Now in her fourth season as Oak Park and River Forest High School athletic director, Nicole Ebsen likes the position the program is in, thanks to the new on-campus fields that opened last year.
“The new track-and-field facility will allow our cross-country programs to do some work on campus,” she told Wednesday Journal. “It also creates an additional space for soccer, gives field hockey the opportunity to have three fields for their invite, allows girls flag football to have a home on campus and the marching band to have a lined field for practice. The Lake Street field will continue to be home to field hockey and lower-level soccer.”
According to Ebsen, both of the new turf fields were well-received by students and the community. It made a major difference in terms of scheduling as well as events being held despite conditions.
“It was definitely exciting to see how our resources were expanding opportunities for our athletes,” said Ebsen. “It was also great to know that weather earlier in the day wouldn’t dictate what happened after school.”
Indeed, with a couple of exceptions, baseball at the Lake Street field and softball at Ridgeland Common were able to get their home schedules in last year without interruption or postponements. More importantly, the new track facility likely played a significant role in helping the boys track-and-field team win the IHSA Class 3A state title in the spring as the Huskies were able to practice without traveling elsewhere.
“The huge highlight was boys track and field taking first at the state meet,” Ebsen said. “The way the community supported the program and celebrated their accomplishment was truly remarkable.”
Construction on OPRF’s Project 2, which will ultimately result in a new swimming pool, locker rooms, and gyms, started this summer. Ebsen said it will impact fans attending games and other athletic events on campus. She encourages fans to plan accordingly.
“Parking will be the biggest issue as Scoville is closed for parking,” Ebsen said. “We would encourage Huskie fans to carpool or walk if they live close to campus. The entrance for field house events will be door #10 on the [East Avenue pedestrian] mall.”
One other change impacts OPRF football fans. The previous two seasons, the majority of home varsity games started at 6 p.m. However, with the exception of the season opener with Fenwick (which takes place Saturday, Aug. 31 at 1:30 p.m.), varsity games return to a kickoff time of 7:30 p.m. on Fridays, with sophomore games beforehand at 5.
“We initially chose a single varsity game on Friday nights because of the officials’ shortage,” Ebsen said. “I don’t believe we saw the intended impact by making the change, so we went back to the old format this year.
“The goals for us remain the same: give our kids the best on-campus environment to be competitive and successful,” she said. “I believe the improvements we’ve seen and the impact of Project 2 will help us continue to achieve this annual goal.”