ROCK SPRINGS — It’s been a busy summer up at Rock Springs High School (RSHS). With projects ranging from a new basketball court to the restructuring of the track and field throwing pits, there’s no doubt RSHS has received a complete makeover.
Part of that makeover has been the installation of a brand new turf football field, which crews began work on May 12. The field was completed late August, allowing the Tigers to get a few practices in on the field before the start of the 2020 football season. The team practiced most of August at the White Mountain Junior High football field.
In 2010, RSHS put in the first turf field. On average, a turf field is typically good for 10-12 years and based upon the condition of the field, it was right at the 10 year mark and in need of replacement.
RSHS Activities Director, Tom Jassman hand crafted the design himself for the new field. With the paw being RSHS’ official school logo, it was a natural decision to make the logo switch on the football field from the Tiger head.
The field now features different shades of green every five yards, a look Jassman has always favored. He also wanted to change the color of the endzones to orange instead of black, keeping the same “TIGERS” wording.
Video Scoreboard
The final touch to the new field is a brand new video scoreboard, which is scheduled to be completely installed on Friday, ahead of the Tigers’ home opener against the Thunder Basin Bolts.
According to Jassman, the video scoreboard is the largest one among all high schools in the state of Wyoming. The previous scoreboard was first installed back in 2000, lasting nearly 20 years.
The video scoreboard has unlimited possibilities for what it can do. The school has about 20 different graphics that can be used to highlight seniors, introduce starting lineups, thank sponsors, celebrate plays and remind spectators of upcoming events just to name a few.
Below is one of the graphics that will be used to celebrate a touchdown.
In addition, a camera will be installed which will display the game on the video scoreboard. Jassman said they will be able to capture a highlight and use it for replays.
A few other noteworthy features that come with the video scoreboard is a crystal clear sound system. The speaker sits on top of the video scoreboard, projecting sound to the entire stadium. There are also two portable play clocks which can be set up anywhere. Jassman said that the two play clocks will be put on each side of the endzones, allowing players the ability to see the play clock better.
Jassman said that a training on how to operate the video scoreboard will happen later this month, but for now they will be able to run the scoreboard and clock with ease since it is the same setup as the basketball scoreboard.
The Tigers are set to kickoff against Thunder Basin on Friday at 6 pm at Tiger Stadium.
