To the editor: As a member of this island community and a supporter of Nantucket’s young people, I want to speak from both the heart and the facts about our proposed synthetic turf field.

Much of the recent conversation has focused on fear — fear of PFAS, fear of microplastics, and fear of change. Those concerns deserve to be heard and addressed. But they also deserve to be balanced by current science and an understanding of what this project truly means for our kids, our schools, and the fabric of our island community – not backdoor lobbying and fear mongering.

What the Science Shows: Earlier generations of turf fields did contain PFAS additives used to strengthen plastic fibers. However, today’s technology has changed dramatically. In March 2025, FieldTurf released independent testing results showing no detectable PFAS in new turf products using natural infills such as cork and sand — verified through EPA’s most advanced testing protocol FieldTurf, 2025. Similarly, AstroTurf announced in 2023 that all U.S. fields are now manufactured without intentionally added PFAS AstroTurf, 2023. These shifts show an industry moving toward safer, more sustainable materials.

Yes, we must remain vigilant and ensure ongoing testing. But painting all synthetic fields as environmental hazards ignores this progress and prevents honest discussion of what our students truly need.

What Our Students Need: Over 70% of Nantucket High School students participate in athletics — nearly twice the national average. That’s not just a statistic; it’s a lifeline. Organized sports are linked to lower rates of substance use and improved mental health among teens, particularly in small or geographically isolated communities like ours CDC Youth Risk Behavior Data, 2023.

Our island faces one of the lowest ages of initiation for drugs and alcohol in the country. The more opportunities we provide for safe, structured, year-round activity, the better our chances of keeping kids engaged, connected, and healthy.

A turf complex does more than withstand weather. It gives teams consistent practice time, reduces cancellations, and allows for shared spaces that promote inclusion and camaraderie. When athletes feel pride in their facilities, it spills over into school culture: better attendance, improved grades, and fewer students feeling the need to leave the island for boarding schools to pursue athletics.

The evolution of artificial turf technology has led to products that offer enhanced safety, playability, and durability, addressing many historical concerns associated with earlier generations Gosnell et al., 2022; Russo et al., 2022. These advancements include improvements in infill materials and shock pad designs, which collectively contribute to reduced impact forces and improved biomechanical responses during athletic activities Gosnell et al., 2022. This allows for more consistent playing surfaces, reducing the risk of injuries compared to natural grass fields that can degrade over time due to weather and overuse. Furthermore, artificial turf fields have demonstrated the potential to significantly increase participation opportunities in sports by providing reliable playing surfaces year-round, which is particularly beneficial in regions with challenging climates or high facility demand May & Parnell, 2018. This expanded access to sports facilities can lead to numerous positive outcomes, including improved physical health, enhanced mental well-being, and greater social cohesion within communities Logan et al., 2023. The increased usage of these surfaces can also lead to economic benefits through enhanced revenue generation from rentals and event hosting, while simultaneously reducing maintenance costs associated with natural grass fields Barnes & Watkins, 2022; May & Parnell, 2018. Beyond these tangible benefits, participation in high school athletics has been linked to improved academic performance, increased accountability, and enhanced communication skills, translating directly from the field to classroom success Selber & Selber, 2021. These comprehensive benefits underscore the strategic value of investing in high-quality athletic infrastructure to foster holistic student development and community engagement Popek, 2024. Specifically, the overall injury rates on modern artificial turf are often comparable to, and in some cases lower than, those on natural grass, particularly as design and maintenance protocols have become more standardized Gosnell et al., 2022; Jastifer et al., 2018. For instance, third-generation artificial turf has significantly improved shock absorption and player-surface interaction characteristics, addressing concerns such as injury occurrence, physiological fatigue, and biomechanics during activities like cutting, turning, and kicking Strutzenberger et al., 2020.

A Healthier Island Spirit: Athletics are community-building. Friday night lights, youth clinics, and shared victories bring us together in a way few things can. They give our young people — and all of us — something to rally around. That unity matters on Nantucket, especially at a time when our community often feels divided.

This project isn’t just about turf. It’s about belonging, opportunity, and hope. By investing in a modern, responsibly designed athletic complex, we are choosing to believe that our island’s future will be stronger when our youth are supported, active, and proud to call Nantucket home.

Sincerely,

J. Brent Tartamella

DICKINSON — Hockey in Dickinson is continuing to grow and evolve since it was established back in 1985. The sport expanded four years later with Dickinson High getting a boys and girls team. Over the past 11 years, enrollment in youth and high school programs has tripled — increasing from about 200 participants to nearly 600.

“As Dickinson has grown with the oil boom, it’s created another opportunity for kids. One thing that I think we do really well at hockey that other sports can’t compete in is we’re able to get them in the door at 3, 4, 5-years-old,” Dickinson hockey coordinator Dallas Kuntz said. “You never know if they’re going to be stellar athletes, but I feel we’re getting more of those athletes coming out and playing hockey because we’re able to target that age range to get them hooked on the game.”

The Dickinson Hockey Club, known as the Dickinson Outlaws, expanded further heading into the 2025-26 season. They added an additional bantam B team, for kids aged 13-14, to go along with its four peewee teams and five squirt teams.

Jacob Cheris / The Dickinson Press

“I think hockey, more than any other sport or activity, teaches life lessons. It’s a sport very similar to golf in the aspect that till the day you quit playing, you will not attain perfection — skating, puck skills, all that kind of stuff,” Kuntz said. “It’s a sport that you’re not going to get better at unless you truly dedicate yourself to it. I also think that it’s the best team sport.”

One program that continues to grow exponentially is the girls hockey clubs. Dickinson now fields separate 10U and 12U teams instead of one group composed of players aged 9-14.

Most players that go through these youth programs at an early age tend to have more success when they arrive at the high school level. Meanwhile, there have been a small number of individuals who are still playing hockey past high school. While the pipeline is small, Kuntz expects that pipeline to grow.

“We have a lot of kids in our youth program that we’re gonna be seeing in the next year or two. I’m really excited to see what our high school programs are gonna look like and that’s a credit to the kids that are coming up,” Kuntz said. “We have more kids today that are on the ice 12 months a year, or they’re putting the work in away from the rink. We started our summer program here three to four years ago. We got over 200 kids that are on the ice in the summer, Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.”

Jacob Cheris / The Dickinson Press

Two of the most notable figures that are still playing are Michael McChesney, who is in his third season in the Southern Professional Hockey League with the Peoria Rivermen, and Sierra Raatz, who is in her third season of ACHA club hockey at Adrian College.

One of the foundations of the success of the Dickinson Hockey club is its Learn to Play program. This is the grassroots of young players in the area to get their feet wet and hold a stick and shoot a puck for the first time. The high school players also hop out on the ice to provide instruction and guidance.

“It’s giving those kids that introductory balance. We just want these kids buzzing around on the ice. We can teach them proper knee band, proper stride, but we just want the balance and we want them to be super aggressive,” Kuntz said. “The best hockey players that I’ve seen come through are the ones that, when you put them on the ice and they don’t know how to skate, they literally run three feet and then just wipe out.”

Jacob Cheris / The Dickinson Press

The community support is what drives the programs to build for the future. A big goal for the club is to build a third sheet of ice so more kids can have more access and reduce competition for ice time. That has been one of the biggest challenges that the Dickinson hockey community has had to face for the past few years.

“I know a lot of people don’t think it’s a top priority for us but the hockey community here in Dickinson is very strong and very big. More ice time is going to be big for us,” Kuntz said. “We want kids to keep coming out and playing. It’s challenging because they only have a half-ice for their practice. So there’s a lot of challenges but we’re ready to tackle them and just kind of adapt and overcome as we can.”

Jacob Cheris covers a variety of high school and college sports. A graduate of Penn State University’s class of 2023, with a degree in broadcast journalism, he covered Penn State Men’s Hockey for three years. Jacob also covers Big Ten Hockey for College Hockey News.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) – Leaders with Fort Wayne’s Police Athletic League, or PAL, say 2025 has been a difficult year for the program due to low attendance.

PAL offers youth programs in Football, Basketball, Boxing, and Girls’ Volleyball, but they say it goes beyond athletics.

”It’s more of a community. Our volunteers don’t just focus on athletics, but they get to the heart of the child, and they truly care and mentor them, and care about them as a person,” said PAL Coordinator Tristin Lichtsinn.

The program, established in 1956, “was founded with the vision of empowering the youth of Allen County. Through athletics, we aim to foster character development and create positive opportunities for young individuals in our community,” as written on their website.

Although football has long been their biggest draw, Lichtsinn says 2025 has been unusually slow due to more programs popping up in the community.

For the first time this year, they are offering a Spring football program, taking in registrations right now.

Her husband, Nicholas, is a police officer who has volunteered as a football coach for 5 years.

“I didn’t know that it would be something that I would truly enjoy. I thought it would just be exhausting. Watching the kids grow and learn, and accomplish new tasks, and watching them just mature into young men and women has been really rewarding,” he said.

The philosophy he brings into the gig is all about character development.

“I’m one of those horrible coaches who don’t really care if we win. I want the kids to truly enjoy it. I want them to grow up and really love this sport. Odds are they aren’t gonna grow up and play professionally, odds are they won’t even play college,” Lichtsinn said.

Boxing has recently become one of their biggest draws under Coach Alberto Lozada, who, in just a few weeks, already has a class of more than 40 people of all ages.

“The most important (thing is) they come here, try to do something, keep the kids out the streets, because the violence is more and more,” Lozada said.

To learn how to enroll your kids in PAL’s programs, you can visit their website and Facebook page through these links. You can also call them at (260) 432-4122.

Anyone interested in signing up to be a volunteer or mentor is encouraged to do the same.

Copyright 2025 WPTA. All rights reserved.

Our sector already delivers experiences that young people value: inclusive activities, strong role models through coaches and volunteers, and environments where young people can feel safe, welcomed and supported to be themselves.

When done well, sport and physical activity can be a powerful protective factor in helping young people thrive, not just cope.

Inequality remains a barrier

Youth Matters rightly highlights the need to halve the participation gap between disadvantaged young people and their peers when it comes to enriching activities.

This is an area where urgency is needed.

Our latest Active Lives Children and Young People survey shows that while overall activity levels are rising, stubborn inequalities remain.

Young people from the least affluent families are still the least likely to be active, and too often face barriers related to cost, access, safety and whether opportunities feel designed for ‘people like them’.

Less than half of young people say they are happy with the activities and services in their local area, and even fewer feel those opportunities reflect their needs and expectations.

Addressing this must be a priority if the ambitions of the strategy are to be realised.

Alignment with Uniting the Movement

The emphasis in Youth Matters on putting young people and communities at the heart of decisions, shifting from fragmented to collaborative working, and empowering local delivery strongly aligns with our long-term Uniting the Movement strategy.

Our Place Partnership approach is already focused on tackling inequalities, working alongside local partners and investing in long-term, community-led solutions.

Youth Matters validates this direction and reinforces the importance of sustained, place-based action rather than short-term interventions.

Our commitment

Delivering the ambitions of Youth Matters will require coordinated action across Government, sectors and communities.

Sport England is committed to playing our part: working with partners nationally and locally to ensure sport and physical activity are accessible, affordable, welcoming and shaped by young people themselves.

By listening to young people’s voices, focusing on the places facing the greatest challenges and continuing to address inequality head-on, we can help ensure this strategy delivers lasting impact over the next decade.

We look forward to continuing to work with Government, the youth sector and partners across sport and physical activity to turn this ambition into action for young people.