First football game to be played on new Ravsten Stadium turf Friday night
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The following is a news release from Idaho Falls School District 91. Watch a timelapse video in the player above showing the construction of the field.
The upgrades to Ravsten Stadium are almost finished, and Idaho Falls School District 91 is excited to announce the first football games of the season will be played on the new turf field Friday night.
A special ribbon-cutting event to celebrate the improvements at Ravsten Stadium is planned before the 2022 Emotion Bowl on Saturday, Sept. 24.
Ravsten Stadium is an Idaho Falls landmark and the home field for both the IF Tigers and the Skyline Grizzlies. It also is home to the Tiger-Grizz Invitational, one of the region’s largest track meets.
The improvements include:
● 3.5 acres of Hellas’ new matrix helix turf
● Redesigned “D” zones with space for field events like discus, long jump and pole vault
● A brand-new track
● Lighting upgrade that includes energy-efficient lights
“These improvements are an investment in our community, and they will make Ravsten Stadium THE place to play high school sports for generations to come,” said D91 Supt. Jim Shank.
The upgrades also will make it easier for other sports teams such as soccer and lacrosse to play on the field. The first football game of the season is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26, with the IF Tigers facing the Thunder Ridge Titans.
Crews are still finishing work on the track so the facility will remain closed to the public for a few more weeks. As that work wraps up, the goalposts will be painted orange in honor of IFHS’ win in the last Emotion Bowl.
The tradition of painting the goalposts will continue, but will look different. The new goalposts can’t safely support the weight of students so D91 collaborated with students, alumni, coaches and high school administrators to create new traditions. Plans call for a goalpost and Emotion Bowl monument to be erected on the stadium’s north side. Players and students will paint that goalpost after the Emotion Bowl, and then professional painters will paint the field goalposts in the winning school’s colors.
Be sure to check out the D91 website and the D91Proud Facebook page in the coming weeks for history and trivia about Ravsten Stadium as we count down to the special ribbon-cutting ceremony before the Emotion Bowl on Saturday, Sept. 24. More information about that event will be released in September.