FieldTurf, Jumbotrons, BigTen, Vs. - must be summertime
by KelleyCook , Monday, June 27, 2011, 10:36 (4975 days ago)
Why, oh why, do otherwise seemingly smart people annually get all bent out of shape from things that have absolutely no chance of happening.
My only thought is that it makes everyone feel self important that their bitching about it somehow prevented it from happening.
I really don't get it.
Tags:
field
The answer is simple
by irishvol , Music City, USA, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 07:37 (4974 days ago) @ KelleyCook
Quit playing BC.
Volume.
by Jay , San Diego, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 08:28 (4974 days ago) @ irishvol
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Still a top 5 SNL commercial
by MadisonDomer, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 08:32 (4974 days ago) @ Jay
The premise is just so thoroughly stupid and it's delivered so seriously.
That and..
Happy Fun Ball
Bad Idea Jeans
Bassomatic
Some beer with simply awful ingredients
Wow.
by PMan , The Banks of the Spokane River, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 12:09 (4974 days ago) @ MadisonDomer
That's terrific bass.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/248692/saturday-night-live-bassomatic
Colon Blow.
by Jim (fisherj08) , A Samoan kid's laptop, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 10:11 (4974 days ago) @ MadisonDomer
The end.
I think we're all forgetting
by Pete, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 10:14 (4974 days ago) @ Jim (fisherj08)
the Car You Can Have Sex With.
www.clownpenis.fart
by Jay , San Diego, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 10:16 (4974 days ago) @ Pete
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Cookie Dough Sport, Crystal Gravy, Annuale
by Jim (fisherj08) , A Samoan kid's laptop, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 10:36 (4974 days ago) @ Jay
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Old Glory Insurance, Uncle Jemima's Malt Liquor
by Jim (fisherj08) , A Samoan kid's laptop, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 10:44 (4974 days ago) @ Jim (fisherj08)
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"Sell what you know, and I know about booze!"
by Chris , Raleigh, NC, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 10:46 (4974 days ago) @ Jim (fisherj08)
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definitely one of my favorites
by Jay , San Diego, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 10:46 (4974 days ago) @ Chris
"You like drinkin'? 'Course you do. Who the hell DON'T?"
Velvet Jones
by PMan , The Banks of the Spokane River, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 12:05 (4974 days ago) @ Jay
Nice. I would have accepted Grayson Moorhead Securities too
by San Pedro , Wednesday, June 29, 2011, 06:54 (4973 days ago) @ PMan
"Clients will rely on us for market expertise. If the day ever comes when a client knows more about the market than we do, copy him. Do what he does."
http://www.hulu.com/watch/61335/saturday-night-live-moorhead-securities
If you've got a big thirst and you're gay...
by MorrisseyHealthCommish , Close but so far from the ocean, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 09:18 (4974 days ago) @ MadisonDomer
reach for a tall cold bottle of Schmitt's Gay.
I still like "Oops, I Crapped My Pants".
by Chris , Raleigh, NC, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 09:02 (4974 days ago) @ MadisonDomer
"Imagine this pitcher of iced tea is a gallon of your feces."
"Because I'm wearing them...and I just did."
by Dylan, Indianapolisish, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 09:48 (4974 days ago) @ Chris
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On the other hand...
by Greg, seemingly ranch, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 07:47 (4974 days ago) @ irishvol
...if Swarbrick really wanted to please Kelly and put in field turf, we'd switch this year's BC game to December 3, Kelly would tank the game, BC would rip out all of the grass that is actually left on the playing surface in December, and we'd have "no choice" but to replace the now-barren landscape with field turf.
Hmmm. If a natural disaster occurs on or around November 19, I think we'll know to a moral certainty that Swarbrick caused it to enable the switching of the game and the installation of field turf. From what my sources tell me, the plan is designated "the Alan Parsons Project" and involves a "laser" beam located on a satellite orbiting the earth. Swarbrick has told my sources that the cost of the field turf will be between $1 million and $200 billion, so at least we have a range.
the biggest beef I have with all that...
by HumanRobot , Cybertron, Monday, June 27, 2011, 12:27 (4975 days ago) @ KelleyCook
edited by HumanRobot, Monday, June 27, 2011, 16:54
...is the appeal to the sense of tradition. I get it, Notre Dame is the most storied program in college football history. Period. Full stop. <Other columnist type jargon>.
The ironic thing about it is that ND didn't obtain its iconic status by worrying about brand management or being conservative. Things like the forward pass, playing a national schedule, and having your games on TV were all very bold, progressive moves for their time. It just seems very silly that we should stick to things we were doing in the 60s and 70s in the name of tradition when game changing things like Cable TV, Title IX, and The Internet happened.
I've long thought that ND's best tradition is Leadership. You don't harbor and maintain that tradition by playing it safe and sticking to what's kind of worked for the last 40 years. You earn it by making bold but calculated decisions, sticking to what works and changing what doesn't.
Spot on. Leadership is something lost on those lemmings.
by River, Hell of the Upside Down Sinners, Monday, June 27, 2011, 18:18 (4975 days ago) @ HumanRobot
Group think and hysteria rule the day.
cue applause.
by Domer99, John Wesley Powell's Expedition Island, Monday, June 27, 2011, 18:13 (4975 days ago) @ HumanRobot
or is it "LOUD CONTINUOUS NOISE!!!!" (flashing)?
But seriously, that was good.
I'm stealing this.
by domer.mq
, Monday, June 27, 2011, 16:08 (4975 days ago) @ HumanRobot
I mean, I had already drafted something similar, but you've sprung more ideas for it. Thanks.
--
Sometimes I rhyme slow sometimes I rhyme quick.
Very well stated.
by KGB, Belly o. the Beast, Monday, June 27, 2011, 14:30 (4975 days ago) @ HumanRobot
In fact, there were some direct quotes from Rockne attached to a post here not too long ago in which he chided the "three yards and a cloud of dust" approach to offense. And that was approximately 90 fucking years ago. So every time I hear somebody natter on about how Rock would have done things if he were in Kelly or Swarbrick's shoes now, I wonder if they even understand the history of this program and why we became so successful and popular to begin with. It certainly wasn't by carrying on like a bunch of haughty, blueblooded, stick-in-the-mud pricks.
is there a ready list
by domer.mq
, Monday, June 27, 2011, 11:54 (4975 days ago) @ KelleyCook
Of programs that currently use the fake stuff?
--
Sometimes I rhyme slow sometimes I rhyme quick.
all alternatives (including Field Turf synthetic)
by Jay , San Diego, Monday, June 27, 2011, 12:26 (4975 days ago) @ domer.mq
edited by Jay, Friday, August 03, 2012, 06:54
Let's consider all the alternatives. There's
1. traditional natural grass (no fancy tech)
2. Grassmaster (what they use in Lambeau, Denver, Philly)
http://www.surfacesolutionsna.com/ddgrassmaster.asp
3. Greentech ITM (MSU, VT, Giants Stadium, various soccer stadia around the world)
http://www.greentechitm.com/
4. FieldTurf (purely synthetic)
http://www.fieldturf.com/artificial-turf-about-fieldturf/
5. Astroturf (not used much anymore)
6. Dirt
7. Gravel
8. Shards of Broken Glass
Tags:
field
5-8 actually might be better than the status quo.
by Jim (fisherj08) , A Samoan kid's laptop, Monday, June 27, 2011, 12:41 (4975 days ago) @ Jay
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Irwin Mainway would get us a good deal on #8
by Greg, seemingly ranch, Monday, June 27, 2011, 12:43 (4975 days ago) @ Jim (fisherj08)
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That's what Leahy would have done.
by KGB, Belly o. the Beast, Monday, June 27, 2011, 14:48 (4975 days ago) @ Greg
Back when men were men and ND ran the ball 87 times in 81 plays. That's what made this school great.
I'll guess that the major rub of the traditionalists
by hobbs, San Diego, CA, Monday, June 27, 2011, 11:48 (4975 days ago) @ KelleyCook
edited by hobbs, Monday, June 27, 2011, 11:58
is the aesthetic value lost with fake grass?
I'm not sure how up to date some of the ND rear guard elements are about the advances in fieldturf but its come a long way. We're not talking Veterans Stadium circa 1992 with green concrete (including seams) passing for a surface. Not too long ago I was buzzing my mom around No. County and we stopped off at some at some giant industrial garden center. Outside they had a, probably 75 x 50 fieldturf presentation size by size with real grass and my untrained eye couldn't tell the difference between the two. I even stood on both of them and the only difference I could tell was one had slightly more bounce to it than the other. But from a strictly eyeball/aesthetic viewpoint they looked the same.
Its funny because when I saw the displays immediately thought of the various yearly ND debates on this subject and chuckled.
Personally, being the radical that I am, after getting a look at a large football sized fieldturf display I would say that ND should attempt to keep real grass in the stadium. But if that is not viable they should install a fieldturf surface. Odds are those who complain loudest wouldn't even be able to spot the difference once installed.
I like to think of myself as a traditionalist but I'm going to be held hostage by it.
The turf is horrid...
by AlDogg, Monday, June 27, 2011, 11:40 (4975 days ago) @ KelleyCook
If you ever saw the field without paint on it, you would be highly alarmed. It is probably the worst field ND plays on (including Pitt) and it is OUR HOME FIELD. When Charlie was here the field was so bad he had it painted green. I am not making this up.
The turf was replaced oh, two years ago but it is back to its bad shape.
So, faced with two choices, hire a full-time turf doctor that does nothing but live and breath the ND Stadium turf (they don't have that right now, the people in charge are run thin taking care of every athletic field) or switch to Field Turf, low maintenance, supported by the head coach.
I also reject the weather problem. Now I realize that MSU has an agriculture school, which helps, but the MSU turf is real and is so fricking beautiful, it looks like a carpet. I hate saying that, because I hate MSU, but that field is great, ours, embarrassing.
- Alan
Obviously true... and yet
by KelleyCook , Monday, June 27, 2011, 12:20 (4975 days ago) @ AlDogg
No one disputes that the current field isn't working that well, in sharp contrast to those that preceded it, and will probably need to be replaced well before its planned lifetime.
But its takes some major parsing take a handful of quotes from the various PTB acknowledging that fact as well as a statement by Brian Kelly, that artificial turf is faster and he enjoys playing on it to "F it, we're going to Fake Turf".
Only on the groupthink board would that leap happen and nearly no one bothers to question the premise. And those who do question it are shouted down.
Worse, it happens EVERY year.
it predates Kelly, too
by Jay , San Diego, Monday, June 27, 2011, 12:23 (4975 days ago) @ KelleyCook
I guess Kelly's stoked the fire with a couple of comments about how much he likes the fake stuff, but this was in the works before he came aboard.
Makes sense
by Greg, seemingly ranch, Monday, June 27, 2011, 12:27 (4975 days ago) @ Jay
Kelly would obviously be in favor of it because his offense relies on precision, sharp routes, vision, and cutting by the ball carriers rather than straight-ahead plowing like Wisconsin's offense. Heck, if we ran the Bielma system, we could have those trays you talk about below because we'd know that only 1/3 of the field would get used in any one game.
Kelly, wanting more, wants a field that works. I'm sure that, given the similarities in performance between fieldturf and well-grown natural turf, he wouldn't care an iota if we had a field that worked. But we don't. And we haven't in decades, so it is understandable that he would like to see a change made while he's coach, instead of watching his players fall down time and again.
Greentech diagram:
by Jay , San Diego, Monday, June 27, 2011, 12:16 (4975 days ago) @ AlDogg
Tags:
field
what's the cost of GreenTech versus FieldTurf?
by HumanRobot , Cybertron, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 08:44 (4974 days ago) @ Jay
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FT says their football field costs $770K to go in
by Jay , San Diego, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 08:58 (4974 days ago) @ HumanRobot
and $5000 annually to maintain.
http://www.fieldturf.com/football-turf/cost-analysis/
Let's see if we can find anything on Greentech and Grassmaster.
Greentech at Beijing Olympic stadium
by Jay , San Diego, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 09:26 (4974 days ago) @ Jay
edited by Jay, Friday, August 03, 2012, 07:03
But here's an article on the cost for the Beijing Olympic stadium, cost $1.5 million. Seems pretty cheap to me for a capital improvement. I'm sure the maintenance is more costly than Field Turf, but then again so is the current natural grass field. I wonder if the maintenance costs on the grid are expensive. Do they ever need to be fixed? Replaced?
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http://www.greentechitm.com/project/default.asp?fpID=077FA6F7-99E7-4753-8587-9079B8677F9A
GreenTech grass is as good as gold
Beijing's Olympic stadium latest famous venue to get modular field turf system
Sunday, Nov 18, 2007 - 12:06 AM Updated: 12:41 AM
By GREGORY J. GILLIGAN
TIMES-DISPATCH DEPUTY BUSINESS EDITOR
Chris Scott is going for the gold again.
His company's GreenTech Inc. natural-grass sports field system will be installed at the Olympic stadium in Beijing for next summer's games at an estimated cost of $1.5 million.
The turf system that uses inter-locking trays also was put in the main Olympic stadium in Athens, Greece, three years ago.
"This is great notoriety for us," said Scott, the founder and director of GreenTech, which was started in Richmond more than a decade ago. Its administrative offices are now in suburban Atlanta but its only sales office remains in Richmond.
"This is the biggest athletic field project in four years in the world and we're doing it," he said. "When you are called on to do those types of projects, you can't do much better than that."
The GreenTech sod system also is used at Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium, Giants Stadium in New Jersey and a handful of other stadiums around the world.
The company also has a contract to install a GreenTech field at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow for next year's United European Football Association's soccer league final championship game.
Here's how the system works: Grass is grown initially inside 46-inch-square trays that are a foot deep. The trays -- GreenTech calls them modules -- are grown at an off-site location.
The modules are brought to a stadium and connected like tile floors. A project takes days to install.
Once the field is set up, sections of a stadium that receive a lot of wear and tear -- such as around the goal posts -- can be replaced or moved.
For the Beijing Olympics, the grass is being grown in trays at a location about 15 minutes away. The playing field at the Beijing National Stadium, nicknamed the Bird's Nest stadium because the steel girders are intertwined to look like a bird's nest, will be made up of about 6,500 modules. The field has about 80,000 square feet of grass.
By having moveable grass modules, the Olympic organizers can take away or shift the grass around as needed, Scott said.
That was important for the organizers. The grass won't be installed until after the opening ceremony is held Aug. 8 so the turf won't get damaged during the event.
The system provides flexibility, said Tom Gabbard, Virginia Tech's associate athletic director who oversees its facilities, including Lane Stadium.
Virginia Tech hasn't removed its modules since the system was installed in 2001, but Gabbard said he could see doing that at stadiums such as the one in Beijing.
"Moving the trays in and out or to change out certain parts after a week of competition can be advantageous," Gabbard said.
Gabbard said he thought it was great that a bit of Virginia ingenuity is being installed in China.
The organizers of the Beijing Olympics contacted GreenTech after seeing the sod system used at the Athens Olympics, Scott said. "They liked what they saw and the Greeks recommended they talk to me."
Having the Beijing organizers contact GreenTech was gratifying, Scott said.
"It is rewarding that people are searching us out rather than me having to knock on doors trying to convince someone to build their athletic fields this way," Scott said. "We have the type of reputation that allows us to get into these jobs."
The National Stadium Co. in China, which operates the Bird's Nest stadium, bought the system from GreenTech, he said. The China Sports Institute hired Scott as a consultant to build the field and to install it for the practice run in May and after the opening ceremonies in August.
Scott declined to say how much profit the privately-held GreenTech will make on the deal.
One key reason why the Beijing Olympic organizers went with the GreenTech system was because of plans for an elaborate opening ceremony and the desire to have natural turf, Scott said.
Details of the opening ceremonies are a secret, he said, but Hollywood director Steven Spielberg has a role as artistic consultant.
After those opening ceremonies, GreenTech's system will be installed and take centerstage. The gold medal soccer game should be the last sporting event to use the field.
The organizers of London's 2012 Olympics will be in Beijing -- and Scott hopes they will be looking closely at the field.
"I would hope to get a call from them," Scott said.
If that happens and GreenTech gets a contract, Scott said it would be like winning the gold again.
Tags:
field
I've played on the VT surface.
by Pat (Moco), Bar, Urban Chophouse Short North, Monday, June 27, 2011, 12:26 (4975 days ago) @ Jay
edited by Pat (Moco), Monday, June 27, 2011, 12:29
The system they have is fantastic. It's also basically blocks of grass, and they have the same on their practice fields, so they can replace whole sections that are scruffy, like 10x10 yard blocks or something along those lines.
yep, same as VT
by Jay , San Diego, Monday, June 27, 2011, 12:27 (4975 days ago) @ Pat (Moco)
- No text -
Just scrolled down and saw.
by Pat (Moco), Bar, Urban Chophouse Short North, Monday, June 27, 2011, 12:30 (4975 days ago) @ Jay
I just changed it to say I've played on it--went to football camp there in high school. It really is a fantastic surface. They're really proud of it--had diagrams in their football building if I recall.
Beamer on greentech
by Jay , San Diego, Monday, June 27, 2011, 12:50 (4975 days ago) @ Pat (Moco)
slideshow
by Jay , San Diego, Monday, June 27, 2011, 12:22 (4975 days ago) @ Jay
Michigan State's field system
by Jay , San Diego, Monday, June 27, 2011, 11:50 (4975 days ago) @ AlDogg
edited by Jay, Friday, August 03, 2012, 06:48
Looks like the current field was installed in 2002. From the Spartan Stadium wiki entry:
In 1969, TartanTurf replaced the natural grass field and a modern scoreboard was added in 1973. Later in the 1970s AstroTurf replaced the TartanTurf. A new modern video scoreboard was added before the 1991 season. Renovations improving sightlines, field security, handicap access and club seats in 1994 reduced Spartan Stadium's capacity to 72,027. New turf was also installed in the summer of 1994. In 1998 Spartan Stadium's sound system was upgraded, adding a 21' x 27' Mitsubishi Diamond Vision videoboard to the south end and a message board to the north end. Home to one of the top turfgrass research programs in the nation, Michigan State installed a natural grass field in 2002. The most recent expansion was completed in August 2005. A new pressbox, 24 luxury suites, and 862 club seats were constructed on the west side of Spartan Stadium. This addition made Spartan Stadium the tallest building in East Lansing.
Tags:
field
And a new field is being installed right now.
by Mike (Embrey), Mountain Holler, Monday, June 27, 2011, 18:14 (4975 days ago) @ Jay
Following the U2 concert this weekend. The installation is $250k, but U2 is paying for it.
http://www.statenews.com/index.php/article/2011/06/spartan_stadium_turf_set_to_be_repla...
Incidentally, the turf is being grown in Colorado.
Recently, the company has sodded Wrigley Field in Chicago, Coors Field in Denver and Target Field in Minneapolis. It also has done Notre Dame's football field, the Denver Broncos' Invesco Field at Mile High and several NFL practice facilities.
Interesting.
so it's the same sod as ours
by Jay , San Diego, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 08:30 (4974 days ago) @ Mike (Embrey)
but theirs is rooted in the Greentech grid (which includes an irrigation subsystem where they can pump water up from below and regulate the temperature, which tricks the grass into thinking it's still the summer and therefore stays green) and ours is just rooted in the Indiana hardpack.
I think we need the Greentech.
article on VT's field -- same system as MSU
by Jay , San Diego, Monday, June 27, 2011, 12:14 (4975 days ago) @ Jay
http://www.hunterindustries.com/resources/project_profiles/virgina_tech.html
The traditional method of installing the grass on a collegiate or professional football field has long been the same. Bring in roll after roll of specially grown turf and place them down in much the same manner as one would install rolls of carpet in their home. Then, allow the rolls to take root into the ground and blend themselves into one seamless surface.
At Lane Stadium at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia, they've decided to do things a little bit differently.
Lane Stadium, home of the Hokies, earned the distinction of becoming the first collegiate football facility in the nation to install an Integrated Turf Management (ITM) system. The innovative system - the brainchild of Green Tech, Inc. of Richmond, Virginia - features trays of natural turf positioned above asphalt. The result is a playing field that can be drained, dried and moved.
Hunter, the Overwhelming Choice
The Lane Stadium project also proved to be the first time an ITM system was installed with underground irrigation. At all other sites where trays were used, large volume irrigation was selected, with powerful above-ground heads spraying huge amounts of water over extremely large areas of coverage. These heads do get the job of watering done, but without the precision and efficiency of Hunter rotors. And without the safety, as well.
Project designer/builder Fritz Ballard and his crew from Ballard Sports of Cary, North Carolina made Hunter I-40 rotors their sprinklers of choice. "We wanted something that would give more effective coverage than Big Guns®," said Ballard, whose firm worked in tandem with the general contractor Delhi, New York-based Clark Companies (Clark had experience with an ITM installation at Giants Stadium in New Jersey). "And, believe it or not, our first choice of rotor also proved to be the only brand of rotor that would fit correctly within the confines of the ITM system."
Ballard chose Hunter I-40s not only for their superior performance and durability, but also because of their "˜friendliness' to athletes. "Thanks to the ProTechâ„¢ safety system (featuring a heavy-duty rubber cover and boot with the smallest exposed surface area of any rotor in its class), the I-40 reduces the possibility of contact with players. It's a friendlier rotor," said Ballard.
In all, (40) I-40 and (14) I-20 rotors were installed on the Lane Stadium playing surface, with several dozen more installed on the adjacent practice fields, which also feature the ITM system. Keeping the sideline areas lush and green are 40 Institutional Spray sprinklers. A 16-station ICC controller oversees irrigation of the main field while a second 16-station ICC commands the practice facility's (79) I-40 and (29) I-25 heads. A mix of 1 1/2" and 2" versions of the hard-working ICV valves have been installed throughout.
Once the system was in place, the grounds crew also added the new Hunter ICR long-range remote control to make maintenance and servicing of the entire irrigation system as easy as possible. With an operating range of up to two miles, and the ability to access a multiple of systems, the ICR is the ideal accessory for a facility as expansive as a collegiate football complex. The irrigation system also includes a Hunter Mini-Weather Station, which incorporates rain, freeze and wind sensors "all-in-one."
Why Trays?
Virginia Tech became the nation's first university to install the system, inspired by the success of ITM at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, home to two National Football League teams and a Major League Soccer franchise. In addition to pro sports, that facility also hosts numerous concerts throughout the year. The ITM system allows the playing surface to be removed for these heavy traffic events and then reinstalled quickly, keeping the turf in peak condition at all times.
At Virginia Tech, non-sports use of the facility was not the issue. Yet, the grounds crew and coaching staff at the school still saw the benefits of installing the ITM system. One of the prime reasons was the easy way worn portions of the field could be replaced.
In football, the areas between the "hash marks" in the "red zone" typically wear out faster than anywhere else. The middle of the field from the 20-yard-line to the goal line can easily become nothing more than dirt after a season of play. With the ITM system, the trays that receive more use during a game can simply be removed and switched with trays closer to the sidelines that typically see little or no action. By rotating the trays after games, all parts of the turf can get equal use by season's end, ensuring a field of uniform quality.
A second reason to go with the ITM system was that the ability to remove sections of the field would provide an advantage with the stadium's south end zone expansion project. "At some point during construction, large cranes will have to be brought in to lift large, pre-cast supports into place as the stands are being built," said Ballard. "Without trays, a new playing field, irrigation and drainage system would be damaged by the cranes. That would be money out the window."
Virginia Tech's old artificial turf surface was replaced with a 6" stone layer covered by precision-layered asphalt to eliminate any imperfections and ensure a level surface. Then, a total of 4,600 4' x 4' trays were placed on pedestals two to three inches above the asphalt base.
A guide system with foot locator pads helps ensure each tray's proper position. Tray walls fold down to join neighboring turf section and create a tight fit. The channels under each tray act as conduits for both a climate-control system that creates the ideal growing conditions, and for a vacuum system connecting 22 air vents that draws water from the trays and then flows into large drains on either side of the field.
For turf replacement, transportability and the cost savings over typical methods of re-sodding, nothing beats the ITM system (that's not even mentioning the ability to achieve increased revenue by bringing in events to a venue where a typical field would run the risk of turf damage).
And for attaining the best performance, the best coverage and the best fit (remember, it's the only brand that's designed to work with "trays") with the ITM system, nothing beats Hunter.
Tags:
field
2002: "the science behind the sod"
by Jay , San Diego, Monday, June 27, 2011, 11:54 (4975 days ago) @ Jay
http://news.msu.edu/story/2517/
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State University is converting the Spartan Stadium field from artificial turf to natural grass, creating a revolutionary field that combines the desirable playing field of natural turf with flexibility and ability to repair damage. John N. "Trey" Rogers III, MSU's "sultan of sod," who led the MSU team that created the revolutionary mobile indoor field for the 1994 World Cup in the Pontiac Silverdome, answers questions about the new Spartan field.
How is this done?
The process involves breaking the field into movable modules. This system is similar to the one developed by MSU scientists for the 1994 World Cup.
The major benefits of a modular field include rapid drainage and air exchange, as well as ease of field replacement and environmental control of the root zone. Worn modules can easily be removed and replaced, and the field is ready to play on in a matter of hours. Also, heaters can be implemented to keep the root zone warm enough to provide favorable growing conditions late in the playing season.
In addition, the modular system allows for remote planting and maturation.
What is the time frame?
The modules do not have to be seeded and grown at the playing field site, so there has been a lot of flexibility.
Spartan Stadium was seeded in May 2001 and has matured since. The field will be more than a year old when play begins Aug. 31.
What does this take to grow the grass? Construction of the Spartan Stadium field began in March 2001. Thirty-five people at three university farms filled 6,000 modules with gravel and a root zone consisting of 90 percent sand and 10 percent silt and clay.
Of these 6,000 modules, 4,800 were used for the field and the remaining 1,200 will be used for a replacement nursery.
This process took approximately one month.
Then you build it?
Yes. In May 2001, Clark Cos. of Delhi, N.Y., came to MSU to place the modules in the exact configuration of Spartan Stadium, add 4 more inches of root zone and do a final grade. This took approximately three weeks.
On May 25, the 13-25-12 starter fertilizer was applied to the surface. On May 26, the field was seeded with nine varieties of Kentucky bluegrass (Champagne, Coventry, Limousine, Midnight, Moonlight, North Star, Rugby II, Serene and Unique) at a rate of 1.3lbs/1000ft2. The seed was sown with a Brillion seeder and a rotary spreader.
Through the rest of the spring and summer, the field matured as workers controlled weeds, mowed, watered and fertilized regularly. Beginning in late summer and continuing through fall, the field was frequently top-dressed to achieve an extra half-inch of root zone. In mid-November, a snow mold treatment was applied.
With a healthy, mature Spartan field, phase one of the Spartan Stadium conversion project was completed.
Phase two began the second week of December with the removal of the artificial turf in Spartan Stadium. Phase two, which was completed in May, involved putting a new floor, underground irrigation and ducts for heating in Spartan Stadium.
The final phase of the conversion, moving the modular turf into the stadium, is scheduled to begin on June 10.
What's so cool about this field?
"Is it the first one? This is actually the third field to employ the modules made by GreenTech. The first was Giants Stadium in 2000, followed by Virginia Tech in 2001. MSU will become the first to utilize this system in a stadium floor completely renovated for the system.
The field will have forced air-heating capabilities from the sidelines, as well as in ground irrigation. The field will stay inside the stadium year-round, except to be pulled out for "outside events."
I think some kind of turf change is imminent
by Jay , San Diego, Monday, June 27, 2011, 10:50 (4975 days ago) @ KelleyCook
edited by Jay, Monday, June 27, 2011, 11:01
I wouldn't be surprised if it was after this season.
I base this on no insider knowledge; just reading actual news reports. Swarbrick's on record for making an improvement in field quality. I don't think anybody should be surprised when it happens.
I guess the only question is what turf system it will be. I hope it's the Grassmaster.
I, for one, will miss players getting stuck in mudflats
by Jim (fisherj08) , A Samoan kid's laptop, Monday, June 27, 2011, 11:33 (4975 days ago) @ Jay
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you could fill a highlight reel
by Jay , San Diego, Monday, June 27, 2011, 11:46 (4975 days ago) @ Jim (fisherj08)
with nothing but clips of Armando Allen tearing up divots.
Also, a film of ND players with grass stuck in facemasks
by Greg, seemingly ranch, Monday, June 27, 2011, 11:54 (4975 days ago) @ Jay
Or receivers falling down when they try to plant to catch passes. Or defensive backs losing their footing when they try to stop in coverage. Or kickers' plant feet sliding.
Mike Frank has said as much, most recently in the last PH
by hobbs, San Diego, CA, Monday, June 27, 2011, 11:21 (4975 days ago) @ Jay
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it's no secret
by Jay , San Diego, Monday, June 27, 2011, 11:23 (4975 days ago) @ hobbs
One hint of several over the past year and a half or so:
Q: How about the Field Turf issue? There's the tradition with the natural grass here, but there are times it's been a real struggle to have a playable football field.
Swarbrick: "I think there are two issues there. One is I was disappointed in our field this year. It wasn't where it needed to be and, frankly, that was without any real weather challenges.
"So we've got to make sure we get the field to a quality that makes sense. The other is, as the university considers doing more things in the stadium, we have to make sure we keep a natural grass field in the shape we want it to be, graduation being an example. That's where graduation is held now, in the stadium.
Yeah. Go watch the Utah highlights.
by Greg, seemingly ranch, Monday, June 27, 2011, 11:32 (4975 days ago) @ Jay
Kamara falling down, Floyd slipping and sliding all over the field, big chunks of grass and dirt everywhere. If we can't have decent grass in the stadium, it's time to get something that will allow a game of football to be played there.
The first week of October 2009...
by PMan , The Banks of the Spokane River, Monday, June 27, 2011, 11:51 (4975 days ago) @ Greg
Skip ahead to the 2:38 mark and watch Clausen after the play.
Will it be the slow stuff?
by River, Hell of the Upside Down Sinners, Monday, June 27, 2011, 11:26 (4975 days ago) @ Jay
You know ND will just screw it up.
Touchscreen field.
by Pete, Monday, June 27, 2011, 10:51 (4975 days ago) @ Jay
Steve Jobs has been quietly hired as a consultant. If a punter nails the Coffin Corner, it'll activate an app that makes the field flash and play "Y'all Ready for This?" over the stadium PA system.
Well, I know you're not "ready for this"...
by KGB, Belly o. the Beast, Monday, June 27, 2011, 11:16 (4975 days ago) @ Pete
...because you just referenced the "coffin corner". Punters actually using the sideline to pin the opposition deep instead of booting the ball directly into the middle of the end zone over and over? How very 1992 of you to consider such strategery.
field goal attempts replaced by Angry Birds
by Jay , San Diego, Monday, June 27, 2011, 10:54 (4975 days ago) @ Pete
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(guffaw)
by Mike (Embrey), Mountain Holler, Monday, June 27, 2011, 18:07 (4975 days ago) @ Jay
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Even Oregon doesn't have that!
by Greg, seemingly ranch, Monday, June 27, 2011, 10:53 (4975 days ago) @ Pete
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