Smith’s goal of becoming a carbon neutral campus by 2030 is largely realized through the Geothermal Energy Project. The project seeks to cut 90 percent of the college’s carbon emissions. With a projected completion year of 2028, the campus has been under construction throughout the school year.
Revamping of the “Central District” has closed the athletic fields, as the site is currently being used as a wellfield for the drilling of two drill rigs. The athletic fields affected consist of the soccer field and throwing and jumping spaces for the Track and Field team. A comment from the Geothermal Energy Project shared that construction on these fields will take place from Nov. 12, 2024 to May 15, 2026.
Central District #B Distribution Phasing Logistics Plan that includes construction at both the soccer field and Indoor Track and Tennis parking lot. (Photo courtesy of Smith Geothermal Project)
This has the largest impact on the soccer team, who will be unable to compete on their natural grass field.
Construction began right after the end of the team’s 2024 season, and the team will not be able to have access to the field for the next two seasons since the construction isn’t scheduled to finish until 2026.
Although the project will change the soccer team’s competition site, Smith’s Director of Athletics and Recreation Kristin Hughes stated that this is a small price to pay to not only better the environment, but better align athletics with Smith’s long term sustainability goals.
“A lot of sites were evaluated and this is the one that made the most sense […] Once we realized it was the most ideal site for Smith, then it’s easy to get behind the decision,” said Hughes. “Both people from Smith, but also from the geothermal side have been really good about communicating things with [athletics] and supporting what we’re trying to do in terms of making sure that we’re disrupting these teams as little as possible.”
Geothermal energy is generally accepted by administrators, faculty, staff and students as it aligns closely with Smith’s values (listed on their website) to “create global citizens, committed to participating in the communities in which they live and to stewarding the resources that sustain them.”
Logistical challenges beyond the Athletic Department’s soccer field, track and field, and parking near the Indoor Track and Tennis (ITT) facility have forced students to adapt to these frustrating changes when trying to move around campus. Past closures of Chapin Drive and College Lane have made it more difficult for busy students to get to and from practice and class.
Even though the day-to-day routes of students have changed, Hughes has worked diligently to honor the time of the student-athletes who are also affected by the field relocation.
“At the end of the day, staying on campus became really important to us so that we’re not adding travel time to an athlete’s day that’s already really packed. We didn’t want to have that kind of an impact on them academically,” said Hughes. “So being able to use the field inside of the track I think will be a good solution.” The field inside the track is less optimal for the team compared to their previous location because it was built for track events and conditioning workouts, and doesn’t have the smooth surface for playing soccer. Smith Track, Rugby and LunaDisc have shared the space in the past, but varsity soccer will now be prioritized over club sports in the distribution of this specific playing space.
While the soccer team will still be competing on home soil, teams that used the field inside of the track will be relocated. Empty field space on Village Hill Northampton (Hospital Hill) will become adequately equipped for club teams and field events to use as construction of the project persists.
When the disruptions to the athletic fields conclude, updates to the space will provide Smith student-athletes and club members with significantly newer resources to practice and compete on. The interior field enclosed by the track will become a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) regulated field, and updated space for field events and club sports will continue to remain on Hospital Hill after construction, doubling the original space that was allocated for these teams.
Soccer student-athletes, particularly rising upperclassmen who utilized the field space that is currently under construction, see this change as an advancement for college-wide sustainability efforts. At the same time, they acknowledge the fact that they might never play on the original soccer field for their final competitive season.
Certain student-athletes like varsity soccer player Abby Dickson ’27 worry about the change in the environment and how that could affect the interactions between players and spectators as the new field could lack a “stadium-like” feel.
The field that the team has competed on during past seasons has a grass space that lies at an angle, which is an optimal angle so spectators can watch the game without any obstructions.
“It definitely sucks because one thing I love about that field is how it’s like a bowl so people who are watching the game can sit up on the hill and it creates a really good atmosphere,” Dickson said. “I’ve seen a lot of fields and being able to play on my home field is the best feeling ever […] I want to play on grass, as long as it’s Smith’s grass because it’s just so good.”
The sacrifices athletics is making to reach the carbon neutrality goals set in place are necessary to progress forward as a college known for its commitment to sustainability. Smith College is the first in the Northeast region and one of the first schools across the nation to pursue a Geothermal Energy Project.
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