Friday, the dream was realized as shovels broke ground at the Clarksville Academy Sports Complex.
The 31-acre site on state Highway 48/13, is under construction, and the first fields - Wes Smith (baseball) Field and the George R. Fleming Sr. (football) Field are set to open next school year.
"For 36 years, Clarksville Academy has participated in hundreds of athletic games and events. The story is one which we are all familiar. It is rich with celebratory victories and heartbreaking defeats," Kay Drew, head of the private school, said in a speech at Friday's ceremony. "There have been traditions established such as pre-game Cougar tunnels with the release of hundreds of blue and gold balloons and the end of season post-game coach soaking with a tub of shocking cold ice water. But while these stories are known to us all, the setting for these memories has always been on a leased or loaned athletic field."
In homage
The football field was named in the honor of George R. Fleming Sr., a parent of a current student and an alumni who died recently. Many other people not only celebrated the groundbreaking, but also honored the memory of Wesley Smith. Wes, a student-athlete at the academy, died in a motorcycle crash in September 2004 on The Trace in Land Between the Lakes. The baseball and basketball player dreamed of a field on which he could wear his favorite color - his school color - sunshine yellow.
To honor Wes, students arrived on the grounds of the future sports complex donning Superman-type shirts embossed with a large "W."
Wes' parents, Wade and Patsy Smith, also donned bright yellow and saw the fruit of their labor of love, as well as the community support. As founders of the inspiring yet heart-wrenching Web site www.RememberingWes.com - which also brought in money for the Wesley Smith Memorial Fund - the Smiths are still in the stands cheering for their son. "We've been working for it for a long time - it' s just hard," Patsy Smith said tearfully, looking at her husband. "We wish he was here with us. He's with us in spirit ... He was our driving force when he was here with us, and he still is." The couple also credited Clarksville Academy students, the community and God for pulling them through difficult times. "The only thing that keeps us going is these kids and our Christian faith," Wade Smith said. "The support the kids and the school has given us is unbelievable."
A dream deferred
The Sports Complex has been a 36-year dream in the making.
In the past, Clarksville Academy was forced to hold "home" games at fields such as Austin Peay State University Governors Stadium, public schools and community fields.
In 2005, after the school thought the dream of an athletic center was within grasp on Old Russellville Pike, residents protested the site so strongly Clarksville Academy sold the land and sought a new location.
The Willow Bend Area Neighborhood Association claimed the St. Bethlehem site was not suitable because the fields regularly flooded and they believed traffic and noise would disturb nearby residents.
The new site on state Highway 48/13 next to Josten's, will now be the school's home for athletics.
The football and baseball fields are scheduled to be completed in fall 2007 and spring 2008, respectively.
To date, $660,000 has been committed to the ongoing project, and school officials said there are still opportunities for the community to donate money and name fields in honor of loved ones - even if they did not attend the school.
Academy officials anticipate the first home game at the complex will be in next fall's football season.
"It's wonderful." Drew said. "We cannot wait for that first game."
Melissa Tyndall covers education and can be reached by telephone at 245-0719 or via e-mail at melissatyndall@theleafchronicle.com.
Photo Captions (not shown in this web article)
Patsy Smith puts some dirt in a jar after Clarksville Academy's groundbreaking ceremony for the school's sports complex Friday. The baseball field is named in honor of Smith's son, Wesley, who died Sept. 4, 2004. Greg Williamson/The Leaf-Chronicle
Plans for the Clarksville Academy sports complex show the football, softball, baseball and soccer fields with 450 parking spots.