Dear Editor:
This is an open letter to Mayor Roberts:
This letter is with regard to the April 3rd article concerning the Hoboken Little League field and the artificial turf installation project. Normally, I read the newspaper and nothing really compels me enough to write a letter to the editor. However, this article was extremely disheartening and disappointing to read. As a child I played on that field for countless softball games. As an adult I have also played on the same field for the women’s softball league. Not to mention the thousands of hours I spent watching baseball games there in my lifetime (both as a spectator and an employee of the Recreation Dept.). I do not think putting artificial turf on a field geared towards children is a good idea, for numerous reasons.
First, the scientific data on grass v. turf related injuries is inconclusive. Did the city even look into any of that data before making this decision? There have been many studies done both pro and con on artificial surfaces. However, I could not find one study in my search regarding children. We have known here in Hoboken for years that grass, as far as safety, works just fine. I have never heard a story or seen an article complaining about that ‘damn grass’ causing someone’s child an injury. Turf, on the other hand, is a dirty word to a lot of people. What if we spend the $600,000 and find more kids getting hurt and missing games because of injuries?
Next, it stated in the article that the same company is being used that installed Hoboken High School’s turf surface. It was not made clear in the article exactly what kind of turf is being laid down. Is it the new, safer, ‘soft’ turf surfaces that look and feels like grass, or is it the completely unrealistic surface used at the high school? As a former HHS softball player, I can tell you that going from practicing on turf every day, to a game on natural grass at an away stadium, is an extremely difficult adjustment. If we teach 9-12 year olds that the ball will not bounce, and the ball will keep rolling, and the ball will or won’t do this or that, how on earth are they going to adjust when they leave their artificial home to play elsewhere? Sounds like it is going to make things more difficult for kids in not only baseball/softball but all sports played on the field.
Lastly, as an avid baseball fan, it almost seems sacrilegious for kids to learn how to play baseball on an artificial surface. The grass stains and mosquito bites in the outfield are supposed to happen, not turf burns.
I do understand the need for turf because of overuse and city employees working more hours. This idea saves money for Hoboken, which in the end is all that matters to City Hall sometimes. I simple wanted to bring up some other issues to ensure the safety of the city’s children for years to come.
Natalie DiTerlizzi