Stadium renovation a challenge for OPRF spring sports
Two years ago, the Oak Park and River Forest High School athletic department dealt with logistical issues posed by the construction of a new track and field facility with a multipurpose turf on the site of the school’s baseball and softball fields. Home games and practices were moved off-campus and times were staggered for each program’s levels.
This spring, OPRF is again facing logistical challenges with some of its spring sports programs due to construction. Oak Park Stadium, where boys and girls lacrosse, along with girls soccer, usually conduct games and practices, is unavailable as a result of the school’s Imagine Project Phase Two, which includes the construction of a new physical education facility that will have a pool with spectator seating, a multipurpose gymnasium, a new weight room, and new locker rooms among other amenities.
The stadium’s turf has been removed to install a green energy system comprising 270 geothermal wells below the surface. The system will supply all cooling, heating, and ventilation for the new facility. For now, many lacrosse and soccer matches take place inside the track and field facility.
While holding practices and competitions on sites away from OPRF isn’t ideal, it’s an experience athletic director Nicole Ebsen is used to. Under the given circumstances, and thanks to a collaborative effort, so far, so good.
“Our athletic coordinators, Kevin Campbell and Derrick Purvis, have been amazing in supporting the crazy scheduling and working with our partners at the [Park District of Oak Park], Triton College, and Concordia and Dominican universities,” Ebsen said. “Our athletic secretary, Julie Elmiger, who handles transportation, has also been amazing in coordinating all the off-campus events and practices.”
Ebsen also credits her coaches – James Borja for girls’ lacrosse, Dan Ganschow for boys’ lacrosse, and Lauren Zallis for girls’ soccer – for their cooperation and mutual assistance.
“Our coaches have done an outstanding job of working together to assure that all levels of their programs have what is needed for training and competitions,” she said. “If we didn’t have coaches who work with and respect each other, none of this would be possible.”
The coaches told Wednesday Journal that they made sure everyone was on the same page, and no one is using the current situation as an excuse.
“It’s something that is out of the realm of our control, and while I’m sure that there are 13 seniors on my team who are sad they didn’t get to spend their last year playing on that field, we know that ‘home’ can be wherever we are together,” Zallis said.
“The stadium construction has forced us to be flexible,” Borja said. “I don’t think the construction has impacted our team’s performance because they knew it was coming, so they were expecting the unexpected.”
“The athletes have adapted to the schedule and haven’t skipped a beat,” Ganschow said. “Of course, without the great coordination between the lacrosse and soccer teams, and guidance from our athletic director’s office, I don’t know that it would be running as seamless as it has.”
Despite the unpredictability, each team has fared reasonably well this season. Girls soccer sports a 9-3-1 mark and is ranked 20th in Chicagoland Soccer’s Top 25 poll. Girls lacrosse is 6-2, and boys lacrosse is 3-4.
“I am looking forward to the second half of the season, knowing that we’ll have several conference showdowns awaiting us,” Zallis said.
“I expect big things for this team because we are still not playing to our potential,” Borja said.
“We’ve had some injuries impact our play,” Ganschow said, “but once everyone is healthy we will play at a higher level.”
Ebsen is confident that Oak Park Stadium will be ready for fall sports. She adds that once Project Two is completed next year, all of OPRF’s teams will be able to host competitions on-campus.
“I’m looking forward to having all our outdoor spaces back up and running, and I can’t wait until we have our new indoor spaces as well,” Ebsen said. “It will totally change athletic opportunities here at OPRF, and I am very excited for our athletes and coaches to have this top-notch experience.”
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