GOOD NEWS: Desert Hot Springs Park In The Running For A Makeover

DESERT HOT SPRINGS – Soccer moms in Desert Hot Springs cheer for their kids Wednesday afternoon at Mission Springs Park.

But sometimes, the park itself located off Palm Drive can feel like playing on a landmine.

“I feel like I might get hurt,” says Gabriela Parra, who, in fact, has been injured on the field previously.

Players are getting hurt not because they are doing something wrong. It is because of the field’s condition. It is not leveled, it does not have enough lights, and there is not enough grass.

“We bring other regions in from Palm Springs, La Quinta, Cathedral City, Indio,” explains Roger Rice, the city’s AYSO director. “They all have brand new big fields. When they come here, it’s almost embarrassing.”

For a team that has gone to the championships four times, they do not deserve to play on a field like this.

But the city is trying to change things around by competing in a national online contest sponsored by the Kellogg’s cereal company.

The Plant a Seed contest will reward winning parks with money for a makeover.

Miracle Springs Park is in the semi-finals!

The rules are simple. Thirty parks across the county will win the contest eventually and get a makeover. Half of their scores are based on judges’ criteria. The other half is based on the number of votes the parks receive online.

You can vote for the park once everyday.

The online voting ends May 31. But there is stiff competition.

One park has over 22,000 votes already. How many votes does Mission Springs Park have? Less than 800.

Soccer is the largest youth sport in Desert Hot Springs with over 700 signed up. But they are obviously looking for a lot more team players.

If the word spreads that the park is very close to winning a makeover contest — and it wins — then it is a prime example of a field of dreams coming true.

For more information on the Planta Seed contest and to vote for Mission Springs Park, go to www.frostedflakes.com.