With two of my three boys playing this season for Petaluma's infamous Rivercats Youth Lacrosse League, the city's field shortage crisis has never been more apparent.
Practicing until 10.15pm on a Friday night in order to squeeze in on desperately limited field availability, my fifteen year old wasn't too impressed when I showed up to pick him up in my pj's. After a long week, a second five-mile round trip across town to collect a tired, sweaty teen was officially the very last item on the agenda of what had been an action-packed evening with dropping off and picking up of the younger boy from that exact same popular soccer/lacrosse spot.
So Saturday morning's last-minute switch to the meticulous new Saint Vincent De Paul (private) High School's all-weather turf field was a treat to intrepid players' parents previously prepared for whatever mud-encrusted reception available on Petaluma's over-scheduled scraps of sporting fields.
Despite the dire shortage in decent sporting facilities here in Southern Sonoma County, it hasn't, by most accounts done much to dampen the enthusiasm and mettle of Petaluma's youth sports men and women. But it does make the season of whatever sport so much more of a smooth run when a well-maintained field is ready and available well before the whistle blows.
Whatever the financial deal that was struck with Saint Vincent De Paul High School to rent its flashy field, it was refreshing to traverse the perimeter in the capacity of a community youth sports supporter and aesthetic admirer.
Designed by Petaluma-based landscape Architect Rob Brockman, of Alfresco Designs, the Saint Vincent field serves as a shining example of the future of youth sport fields should the economy creep up to conditions in which cash-strapped cities such as Petaluma can keep up with an increasing demand. In the meantime, it's encouraging to see the community coming together in the cooperative use of the single most outstanding sporting facility in town.
Thanks to Heidi Fowers for ongoing use of her superb sports photography. Pictured above: Petaluma Rivercats Under 13 A Team Vs Southern Marin Wolfpack.
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