In Support Of Artificial Turf For Glasgow

Dear Editor,

Hi All. It's Kyler Hallock, a recent 2022 graduate of Glasgow High School. I wanted to take this time to say a few things about the Scottie Field "Recharged" Project and upcoming School Bond.

As a former student-athlete at GHS, I participated in football and wrestling for all four years, and for me, being involved in sports was a huge part of my life! My experience as a football player; has led me to voice my support of artificial turf for the Glasgow School District.

Throughout my four years as a high school student, I always had one or two nagging injuries that would only come back during football season. These injuries definitely hindered my physical ability and affected my mental well-being. All four years of high school I had severe shin splints associated with our practice and game field surfaces at Glasgow High School. Anyone that has had to deal with shin splints or a severe case of them; knows that they are not fun.

Throughout high school, I was constantly going in for physical therapy to get them dry needled, using our Game-Ready ice machine that the school provides for athletes, and many other ways to try and get rid of them or make them better.

After my senior year, I committed to continue my academic and athletic career at Dickinson State University in North Dakota. In the back of my mind; I was scared that my shin splints would return and it would be a career ending physical impairment for me. Once I realized that DSU had a synthetic surface, I thought to myself, "maybe my shin splints will go away?" During my redshirt year I never got shin splints a single time! Now in my second full season as a player for the Blue Hawks I am happy to report that I am injury-free and have officially beat shin splints. It is important to note that our college team does not practice or compete on any natural grass. We practice every single day on our Turf game field and we play all of our home games on the same turf. Additionally, every single away game on our schedule is also played on artificial surfaces.

Shin splints were not my only constant-ailment as a high school player, as I also dealt with tight hamstrings and pain associated with my hamstrings. I can confidently say my hamstrings are no longer an issue either and I can only attribute it to the safe and consistent surface that I get to practice and play on every single day. Hamstrings and shin splints are only MY story. They are not the only thing that ails football players, but they were my biggest ones during my time as a Scottie. I just wanted to share my personal thoughts and experiences with a synthetic turf football field and why I think it's the right move for my hometown.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Kyler Hallock

Glasgow High School 22'