Mark T. Sheehan’s field hockey team plays on the Class of ’76 turf field.
Passing by Choate’s turf fields, students will not only see athletes in blue and gold, but ones in burgundy and gold as well. Those are the school colors of Mark T. Sheehan High School, whose athletic teams are practicing and competing on Choate’s turf fields until late October.
Mark T. Sheehan High School, a Wallingford public school, is undergoing renovations to their 17-year-old turf fields. Unfortunately, their remodeling coincided with disturbances in the turf manufacturing industry, which delayed the construction of their new turf and left their sports teams without a field.
In response to their need for playing grounds for the soccer, football, and field hockey teams, Sheehan High School’s Athletic Director, Mr. Gary Gravina, sought out local schools with available turfs.
Both Choate and Lyman Hall High School agreed to lend Sheehan High School their fields temporarily. While construction continues, most of Sheehan High School’s field hockey and soccer games will be hosted at Choate, while football games will take place at Lyman Hall.
According to Mr. Gravina, this arrangement was an adjustment for Sheehan High School’s students, particularly seniors, as their home games have deviated from what they are accustomed to.
“The senior class didn’t get a proper freshman year, and, because of Covid-19, a lot of them didn’t have a freshman sport. Now, they’re not really getting senior home games, so it’s tough on them,” Mr. Gravina said.
With field renovations expecting to be completed by late October, Sheehan’s teams will be using Choate’s fields until late October.
Because Sheehan High School isn’t the only outside organization Choate rents its turf fields to, flexibility has been cruciable to making the schedule work.
Choate’s Chief Communications Officer Ms. Alison Cady said, “Sheehan High School is using the turf either once teams are finished practicing, after hours, or at odd times.”
Additionally, the local youth sports organizations who play on Choate’s turfs have also adjusted their scheduling to make time for Sheehan’s teams to practice.
Sheehan High School expressed its gratitude towards Choate for allowing them to utilize their turf fields: “It’s a big sacrifice on Choate’s part and on the student athletes at Choate having to share their fields with other people. We’re just extremely grateful.”
However, the greater influx of people coming to Choate’s campus for Sheehan High School’s games has raised minor issues with parking. “People might take up a lot of the parking that would normally be used by people on campus,” said Mr. Gravina.
In response to this problem, Ms. Cady said, “We always need to consider how all the events fit together to mitigate traffic, parking, and other resource pinch points. And, because of the busy nature of our campus, we often need to say ‘no’ to requests.”
