I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by two truly impressive 2nd grade classes at Community Roots here in Fort Greene.  The students are hard at work on an annual park study, in which they research and design their own park space.  This year, their imaginations are focused on Commodore Barry Park, only a stone’s throw from their school, so the children were curious to know how a campaign like Turf the Slab is proposing changes to the park.  I would like to thank teachers and students for a truly wonderful experience, and I am really looking forward to seeing what you all dream up!

I was especially excited to see some familiar Community Roots faces join hundreds of other young people for the second annual Track and Field Day that Turf the Slab was proud to co-host with the stellar team at Young Rock Soccer Academy. The event was a major success thanks to master organizer Michael Randazzo, all the amazing athletes from LIU and Pratt, the fun-loving LIU Blackbird, Fort Greene Sports, Hip Tot Music, all our generous sponsors, and the hardworking policemen and women of the 88th Precinct who safely oversaw an endless number of ascents up their climbing wall. Special thanks also go out to Commodore Barry believer Tish James, who made a rockstar appearance on the heels of her Public Advocate victory, Assemblyman Walter Mosley, Jelani Mashiriki, and all the other leaders who took time out of their busy Columbus Day schedules to come cheer on the kids! And on a personal note, I want to express my deep appreciation to coaches Musa Kadiri, Magnus Mukoro, Bob Byer, and Lloyd Rodriguez whose advice and leadership means everything, and will be indispensable in making Commodore Barry a real home field for local youth sports. And lastly, to all the parents and kids who joined the fun and brought us over 200 petition signatures, you are the soul of our campaign, and our efforts would be impossible without your support, and your spirit. Thank you all so much…and stay tuned!  Below are some memories from the big day courtesy of photographer Bob Dea.

Since local elections are in full swing, it seemed the perfect time to circulate an official Turf the Slab petition.  Click here to visit the petition page and take a quick sec to sign and SHARE with fellow Brooklynites!  Thanks!

I recently spoke to the coach for George Westinghouse High School’s boys soccer team while they practiced at Commodore Barry Park.  Like every other local coach in the area, he was ecstatic about the prospect of building a proper playing field right here.  In fact, according to a NY Daily News article, Westinghouse has actually been forced to forfeit games because conditions on the grass field at Commodore Barry Park were deemed unsafe and unfit for play.  In the same article, a Public School Athletic League (PSAL) official explains there are not enough fields to cover the games that need to be played.  Between school teams and independent sports programs, local demand for fields is increasing, and the improperly maintained fields at Commodore Barry are all that exists.  In the past, a few programs have arranged to use Brooklyn Tech’s private Charles B. Wang Field (Fulton and Clermont), only to be run off over scheduling and insurance hassles.  You can click here to read about that unfortunate saga, and stay tuned for reports on Marty Markowitz’s misguided multi-million dollar lame duck appropriation to upgrade that very same, very healthy, very private Brooklyn Tech field.  Because they want to right these wrongs, and give local kids a real home field at long last, coaches in our community are backing Turf the Slab.

Fort Greene Sports

Bob Byer, Founder and Director of Fort Greene Sports, and a community institution, is with us “1000 percent”, and stresses that many local sports need a home.  Magnus Mukoro and Musa Kadiri from Young Rock Soccer, will be supporting the cause by hosting a big family-friendly Columbus Day Track and Field Day in Commodore Barry in October 14 from Noon – 4pm, so mark your calendars!

Young Rock Soccer Academy

Even the folks at Brooklyn Sporting Goods, who know the local sports community perhaps better than anyone, think making Commodore Barry a flagship sports park is a “no-brainer”.   We are grateful for the support we are getting from coaches, parents, and the whole community, and encourage everyone to put real pressure on incoming District 35 Councilwoman, Laurie Cumbo, and Brooklyn Borough President, Eric Adams, who will need to deliver the necessary funding.  If you have not already done so, please click here to sign and share the petition, and do take a second to click those little buttons on the right sidebar to “Like” us on Facebook and “Follow” us on Twitter so we can show our strength in numbers.

Big props go out to everyone who worked or played at AFROPUNK Fest 2013!  It is a great Fort Greene summer tradition, and we can hardly wait to see the lineup for 2014!  Turf the Slab was particularly excited to see a long procession of food trucks lining Navy Street and bicyclists swarming around Commodore Barry Park. Welcome to the future!

Turf the Slab wants Commodore Barry Park to be a community destination more than once a year.  Why not every weekend, day and night?  Imagine gleaming new turf fields crowded with athletes young and old, with an endless parade of runners circling them on a Mondo track.  The crowds come out to cheer them all on. Bicyclists stop to catch a breath.  And everybody lines up to grab a bite.  A regular crowd is great engine for local entrepreneurs, and food trucks could not ask for better, more reliable customers than hungry sports fans in a veritable food desert. Just ask the pupusa truck at the Red Hook ballfields!

BREAKING NEWS:  The proposal to turf the slab in Commodore Barry now includes lights!  Lights mean more fun for everyone.  When adults take advantage of extended hours that leaves more daytime play for kids, and we all get a safer park in the bargain. And while we’re talking upgrades to Commodore Barry, it is worth explaining that “turfing the slab” is only the beginning.  The ultimate hope is that a new multi-use sports field with lights will promote a total makeover of the baseball fields and other facilities to serve even more sports.  The Parade Ground in Prospect Park is a good example:

Prospect Park Parade Ground boasts baseball, soccer, football, and multi-use fields

And for the growing population of joggers beating their knees and ankles on the Fort Greene Park loop, the cherry on top could be a rubberized “Mondo” running track like the one in McCarren Park.

Rubberized “Mondo” running track in McCarren Park in Williamsburg

Let’s hear from you.  What other sports or activities would you most like to see find a home in Commodore Barry?  Please vote in the poll below.  Choose a sport, or add your own in the “Other” box, and press the vote button.