This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Schools

Pump Up the Volume, Lamorinda, It's Game Day

Sporting events today come with their own theme music - and a pretty significant downside for neighbors within earshot.

Kevin Macy remembers the broken music, the static crackling from speakers, that set the tone at football games when he first started coaching there 15 years ago.

Now, after an upgrade to the sound system in 2005, the rock’n’roll-style tunes that pump up the stadium come through crystal clear.

“You can almost turn it into a rock concert,” said Macy, the head  football coach.

Find out what's happening in Lamorindawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Lamorinda sports facilities are increasingly using sophisticated sound systems to supplement athletic events. In some competitions, these sound bites have become just as integral as the traditional acoustics of a cheering crowd, a referee’s whistle, or footsteps crossing into the end zone. 

“It’s part of the game experience,” Macy said, referring to the pre-game music played on fall Friday nights.

Find out what's happening in Lamorindawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Earlier this year, an amplifying system connected to a $150,000 scoreboard with video capabilities was installed at the pool, said Randy Takahashi, the school’s athletic director.

Meanwhile, plans at for two new sports fields include bringing in state-of-the-art sound technology for the baseball field, said Todd Ogorzelec, the college’s director of events and promotions.

And two miles over, Soda Aquatic Center is equipped with underwater speakers for synchronized swimming, though the technology has not been used yet, said Andrew Morris, aquatics coordinator for the Acalanes Union High School District.

A number of sports sound systems have been in place for years. Mike Ivankovich, head football coach at Acalanes High School, said that upgrading the speaker system in the stadium is not a priority, especially since it could cost upwards of $10,000.

“It’s still only a couple of speakers. It’s not like you’re at a Raiders game or anything,” he said.

Despite the simplicity of some set-ups, the sound issue can get tangled in politics.

At a meeting on the planned changes at Saint Mary’s College, a handful of homeowners opposed a new sound system.

One feature of the new system is that it can be turned toward the school, Ogorzelec said. The one currently in place faces the surrounding neighborhood, he added.

On several occasions, opposition from homeowners has prompted changes in sound regulations.

After complaints, primarily from people who lived around Campolindo High School, the Acalanes Union High School District crafted noise policies that mandate moderated volume levels and disallow playing music during practices, Takahashi said.

Several years ago, the Soda Aquatic Center hired professionals to recommend how loud the sound system should go, because of neighborhood concerns. Now the only people who can change the maximum volume level on the pool’s sound program are technicians, Morris said.

Lamorinda officials said neighbor complaints about sound systems at athletic events are few and far between.

For years, Brad Farber picked up sounds from the and the Campolindo football field, which lie adjacent to his house.

 “I’d hear them playing the national anthem and say to my daughters, ‘Girls, if you’re going to the game, you better get a move on,’” he said.

Yet Farber never protested – he knew when he first moved in that noise was going to be a problem. And since putting in new windows last year, his house has become insulated from the sound.

It is unknown whether sporting events are exempted from city noise regulations because there has been no grumbling about the issue, said officials from Orinda and Lafayette.

In Moraga, competitions do not fall under exempted “town-authorized or sponsored community events,” said Bob Priebe, chief of police. But “as far as citing a school for something like hosting a football game, that’s really not something the ordinance was meant for,” he added.

A quieter repercussion of sound systems is their potential effect on the property values of nearby homes. Sue Olsen, a realtor for the Olsen Group at Village Associates, said there are a number of properties that have been sold at less than market value for this reason. One such home was on a hill behind , and picked up noise from swimming and football events.

The Miramonte swim team traditionally practices with songs in the background, said coach Don Heidary.

“I think anybody that works out would prefer to work out to music,” he said.

Download the movie

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?