MONDAY,+OCTOBER+24,+2011

New field? Yuuuuuppp. The pavement’s been paved, the fake green grass has been laid, the black rubber turf has been sprinkled on, and the big NTCI letters have been placed on the touchdown zones. It truly is a sight. The field that was supposed to be completed by September was just finished a few weeks ago.

Some of the DP football guys have experienced the luxury of this amazing field, but as for those who have yet to see it, this is pretty much what it looks like (minus all the construction going on, because, well – construction’s over!)



Situated right next to the school, this 120 by 53 and 1/3 yard football field, with end-zones 10 yards deep, is a location dedicated to the students and student-athletes of North Toronto. Those gym classes that we originally had to trudge 10 minutes to //and// from Eglinton Park, we can now have in less than a 5-second distance from the school, leaving more time for the actual sport/activity itself. It’s not only saved time and energy for every single gym class, but also for the members of a variety of sports teams as well. So far, boys soccer, girls field hockey, and boys football are the sports that have started up that need use of the field. These athletes have had their fair share of practices, with boys soccer having scheduled ones once every 2 days or so, girls field hockey being offered both mornings and after school all 5 days of the week, and boys football training intensely with mandatory practices every day after school.

Not getting enough of it? Well, it’s also open at lunch time too. Though people enjoy going out to the several restaurants nearby for lunch, purchasing food from the cafeteria, or simply bringing their own and eating in the hallways, countless students have been spending their time on the field. Just like Deer Park - whether it’s lounging in the sun, or getting athletic with casual sports, it’s a great place to socialize.

Literally everyone was excited (and still is), from the Niners who are getting to be the firsts to experience the newness of it all, to the older grades who are breathing a sigh of relief that they finally have a field to be proud of. The Sr. Girls field hockey team were first to play an actual game on it, and took a great win against Leaside. There's really something about this new field that gives a boost of dedication, confidence, and pride. There's been spirit squads and marching bands practicing, so hopefully we'll be getting some more of that action during games as well.

Coming up in a few short days is NT’s Red and Grey Day – a tradition that has been ongoing in the school for years on end, where students as well as teachers become a crazily spirited bunch and are decked out in the school colours. There have even been some pretty interesting stories of people getting taped to chairs and lockers if they’re not wearing red and grey? Also as part of the tradition, every year, North Toronto faces another school in a football game on this day, but what makes it special and memorable this time around is the fact that it’s the first home football game NT has hosted in 60 years! And it’s all simply made possible by – you guessed it, the new field!