We've seen the hazards of our sports facilities in the past and now they have appeared once again. This year, the tennis courts depict potential danger for Stoughton High School athletes.
The problem with the courts seems to have been ignored for a few years and because of this, they now bear hazardous cracks and appear uneven.
In attempts to fix these issues, the town of Stoughton refilled the cracks to hopefully make the area safer. However, the opposite happened. The new tar caused even more issues. At time of high temperatures and with the sun beaming down on the courts, the new tar in the cracks tends to fizz up. This is the second time Stoughton has seen this problem over the past three years. Prior to the tennis courts, it also appeared on the track.
Just last year an injury occurred during a match. One of the tennis players were running for a ball and tripped. She had tripped on a crack and injured her ankle. She was one of the top players. It was at this point that many people realized this issue needed to be addressed.
The cracks also make the players look “foolish.”
“At certain times in a match, the tennis ball will hit a crack and bounce in a different direction causing us to miss them,” said junior Brenna Tumilty. “It just makes us look foolish and it is embarrassing.”
Not only is this issue agitating and embarrassing to the Knights, but it also leads to a potential loss. If the ball hits off the crack the wrong way, the players will not be able to make contact with their rackets. It will either go by them or they'll miss it. This is also an issue for the opposing team. It would be pathetic to see our peers' record drop simply because of the courts they play on.
It was these issues that were taken into consideration at the start of the season. There was a coaches meeting held where a vote was taken. The majority of the coaches in the league voted that our courts are unplayable and wanted them out. Their votes won. The Stoughton courts no longer hold any home matches.
Although, this makes it more strenuous for the players, coaches, and fans, it's better than risking their health.
All of their matches are away and if they happen to be home, they are held at Stonehill College if needed. To this date there has only been a few matches held there.
Even with these changes I'm still concerned. Just because the match locations have been changed does not fix the issue. The players still have to practice day in and day out on these courts. They are still prone to injury.
I, along with many others, believe that the courts need to be repaired or restored. This concern cannot go on any longer. It's beginning to really agitate the community and especially the players.
“I've just gotten to the point where I'm really annoyed with this,” said junior Ally Cohen. “I've been on the tennis team for the past three years and this issue is just getting more and more annoying. All we ask is for courts that we can play on without having to think twice before we run. We constantly think about becoming injured because of this.”
Stoughton athletes are constanly training hard and it pays off during game and matches. They deserve a reward and as for the tennis players, the best reward they could have is an improvement of their courts.