Discussions of a potential collaboration between the Iola School District and Allen Community College regarding use of athletic facilities have begun in an unofficial capacity.
As it stands, there’s an unwritten agreement between Iola and Allen that if rain threatens to cancel a baseball or softball game, then Iola teams can play their games at ACC, which have artificial turf.
That agreement may swing both ways regarding Allen’s soccer teams if artificial turf were installed at Iola’s football stadium at Riverside Park. Allen would benefit because it resolves an ongoing turf issue at the ACC soccer fields. For years, soccer players have worn down their Bermuda grass field, which needs at least one fall season of growth to get it back to 100 percent.
By collaborating with Iola in bringing turf to the football stadium, the soccer program would have a permanent home. As a sports fan and stadium enthusiast I’m mixed on the issue.
As a fan, soccer looks awful on artificial turf. The ball skips all wrong. It’s also faster, as if playing a game in a carpeted living room. Just a few weeks ago, I recall a few coaches from Johnson County Community College complimenting Allen’s Bermuda grass, which was interesting because the only things Johnson County people compliment are themselves.
Field turf stinks. It fades and more than once I tracked a home flea infestation back to artificial turf fields. However, with as much use as the Riverside stadium gets, and the joy many kids get playing on turf, it’s an obvious community improvement and hopefully not the only one.
What about a multi-use baseball/softball stadium for both programs or even renovate the beautiful, but flood-prone, arena at Riverside Park. The Riverside Park arena has direct floor access from the parking lot, which is essential in hosting a variety of events, not to mention the upper deck seating rarely seen in modern high school and junior college venues.
I’ve lived in a lot of towns with a similar collaborative philosophy. The way they saw it was what’s the point of having a bunch of little pots of money and not having enough for something nice, something substantial. Why not have governing bodies combine their efforts, their little pots for a big pot? Having multiple agencies working in tandem often results in access to grants typically reserved for larger communities.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained seems a philosophy Iola’s community leaders believe in.
