolk Academy beat Cox for the first time in school history with a 4-3 decision.
“Having this field gives us more confidence and we have to be in better shape to play on it,” team captain Grace Marshall said. “We’re pretty proud of it.”
Article by Lee Tolliver / Courtesy of The Virginian-Pilot
