McPherson's new digs

By Bob Davidson   Salina Journal

TOM DORSEY / Salina Journal New synthetic Sprinturf now covers McPherson Stadium. McPherson College and the McPherson school district joined forces on a $3.9 million athletics facilities renovation project on the stadium and Sports Center, which houses the basketball gymnasium and athletic department offices.

McPHERSON -- Dallas Blacklock had a name for the old playing surface at McPherson Stadium.

"We called it Astro Dirt," said Blacklock, a fifth-year senior defensive back on the McPherson College football team. "It was just a big dirt spot. It was horrible. It was like you were running on bricks."

The brickyard days at McPherson Stadium are gone, if not forgotten. A new synthetic grass surface -- Sprinturf -- has been installed and will be used by the college's football and soccer teams. McPherson High School will use the facility for the same activities.

"It's great, but it's going to take time to get used to because we've been playing on grass and dirt for so long," Blacklock said.

He isn't alone. Every athlete at McPherson College is adaptting to something new or improved, thanks to a $3.9 million athletics facilities expansion and enhancement project that is all but complete.

The final product is jaw dropping.

Along with the new playing surface, McPherson Stadium received:

·  A new ATG, rubber-based track that circles the football field. New high jump and pole vault areas were built along with new triple and long jump runways.

·  New elevated aluminum visitors bleaches on the east side that allow fans to view action over the team standing on the sidelines.

·  A new pressbox that is almost three times larger than the old one.

·  New visitors dressing rooms, men's and women's restrooms and concession stand.

·  New sound system.

The stadium improvements consumed $1.9 million. The remaining $2 million was spent on renovations and additions to the 20-year-old Sports Center, which houses the school's basketball gymnasium and athletic department offices.

Those improvements include:

·  New 700-foot state-of-the-art training room with direct outside access to the stadium.

·  New home team dressing room that will accommodate 100 players and has direct outside access to the stadium.

·  New 2,088-foot weight room with 35 stations looking out on the stadium through two large rectangular picture windows.

·  New maplewood floors on the main gymnasium and practice gym.

·  New ceiling suspended center-court volleyball net in the main gym.

·  New sound and lighting systems in the main gym.

·  Eight new offices for coaches.

·  Additional restrooms and a new concession stand that's accessible to both the stadium and main gym.

·  New fitness center, 50-seat classroom and conference/seminar room.

Additionally, another $500,000 was spent on dormitory improvements.

Wilson & Company of Salina were architects for the project. Hutton Construction (Sports Center) and Walker Construction (stadium) were the general contractors.

Money for the project came primarily from bonds. The McPherson school district (USD 418) contributed $900,000.

"What we've done is make the complete package here at the college," longtime McPherson basketball coach Roger Trimmell said. "When you bring somebody on campus it shows we're serious about having good programs.

"Even if a person isn't involved in athletes it's fun to go to a first-class facility, watch good teams and watch them win. We can all take pride in that."

The first benefit is in recruiting athletes to come to McPherson.

Kendra Stephenson, a freshman volleyball player from Salina who is playing for her mother, Nathalea, at McPherson, said the new facilities helped convince her to attend the school.

"There were a lot of reasons I came to McPherson and the facilities were one of them," she said. "It's amazing to play in them and have them on our campus. It was the first thing I looked at when I came here (for a recruiting visit)."

Her roommate, Salina freshman Sarah Vermillion, agreed.

"Coach (Stephenson), the girls and the facilities are the reasons I came here," she said.

Football coach Dave Cunningham, who enters his second season as head coach, said the recruiting dividends haven't yet been realized.

"Kids are visual, they want to see it. You can show them blueprints and talk about what's going to happen, but I think this is the year it will really help because they actually see the facilities," he said.

Trimmell is understandably proud of the new basketball floors, which are suspended above the old floors. The small space between them allows the new floors to give.

"There's a little gap of air in there that makes it a little more springy," Trimmell said.

"I feel like I'm jumping higher," Kendra Stephenson said.

The football stadium will be christened Friday, when McPherson High entertains Hutchinson in its football season opener. McPherson College plays its first game in on the turfSaturday against Haskell Indian Nation.

The college volleyball teams got first dibs on the floor in its season opener Wednesday night against Haskell.

The improvements have had a profound impact on those who have been at the school for a while.

"It's neat to to hear the older players and the coaches who played here who say they never thought they'd see the day when we'd have facilities like this," Cunningham said. "It's neat to listen to the guys who have been through the times when we didn't have these resources and see the wonder and almost disbelief they have."

"There's a bounce in the (athletes') step and you can see it," Trimmell said. "I've even had some guys come back early. They want to get in the gym, shoot around and see what's going on."

Blacklock agrees, if not for other reasons.

"Nobody used the showers in previous years," he said. "The guys may use them now."

Nathalea Stephenson takes her praise it a step farther.

"I think we have the premier facility in the (Kansas Conference) as far as weight room, training room and our gym," she said.

Trimmell did express one concern with the training room.

"I kid our trainer (Amanda Wolf) that I think they made that too nice," he said with a smile. "I'm afraid all the athletes are going to find injuries and want to hang out in there.

"We need to put a few cockroaches in there to run 'em out."