South High School Athletic Fields and 20th/21st Av MPS property (MPS Board Meeting 9/20/16)9/20/2016 To MPS School Board and South High School, You’ve heard from parents of South High School students. You’ve even heard from a student at your last board meeting at which more than 20 South High School students, parents and coaches were in attendance. I know that the principal at South High School and the Athletic Director(s) at South High School both have spoken about the needs for their students for improved, safer, as well as having state and federal regulation size athletic surfaces upon which to compete. If you think it that everything is OK in this area at South, you need to listen again. IF YOU HAVE BEEN LISTENING, you know what needs to happen but you have said nothing about this openly to the South High School community! This is not about South High School versus Transitions and ABE. It is about doing the right thing for the students and community of South High School. There are many places for an education building in the area, there is ONLY ONE place for the athletic fields for South High School. It is also my understanding that the ten person committee that oversaw the site locations never included anything about the needs for the South High athletic facilities when choosing a location. They also never included any of the South High community or administration along these lines or we wouldn’t have been under the idea that MPS was doing the property purchases for South. I would like you to hear from several more students who have spoken up over the past few years and about what the poor conditions of the South High School athletic fields mean to them. How it makes them feel about their school. How it makes them feel about their safety with sprinkler heads, large grates, benches and concrete and other hard surfaces dangerously too close to the field of play. Here are five articles that have been written in the school’s newspaper, "The Southerner". I have included brief quotes from each, but in a perfect world, please read what each student says in their own words. I would especially like to hear from South’s area representative, Siad Ali, whom I have not heard from on this issue. Please do the right thing and make our Minneapolis students proud of their school’s facilities. Keep them safe. AND let us be able to invite other schools, other cities to our school’s home. Please invite us as the South community into the discussion for the land between Lake Street and South High School, BEFORE any final decision is made. Thank you, Scott Schluter Parent of South High School students “Are South High’s Tiger’s being kept caged?’ by Rami Azzazi 8/14/15 http://www.shsoutherner.net/opinion/2015/08/14/are-south-highs-tigers-being-kept-caged/ Every high school athlete’s dream is to proudly represent their school by defeating their rivals at their home field. There’s nothing compared to the support and enthusiasm stirred up at a home game or track meet. Unfortunately, South High’s field and stadium have seen better days. The track is ripped up and spotty where pieces are missing. The grass where football and soccer games are played is bumpy and uneven, and there are spots where no grass even grows anymore. Our stadium seats are weathered and uncomfortable and there’s often trash littered all over it. There also isn’t enough room for athletes to use the field to practice on because there’s almost always a game going on, forcing coaches to bus athletes to various parks miles away. “Lack of regulation track proves challenging for track and field team” by Gabe Bethke 4/20/2012 http://www.shsoutherner.net/sports/2012/04/20/lack-of-regulation-track-proves-challenging-for-track-and-field-team/ At a size that does not comply with international standards and in a state of disrepair that has caused injuries for runners, the track at South’s Barnard Field is well below par, and it is having an impact on the track and field team. “It takes that whole experience of getting to run for my school in home meets away,” begrudges senior captain Abdulfatha Sameru, “most of our meets are really far away in the suburbs, and every year the city meet is held at Southwest.” Athletic Director Mark Sanders stated that “the track is regulation distance, the real issue is the width. We only have 6 lanes.” The International Association of Athletics Federations regulation for high school tracks states that a track is supposed to be 8 lanes, but, according to Sanders, “the footprint we have for athletic facilities are too small, and we honestly just don’t have enough space for a track and competitive field space for soccer and football.” “New Athletic Director hopes to improve sports programs” by Ellen Gantenbein 3/16/2015 http://www.shsoutherner.net/sports/2015/03/16/new-athletic-director-hopes-to-improve-sports-programs/ Another goal is to improve South’s sports facilities, namely the field. Plans are in the works to possibly close the street between South and Les Barnard field in order to create a larger area for an upgraded field and track, complete with lights and a press box. Plans are still in their preliminary stages. The school district will need to negotiate with the City of Minneapolis in order to get clearance, and raise adequate funds. “The long term is to make the facilities better. Whether it’s getting the lights and the press box and all the plans that we’re trying to lay out and raise the money for, it’s something I’d really like to see done. I think it will help to build all that back up too and make us a respectable city program,” added Cardarelle. “New stadium will help sports teams engage community” by Oscar Cozza 4/23/2015 http://www.shsoutherner.net/sports/2015/04/23/new-stadium-will-help-sports-teams-engage-community/ The school district has bought the two blocks in between South’s current stadium and Lake Street, and plans to remove the street in between them and rebuild the stadium to extend all the way to Lake Street. The new stadium will help to address much-needed improvements for sports teams at South. Cardarelle talked about how South’s current field is very small for soccer, “It’s wouldn’t ever be FIFA regulation [size]. It barely makes it for the state high school league. That’s why you see the lines go as close to the track as possible to make it, it barely squeezes in it.” <stadiumpicture-475x322.jpg> Oscar Cozza The school district has bought the two blocks in between South’s current “Les Barnard Field” and lake street. If proposed plans go through, a new stadium will be built, utilizing this whole space. Players have also complained that the terrain of the field is a bit uneven. “It would be nice to have a better [soccer] field.” said Isaias Bruggeman Cohen, a sophomore and soccer player. “Our field is a little bit slanted, so it’s hard to play on it. If we got a new field it would be better.” The new stadium will also come with a new and larger track. South’s current track is very worn and could cause injury among track players. “Suburban tracks, for example, you have many layers [of tar] on a track.” said Senior Katie Mae Kaelin, captain of the track team, “but South’s track, they put the tar and then right underneath it is concrete, so what has happened is the tar has ripped off and then there is concrete in various places. … It’s a lot harder surface and the fact that we’re running at a fast pace, landing in that way on your feet is not safe.” For this reason, South does not host track meets at it’s outdoor track, and is not permitted to host sections games for soccer or football. These events are potentially good publicity for South, and would give South a stronger presence in Minnesota State competitions. <stadiummap-475x334.jpg> “Aponte envisions the future of south athletics in block between South and Lake” by Anna Kleven 4/11/2016 http://www.shsoutherner.net/uncategorized/2016/04/11/aponte-envisions-the-future-of-south-athletics-in-block-between-south-and-lake/ <Anna-Rays-Dream-900x600.jpeg> Anna Kleven Principal Ray Aponte gestures to the properties lining 21st street which the district has buying in anticipation of the relocation of the Transition Plus building. Aponte was initially excluded from the planning meetings, but he insists that his hopes for the future of South Athletics be considered in the process. Principal Ray Aponte stood at the edge of the third floor roof, looking out across the current athletic stadium and the houses and businesses between the alley and Lake Street. There he explained his vision for the property, which he called “Ray’s Dream.” In “Ray’s Dream,” 31st Avenue is gone and the two blocks are fused together, creating one large campus. The stadium is spun and runs North to South. On the West side of the block there are various smaller facilities – still up in the air, but Aponte has some ideas, including a practice field for softball. McNeal also refuses to be sold short on athletic facilities. He sees it as an equity issue. “When we have an opportunity to purchase property and land, we should be able to upgrade our athletic facilities and our school facilities to match and to rival our suburban counterparts,” he said. “All of our athletic facilities are outdated,” said McNeal. “It’s not a secret.” For example, the cross country and track teams can’t practice or compete on the track. “It’s not a legal track field,” said Lynn Heldt, secretary of the athletic department. It is also notorious for giving athletes shin splints. South spends $80,000 on travel for sports teams. Most of that is the cost of transporting players to far-away practice facilities every single day – and the majority of these are women’s teams. “What would be nice is if we had the facilities and the space and save money and transportation by having those fields at our facilities. Softball, baseball, soccer lacrosse, ultimate frisbee field. We need that space,” said McNeal. “Kids are leaving our school system and they’re telling us why they are leaving. There are better facilities in other places!” he said. Aponte also sees this project as a chance to boost the women’s teams to the potential that they are already showing. “I think this could be our niche,” he said, referring to the success that the women are already having. The Transition Plus building will be built by 2018, and the group hopes to have a plan by August. “Whatever they do is going to dictate the future of South High school. I’m just hoping they don’t cut us off,” he said. Track conditions September 2016
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Scott Schluter
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