The school’s outdoor sports teams are forced to travel to reach their home fields, with all of them using off-campus facilities.
The soccer teams use Shoreline Center Park, which takes 20-25 minutes to get to, using practice time.
“I definitely feel like we’re missing out because of the commute,” Junior goalkeeper Auggie Reed said. “We only have so much time.”
Gx ultimate also uses Shoreline Park and experiences similar issues.
“It does rather feel like we miss time, but I would much rather practice there than Dahl,” Ninth-grade cutter Julia Cutting said.
However, according to Cutting, the increased commute times make it harder for fans to show up for games, causing attendance to drop.
“I would definitely sacrifice playing on Dahl so we could get more fans,” Cutting said.
UPrep’s baseball team struggles with issues mostly related to practice timing, as they play and practice at Shorecrest High School. Shorecrest practices from 3:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. forcing the Pumas to wait to take the field until 6:30 p.m. and concluding practice at 8:30 p.m.
“We played one game on Dahl my sophomore year, and it was great because practically the whole school showed up,” Senior utility infielder/pitcher Hawthorne Moody said.
However, the poor conditions quickly turned unfriendly for the Pumas.
“There are no fences, and rocks and divots everywhere. It makes fielding a nightmare, and it feels like an injury waiting to happen,” Moody said.
Athletic Director Rebecca Moe understands the need for fan support, but offers a counterpoint.
“I understand that we need fans, and Dahl would work better for that because it’s closer, but Dahl can’t provide the level of facilities we need for our varsity teams to be successful,” Moe said. “I’d much rather use our current facilities.”
For many teams, the commute issues could be solved by turning Dahl Field, which mostly hosts middle school athletics, into turf. However, due to it being a public park and not designated for athletics, this is unfeasible. The field is a former peat bog according to Seattle.gov, (characterized by a wetland environment with spongy soil, watery vegetation, and poor traction, according to National Geographic) and turns to mush every time it rains.
While they have plenty of space on Dahl, the Pumas’ track team also uses off-campus facilities. The only actual tracks they are allowed to use are in Ballard and Roosevelt. However, the bus ride is 5 minutes to Roosevelt, where they practice on most days, and there are no complaints about the commute.
UPrep’s facilities are very different compared to other schools in the region like SAAS.
“I do occasionally get jealous of these big schools that have all the fancy stuff, but I know that these big, fancy facilities can cause a lot of problems for their athletic director, and I’m glad I don’t have to deal with that.”
