The Paradise Valley Unified School District has declared its freshly turfed high school fields out of bounds for lacrosse club teams, citing concerns over potential damage. According to azfamily.com, the district's recent decision comes off the back of an investment in turf fields across its high schools aimed at reducing wear and tear, which will now exclude the Pinnacle Boys Lacrosse club team from their usual stomping ground.
The ban departs from a history that has seen the Pinnacle High School’s football stadium serve as the home field for the lacrosse squad since the doors to the school first opened back in 2000.But now, the team finds themselves sidelined in favor of protecting the new investment, "We’re Pioneer Nation, right? We’re one nation. We just want to be treated like everybody else," Max Fleischman, Head Coach for Pinnacle Boys Lacrosse, conveyed his frustration in a statement obtained by azfamily.com, he added, “Like I said, we’re not asking for any special treatment, the field’s empty, it’s a public facility, and we should be able to use an empty field when nobody else is using it."
Despite these qualms, the district remains unwavering in its stance. "In PV Schools, fields are prioritized to support district recognized sports that are provided to our students," the district explained in a statement, a point delineated in azfamily.com. This policy has left lacrosse players, parents, and coaches questioning the equity of field access, given that club tackle football teams are still permitted use of the same facilities, and tax dollars from district residents have contributed equally to the turf regardless of what sport their children play.
The predicament has unearthed a prickly debate over community resources and their fair allocation; Steven Kaiser, a parent with one child on a club tackle team and another playing for Pinnacle Boys Lacrosse, made his stance clear in words captured by azfamily.com, asserting, “I think that’s completely irresponsible and wrong for the school, and it makes the student-athletes feel like second-class athletes, they should be able to use that field just like any other sport.” Coaches and players alike maintain that the warmth and camaraderie inherent in their sport’s community, encapsulated in the "One Nation" mantra, ought to be recognized and respected by the school institution that they support both in spirit, and through their tax dollars. Yet, the fiscally-focused decision appears to remain impervious to such an appeal to unity and inclusion.
As the story unfolds, the grass remains greener on the side of district-recognized sports at Pinnacle High School, leaving lacrosse teams to scope out alternative fields to park their sticks. For further information and reactions to this district decision, visit athleticbusiness.com.
