Protecting Our Youth Means Protecting Youth Fields

To the editor: I spent six years as the girls' varsity lacrosse coach at Nantucket High School, and before that, I helped grow Nantucket Youth Lacrosse. Watching that program grow and seeing the joy, confidence, and community it has brought to island families has been one of the greatest honors of my life.

The Board of Health may not realize that by attempting to mitigate hypothetical health risks through restricting turf fields, they are in fact increasing very real mental health risks for island youth. Sports provide far more than physical activity. They help young people stay focused, mentally strong, engaged, and connected to teammates working toward a shared goal. I know this firsthand not only as a coach, but as a parent. My daughter Bailey earned a Division I lacrosse scholarship to Vanderbilt, and through her journey, we have trained with and learned from athletes from across the country.

Many of those collegiate players return to Nantucket every summer and call Nobadeer home. That field is not just turf- it is a safe, even, reliable playing surface where athletes from programs such as Harvard, Princeton, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, Duke, UVA, Middlebury, Dartmouth, and UVM train side by side. I often describe Nobadeer as a magical place, because on any given day, you’ll see athletes from every background working hard, supporting one another, and lifting up the next generation.

It is also a space that could host events our island urgently needs. One of my dreams is to organize a Morgan’s Message game here, to honor the life of Duke lacrosse player Morgan Rodgers, who took her own life, and to shine a light on mental health struggles faced by student-athletes everywhere. Morgan’s Message works to eliminate stigma and ensure that mental and emotional well-being are treated with the same seriousness as physical injuries. Every season, every single college women’s lacrosse team in the country dedicates a game to her. Nantucket could be part of that movement for a collegiate summer game, if Nobadeer remains open.

Closing or banning turf fields would shut the door on opportunities like these, opportunities for connection, empathy, healing, and support for the many young people on this island silently battling anxiety, pressure, and depression.

On a practical level, elite athletes will not risk playing on uneven grass fields with ruts, divots, and potholes. There is simply no way to maintain grass fields at a safe and consistent level under the thousands of hours of play they see here on Nantucket, and we do not have the budget, staffing, or ideal weather needed to keep them pristine. If we had the resources to manicure grass like Division I or professional programs do, athletes might choose it. But we don’t, and that reality must factor into the decision. The injury risk is too high, and ACLs and ankles don’t get second chances. Even at the high school level, most away games are on turf, and all state tournament games are on turf. And opposing teams consistently tell us they do not want to play at Capizzo Stadium due to unsafe grass conditions. Before the first whistle even blows, our kids are already disadvantaged and embarrassed. That takes a toll on confidence and mental health as well.

It is discouraging to see turf singled out as a health threat when Weston and Sampson identified the updated technology in turf as “non-detect,” and when countless everyday consumer products contain vastly higher PFAS concentrations. Meanwhile, the grass field requires fertilizer, heavy watering, and remains unplayable for large portions of the year, and no one seems alarmed by those impacts.

The School Committee, the elected body tasked with this decision, did its due diligence. It hired a third-party independent firm to evaluate modern turf systems and was prepared to move forward based on science and expert analysis. A Board of Health ban would not protect children; it would harm them. It would take away spaces that build resilience, community, and mental well-being. It would deny opportunities, chase away role models, and leave island athletes at a competitive and emotional disadvantage.

Our students deserve better. Instead of erecting barriers, we should be championing safe, modern facilities that reflect how deeply this community cares about its youth.

Sincerely,
Jami Lower
Nantucket