Athletic Field Upgrades Incoming

Westlake Academy and its athletic programs have begun gearing up for another incredible year of athletic excellence, and it’s playing fields will be getting some needed upgrades. Brand new permanent lighting will be lining the football field this season, which will also be leveled out, with enhancements coming to the natural grass, as well. This isn’t the only upgrade the fields will be seeing however, as the soccer field will have drainage issues addressed by leveling the playing surface, then having a state-of-the-art All-Weather turf installed. These incredible upgrades should be complete before the end of this academic year.

These upgrades were made with student-athlete safety in mind. Leveling the field and adding the turf and lighting will work to greatly reduce the risk of player injury, especially injuries to the lower body.

“This is a culmination of our Athletic Director, with a parent led group, that wanted to improve our athletic facilities” said Westlake Mayor Kim Greaves.

This round of Athletic enhancements follows what was essentially a complete renovation of the gym building last school year and throughout the summer. The Gym floor was resurfaced with the locker room facilities being re-imagined from the ground up. The spectator stands were completely replaced, as was the scoreboard. The restroom facilities were also torn down to the studs and rebuilt with massive improvements. A concession stand was added, and the entire gym was repainted to top it all off. 

All of these changes can be traced back to a concerted effort to get the Blacksmith community involved in its athletic programs. Parents are able to take part in coaching the teams, which you won’t see in many other places in the state, and certainly not at the ISD level. This gives our parents an inside look into what goes into running these programs, which only solidifies the connection it creates.

“It’s a win-win for our athletic program. We get great coaches and supporters, and parents get to be more involved in this part of their children’s lives” added Westlake Academy Athletic Director Gary Ponder, who is also grateful for the support the parents have given to the Athletic Department. “The original intent of these renovation efforts was to improve the safety of our student-athletes on the field, and it became much more with the generosity of our parents and community members getting involved.”

Westlake Academy is incredibly grateful for the amazing support its parents show day in and day out. We’re excited to see what this year holds for WA’s athletic programs on their newly upgraded fields! The Blacksmiths will be looking to add to their impressive 52 State Championships in the first 20 years of operation. Football, Cross Country, and Volleyball will start in August, with Soccer and Basketball getting started later this semester.