During Aiden Clements’ first three years as a Jim Thorpe soccer player, his team played only a handful of games in the school’s stadium. For years, poor field conditions have severely limited the stadium’s use.

But this fall, both the boys and girls soccer teams will get their time in the spotlight, thanks to a new turf field.

“It seems like we can play really well in this stadium, so I have high hopes,” said Clements, a senior captain. “It is by far one of the nicest stadiums I’ve ever played in.”

On Wednesday, Clements joined seniors from Jim Thorpe’s fall sports teams to help cut the ribbon on the new artificial turf field and renovated all weather track at the school stadium.

The projects, which cost about $2.7 million combined, replaced the grass field, deteriorating all-weather track, and the lights in the stadium.

The project was approved in February 2020, less than a month before the COVID-19 shutdown. While the pandemic delayed the beginning of construction, the actual field project was completed in 62 days, in time for the final games of the fall season.

Jim Thorpe High School Principal Tom Lesisko said that the history of the project actually dates back 20 years, to the construction of the original grass field. He recalled how teams could never practice on the field and it was always a tough call for the athletic department to decide whether to postpone games.

“During those times, our athletes, band members and cheer teams experienced mud up to their knees, rocks in their shins and dust bowl conditions,” he said.

Superintendent John Rushefski, who arrived in 2019, said he quickly learned about the importance of the field. He said he admired the teams who had to play in muddy conditions, and those who had to find fields elsewhere.

“What I learned from these stories was that Jim Thorpe athletes and fans are a tough, gritty group that can handle adversity, and they found ways to overcome,” he said.

Rushefski recalled how shortly after the project was approved, students and community members chose the green field ringed with blue and red turf in a poll which gave the option for a red field as well.

“My wife said you better not pick out the color of the turf field. I wouldn’t trust you to pick out the paint color in our bedroom,” Rushefski recalled.

School Board President Scott Pompa said that the stadium project will help promote the district’s commitment to educational excellence and raising students to be responsible citizens.

“Sports are essential in high school to promote educational experiences and life lesson developments.”

He credited board Vice President TJ Garritano for helping to plan the project and securing corporate sponsorship. Lehigh Valley Health Network paid for a portion of the work, and has agreed to donate in-kind athletic training and medical services to the district.

Garritano said he wanted to do something about the school’s notoriously bad football field even before he joined the board in 2019.

He would hear stories from soccer parents who couldn’t watch their children play daytime games because the stadium, which has lights, was unavailable due to muddy conditions. He recalled football championships lost because of bad bounces on the muddy surface.

“We have a top-notch facility and I’m excited to move forward,” he said.