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Athletic fields give Eagles new home field advantage

NEW ULM – A considerable portion of New Ulm Public Schools’ $46.9 million renovation project went toward new athletic facilities to upgrade the outdated old ones and provide a few new ones as well.

The project gave New Ulm High School a new multi-purpose gymnasium as well as a brand-new football field, tennis courts and baseball and softball fields. This will be the first time the New Ulm varsity football, baseball and softball teams will not play at city-owned-and-operated facilities.

This fall, however, the football field was not quite ready for the first part of New Ulm’s home football season. It plans to christen the field with Homecoming.

“With anything, the field wasn’t a priority up front,” New Ulm activities director Troy Guentzel said. “Our first and foremost priority was getting the building ready for students to arrive so the learning could take place. But now it’s really important to us that we’ve got a game on it and what better time than to have Homecoming on it?”

New Ulm will play its first-ever game on the field for its Homecoming game this Friday against Belle Plaine. It also hosts Waseca on Friday, Oct. 7.

One complaint that keeps coming up is the fact that the home bleachers are on the west side, which is opposite of the school and the parking lot. However, because the home bleachers are facing east, spectators will not have the sun directly in their eyes during evening games.

“One idea that I’m trying to do is purchase a couple golf carts to assist anyone elderly or otherwise unable to do the walk to assist people that way,” Guentzel said. “It’s going to be gorgeous and once people get up in those stands during games, I think any mindsets will change on that.”

The new tennis courts and gymnasium have been in use for varsity events since the new high school’s opening on Sept. 12.

Two facilities that will not be used in the near future are the baseball and softball fields, which have yet to break significant ground aside from the erection of the dugouts, bleachers and scoreboards.

Guentzel said these fields will not be in use until the spring 2018 season due to the inopportune time available for construction to complete for this upcoming spring.

However, that does not mean that New Ulm varsity athletics will never play at Johnson, Mueller or Harman Parks again.

“When we get to that point, we’ll cross that bridge,” Guentzel said. “Right now the plan is that yes, we will have games up here, but I’ve left it open to our coaches the possibility of playing a few games at those facilities is still an option.”

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