Well, I know what the new “Brave Head” in the middle of the football field looks like and if you click here, so will you. This week’s Stir question has to do with the new Braves Field and the idea of home field advantage.

Well, hopefully you’ve had a chance to meander over to the new facilities at Star Valley High School. Yes, I know certain areas of the place look like it’s a construction zone, so hopefully folks can continue to be patient as school gets underway.

As we, . . . well . . . read, the field is receiving hash marks, yard markers, and of course the aforementioned Brave head and the twin “SV”’s you’re seeing. Just to give you an idea of how big these are, the center logo is about 10 yards wide as far as I have been able to determine. For you math-letes out there, that’s 30 feet wide! As for the letters, one set will be placed on each 25-yard line.

Here’s a few answers to some questions I’ve been hearing:

Everything that I’ve just mentioned, has to be cut out of the existing turf and installed. This is NOT a field you paint. Also, the field is not finished yet. The turf itself has to have rubber “infill” combed in. The infill is tiny rubber pieces that will be roughly a few inches deep and give the field depth and volume. There are actually some pieces that will have to be added every year, and in a smart bit of discussion, the crew has already determined that by throwing the needed pellets onto the layer of snow this next spring, it will heat up, melt the snow and then be deposited on the field. Pretty neat huh?

If you’re looking at the Braves head and thinking that it doesn’t look exactly like the Redskins’ logo. You’re right. Copyright law forces us to be different, but I think this one looks even better. When that baby is installed with the green field to contrast it, I might just break down and cry.

When will the field get officially done? I don’t know. But I haven’t heard a word about not playing next Saturday on it. As for the track surfacing, it will likely be done in one or two waves in between the home games in September. The administration is working hard to not move any game to the middle school to accommodate the track surface. The surface has to be applied with certain temperature restraints and nobody can walk on it, thus, the issue at hand. It’s being handled, and I can’t even imagine how nice it’s going to be for the Track & Field teams come spring when the time comes to use that baby.

Speaking of spring, I got a genuine wave of excitement for the soccer players too. Considering how nasty the conditions have been for them (especially last year) the new field will be awesome to practice and play on. And, no, it doesn’t wear out, so practice all you want folks.

Now, on to the questions. It’s been 12 years since the Braves hoisted a state championship trophy. I gotta tell you, that’s waaaaaaaay too long for us Crimson and Gold faithful. The team has been to the state game five times since last winning it all in 1996, but have come up painfully short in each one, under three different coaches.

This week’s question is:

What was the last season the Braves won the state title on their HOME field?

Bonus question: Who did they defeat?

Non-Credit, Cliff Clavin Bonus question: What was the score?

So, there you have it. Please use the comment section to answer, by earning points, one can win Star Valley merchandise from yours truly. Mr. Rick Walker and Mr. Shane Williams have already cashed in and Williams is close to more. Can anyone stop him? I’m not sure, he’s in a zone. Just a reminder of the rules. Please, no internet researching, it spoils it for everyone else. Also, feel free to guess more than once, just let me post back first before doing so.