About the turf wars in Sandpoint

Bob Barlow remembers the days when he and his twin brother, Bill, back then both barely old enough to walk, would join their father as he tended to the new football field in Sandpoint.

“He treated that field with kid gloves,” Bob recalled.

That was some 70 years ago, when Carl S. “Cotton” Barlow help spearhead an effort to build a football field on a large patch of grass next to Lake Pend Oreille.

Seven decades later, that large patch of grass, known as War Memorial Field, and including a football field known for the last three decades as Barlow Stadium, is set to be replaced with artificial turf.

Wonder what “Cotton,” who coached football at Sandpoint High for some three decades over two stints, and who passed away in 1991, would have thought of that?

“I’m sure he would have been thrilled with the setup of the new stadium, and he would adapt to the change, and he would have thought it was best for the total program,” Bill Barlow said. “even though he was a traditionalist and would have missed the (natural) turf.”

“He was always stubborn,” Bob Barlow said. “He loved his Kentucky bluegrass. But I really think, based on the activity at the field now, he would probably favor it. I think he would approve of the multi-use of the field.

“He would do what was best for kids.”

The decision this past week to install artificial turf has certainly sparked debate — those who favor artificial turf vs. those who prefer natural grass, for one. And what about the Festival at Sandpoint, which has brought two weekends of music to that field each summer for nearly 40 years?

THE CONSENSUS, at least from a sporting perspective — Memorial Field is a beautiful location with a not-so-beautiful playing surface.

Football and baseball have been played at Memorial for decades.

In the early 1980s, when the soccer folks pushed for their sport to be played in that iconic setting, the old guard threatened that soccer would be played at Memorial Field “over my dead body.”

Perhaps that helps explain the uneven playing surface ...

Anyway, with the weather, combined with the impact of the Festival on the field, only so many games could be played there before the field would be torn up. Late-season football games, following an autumn of rain, were often played in mud bogs. Some under-level football games, and some soccer games, had to be played on fields elsewhere in town, to save on wear and tear at Memorial.

With turf at Memorial, proponents say, more football, baseball and soccer games can be played there. Also, there’s plans to add a softball field there.

And an artificial turf field could help Sandpoint land a state high school soccer tournament. In the Boise area, the bigger-school tournaments are played on artificial turf — if not the entire tournament, at least the championship games.

That would be the same in Sandpoint, where a couple of other (grass) fields would also be needed. But several games, including the title games, could be played on the artificial turf at Memorial.

Sandpoint High athletic director Kris Knowles said he would “absolutely” want to host the 4A tournament, as Sandpoint is a 4A school with a rich soccer tradition. But if the Idaho High School Activities Association frowned upon teams playing state soccer tournaments on their home fields — as they do in volleyball, among other sports — Knowles said he would welcome a 3A or 5A tourney as well.

“It is a real opportunity for us to host something that would be huge for our community,” Knowles said. “If we did, the crowds would be amazing with all the soccer interest here. We would put on a heck of a show. I know the businesses in town would appreciate the extra economic boost.”

BILL AND BOB Barlow played for Cotton at Sandpoint High as sophomores, then played for him at Coeur d’Alene High as juniors and seniors when he coached the Vikings. They graduated in 1964.

Bill Barlow was Sandpoint High’s coach for two stints — in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

“As the season went on, it became difficult to game plan” because of the field conditions, Bill said. “We used to have to concentrate on the good parts of our fields with our play calls.”

Turf has changed since the days when Cotton coached as well. Advances in turf, including the sprinkling in of ground-up tires, have made the playing surface much softer.

“When I played at Idaho in the ’60s, we played in the Houston Astrodome and it was like a gym floor,” Bob recalled. “It was horrible.”

“He (Cotton) was always worried about kids’ knees,” Bob added. “He was never really excited about the turf they had in those days, but they’ve made some tremendous improvements.”

In the Boise area, several high school football teams play on artificial turf.

Michael Lycklama, who covers high school sports for The Idaho Statesman newspaper in Boise, noted that artificial turf at Memorial is “probably necessary with all the water it gets.”

But he also cautioned, “It comes with far more headaches and maintenance than people realize.”

Here’s hoping the good folks of Sandpoint can figure out a way to make it work for everyone.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.