The Clause

Adams Field is being renovated through a donation given to APU from an alumni couple, Rick and Robyn Dillon, from the class of ’79 and ’80, respectively.

 

            According to Jim Christl, director of design and construction at APU, the field located behind Adams Hall will begin reconstruction May 7, the Monday after graduation, and is scheduled to be completed by Aug. 15.

 

Director of Communiversity Chuck Strawn has partnered with, the Athletics Department, Campus Recreation and the Student Government Association for this project.

 

The new Adams Field will include an 80-yard football field, a basketball court and two sand volleyball courts. The lights on the field will also be replaced, providing additional light coverage. The football team will no longer have to play on the grass, which currently covers Adams Field. Instead, artificial turf will pave the way. The new turf will also require less maintenance.

 

“When you have grass, you have to take time off of it. Two or three years ago we used to not be able to use all of Adams Field during January and February because it was still healing from football practice,” Strawn said. “This will give us the ability to get out there as often and as much as we want to, obviously working around the athletic schedule as well.”

 

The new field will also be used for intramural soccer games. With the intramural program continuing to grow, Citrus Stadium had to be used for games last year. The new field will have three fields running north and south in order to accommodate for the number of teams.

 

The sand volleyball courts are something SGA has been requesting for a while, Strawn admits. Volleyball courts are hard to come by for students and they require a transportable net in order to play. These new courts will continuously have nets already set up, ready for play. This new facility will also provide a larger location for students to play a variety of sports, including Ultimate Frisbee.

 

For sophomore marketing and psychology double major Max Gillette-Almqvist, this renovation is beneficial because of his investment in intramurals sports. Gillette-Almqvist plays volleyball, basketball, soccer and dodgeball, and often uses Adams Field up to four times a week.

 

“It’s going to be nice to have volleyball nets up all the time. We will have more space to exercise and play and it will bring more fitness to APU,” Gillette-Almqvist said.

 

The sport court gives students, specifically student athletes, an additional practice location.

 

“As a student and as an athlete it will benefit me a lot because I’ll have unlimited access to playing basketball or even just to get some exercise in,” freshman sociology major and member of the women’s basketball team Sharif Watson said.

 

Currently, Watson uses the Felix Event Center, Cougar Dome or a nearby park/gym to practice during the semester.  The new field will make practice more convenient.

 

“The new field will bring more community and fitness to APU,” Watson said. “The sport opportunities are so culturally diverse that it will bring people together.”