How long do you think it would take to convert a soccer pitch into a softball field?
If you answered ‘days’, you’re wrong. It took just six hours to turn Durham College’s Vaso’s Field into a softball diamond to host the recent Women’s National Championships.
To host the tournament, DC needed to have two fields of the same type, either artificial turk or dirt.
In Durham Region, Babcock Field is the only ball park with artificial turf. To keep the games closer to home, DC opted to create a second field so the entire tournament wouldn’t be moved to St. Clair College in Windsor which has more turf fields.
The college’s other option was to use Alexandra Park in Oshawa. Dwayne Christo, lead facility attendant at DC, said they chose not to go that route due it being a dirt field.
With varsity sports in full swing, the fields are booked and busy so DC’s athletic team coordinated in advanced to ensure other varsity sports teams would not need the field for the tournament weekend.
Although the Lord’s soccer teams played on Oct.7, right before the conversion, staff managed to convert the field in the matter of roughly six-hours.
The conversion took place early the next day prior to hosting the following day.
About 15 to 20 part-time and full-time staff helped to change the field, including Christo.
Humber College and Seneca College donated portable fences to help configure the field as best as possible.
During the last game of the night at Vaso’s Field on Saturday, there was a slight hiccup. The game ran longer than expected and staff had to turn on the lights. The lights, designed for a soccer field, led to a slight shadowing when the field was converted for softball.
During Sunday’s finals at Babcock Field, Christo said they had to take down the temporary field for other varsity sports games that were resuming the next day. They contemplated leaving it up with concerns over weather.
“If we were to host this again, I think we would probably do the same. We didn’t think it would run so smoothly and we’re glad it did,” said Christo.