ARVADA — Over the past three years the North Area Athletic Complex — Jeffco Public Schools’ football and soccer venue in Arvada — has raked in national awards.
The NAAC’s soccer field was named the Schools and Parks Soccer Field of the Year by the SportsTurf Mangers Association in 2014. The football field earned STMA’s Schools and Parks Football Field of the Year in 2015. Both are national awards with applicants from all over the United States.
NAAC stadium managers Sun Roesslein and Christi Clay, along with former stadium manager Don Frantz — at NAAC from July 2012 to August 2014 — have taken the complex that opened in 2000 to a new level of excellence.
“Sun, Christi and Don over the past three years have made the NAAC facility the best it has ever been,” said Ezra Paddock, Manager of Stadium Operations for Jeffco. “The recognition for them is absolutely deserved.”
Roesslein joined Jeffco Public Schools in 2005 and has always served as a stadium manager at NAAC.
“It’s super exciting to be chosen,” said Roesslein, who begins her 12th school year at NAAC. “It definitely shows we are doing the right things to create safe playing fields and doing the best we can do with our resources.”
Roesslein put herself into an elite field over the summer when she passed the Certified Sports Field Manager test to become one of just over 200 CSFMs in the country. She is just one of eight females to currently hold the CSFM accreditation.
“I wanted to challenge myself as a professional and my knowledge of turf management. A big part of becoming a CSFM is the commitment to continuing education, professional development and community service,” Roesslein said. “Taking the test isn’t the end of the process, it’s really the beginning.”
The process and evolution of NAAC is always ongoing. A new soccer scoreboard was installed over the summer to replace the original scoreboard.
“I think it just added another ‘aw’ element to the soccer side,” said Clay, who has been a stadium manager at NAAC since August 2014. “I’ve heard so many comments on it already this season.”
NAAC’s soccer field is scheduled to have 49 regular-season boys’ soccer games this fall.
Next on the plate is a video scoreboard to be installed on the football side within the next month to replace its original scoreboard. The video scoreboard will be similar Jeffco Stadium’s that was new a few years ago.
Jeffco has worked on getting sponsorships on the new scoreboards. The money from the five-year contract for advertising on the scoreboards will go toward maintenance and upkeep at the stadiums, as well as supplies for Jeffco’s athletic trainers from each high school.
“The scoreboard is going to be a great addition. It will really bring us a step forward,” Roesslein said. “With the video board we’ll be able to personalize it to whoever is playing.”
NAAC’s football field will host 24 regular-season games, along with the Pomona Band Festival on Saturday, Oct. 1. Pomona, Arvada West, Ralston Valley and Standley Lake will all have their homecoming games at NAAC.
A future desire is to replace the original track around the football field and install a timing system so NAAC could host varsity track meets in the spring. This could become a reality if the proposed $535 bond for Jeffco Public Schools passes in November. There is also the probability that lacrosse games will be played on NAAC’s football field in the future.
“It would be fantastic to have a new track. People like to come here and run just from the community,” Roesslein said. “Having a new track and timing system would take some of the pressure off Jeffco Stadium.”
Moving forward is something Jeffco’s stadium managers are always zeroed in on. Providing the best experience for student-athletes, coaches and spectators has always been the goal for the district’s four stadiums.
“Sun and Christi are perfectionists. They want this place to be perfect. There is absolutely room for improvement, always,” Paddock said. “With our whole athletic stadium staff, I don’t know if they will ever be satisfied.”
Executive Director of Athletics and Activities Jim Thyfault concurs, “Jeffco is very fortunate to have two people the quality of Sun and Christi. All our stadium managers are ultimate professionals — not only turf experts, but event managers and organizers. Coaches and the community comment about our great stadium managers constantly.”
NOTE: This is the first part of a four-part series this school year on Jeffco Public Schools’ stadium venues — North Area Athletic Complex, Lakewood Memorial Field, Trailblazer Stadium and Jeffco Stadium.
