Fort Worth Country Day (FWCD) has completed construction on its $3.5 million track and turf fields improvement project, which marked one of the school’s most significant athletics improvement projects in its 59-year history.
The project involved excavating its field hockey field, its multi-sport field (Howard Family Field) at Rosacker Stadium, and its track (Barrett Havran Track), and superseding them with international-caliber surfaces and technologies rivaled by no other school in North Texas. Funded entirely by 21 FWCD donors, the upgrades impact all FWCD student-athletes, especially those who compete in field hockey, football, lacrosse, track and field, and soccer.
FWCD recently celebrated the project’s completion with a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony, which was attended by many of its 21 donor families, project team members, community, and city leaders, FWCD’s board of trustees, and Upper School athletes, students, faculty, and staff. Fort Worth-based Paragon Sports Constructors served as FWCD’s design/build project partner.
“Our current student-athletes are not the only ones who benefit from our new state-of-the-art athletic facilities,” said Eric Lombardi, FWCD’s head of school. “Athletes from all over Texas will come here to compete and benefit from our good fortune, and I am so proud that after 59 years, Fort Worth Country Day now has the ability to host international-caliber athletic events and competitions; all while showcasing our 104-acre campus. This project is truly transformational and one that will go down as a milestone in the great history of Fort Worth Country Day”
FWCD’s track and turf fields improvement project encompassed:
- Its field hockey field has transitioned into a “wet” hockey field — considered the gold standard in competitive field hockey and comparable to fields played on during World Cup Field Hockey matches. The water-based turf surface, manufactured by SporTurf™, uses a water cannon irrigation system allowing FWCD to “weather the field” before games and practices. The field is now completely flat with no crown whatsoever, enabling field hockey players to maximize speed and performance. FWCD is the first school in DFW and the third in the state of Texas to implement this field surface technology, providing a valuable site for the sport of field hockey in North Texas.
- FWCD’s field at Rosacker Stadium – now named the Howard Family Field — has transitioned into a PowerBlade fiber-based turf surface field, manufactured by Shaw Sports Turf. Constructed out of advanced monofilament fibers, it combines the softness and lush appearance of natural grass with the engineered performance of modern synthetic turf, preparing FWCD’s football and soccer athletes to compete on turf fields, which are becoming the standard in top-performing collegiate football and soccer programs. Underneath the PowerBlade synthetic turf system is a pad to reduce shock absorption, as well as a partial coconut-based Geofill infill system that cools the field’s temperature and makes it resistant to mold, mildew, and salts.
- FWCD’s Barrett Havran Track now features the most durable of paved-in-place systems, the PTS 4000 sandwich system, manufactured by Paragon Track Surfaces. The system has a paved-in-place base mat sealed with two-component polyurethane, resulting in a 100% impermeable surface. The system’s top layer consists of EPDM rubber granules broadcast into a hand-poured polyurethane layer, providing a spike-resistant stable system that maximizes performance for multiple purposes including high-level track meets, PE, and off-season workouts, while withstanding consistent year-round use. The track also incorporates a steeplechase pit, two in-field shot put sectors, and colored exchange zones for relays. FWCD’s “new” Havran Track enables it to serve as a venue for international-caliber track-and-field competitions and is rivaled by no other high school in North Texas.
