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Just something I'd like to know. How many ( % or otherwise) of today's competition fields "artificial"? Thanks. Not, it's not a drug problem. I'm just curious.

Appreciatively.....mario

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more than you would think.... despite the trend a few years ago back to natural grass due to supposed injuries... artificial is cheaper in the long run... I think 3/4 of our shows were artificial

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Just something I'd like to know. How many ( % or otherwise) of today's competition fields "artificial"? Thanks. Not, it's not a drug problem. I'm just curious.

Appreciatively.....mario

Are you talking marching surfaces or corps? DCI is full of artificial corps....

Kaboom!

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well the newer turf is a lot safer than the old carpet like Scranton had

more than you would think.... despite the trend a few years ago back to natural grass due to supposed injuries... artificial is cheaper in the long run... I think 3/4 of our shows were artificial
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more than you would think.... despite the trend a few years ago back to natural grass due to supposed injuries... artificial is cheaper in the long run... I think 3/4 of our shows were artificial

TOM, KA - BOOM, JEFF...THANK MUCH!....MARIO

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well the newer turf is a lot safer than the old carpet like Scranton had

Heck, yeah! Modern turf has a lot more give to it than that old tartan turf silliness and feels much more like a normal grass surface, just flatter and less bumpy.

I think more and more HS are buying into resurfacing with it now because I think in the long run, it might be acttually be safer and cheaper to maintin it for its lifetime than a natural surface. The HS field in Cumberland, MD is really outstanding in that aspect if you want a good example.

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In some of the areas down here in "metro Atlanta" GA the artificial fields are great. Cheaper in the long run for the schools because the heat kills the organic (?) fields, feels much closer to the real thing compared to the older artificial fields and they have some give.. i remember almost twisting my ankle in the GA Dome on their old turf in 1995 because it felt like my feet were stuck to the ground.

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:thumbup:

The change to "field turf" from Astroturf or Tartan made a big difference in how heat was absorbed into the surface during really HOT days..I know that the biggest change I remember was when NIU in DeKalb went to the new turf back in 2002 or 2003 I think..

When I arrived at the Stadium on Friday morning to help set up the video cables and mikes, I actually thought at a distance they had gone back to grass. From 50-100 feet away in low light, it looked like the real deal. Anyone who had marched on the old turf in DeKalb will attest to it being too spongy, and if it was hot, forget it..No relief.. At least it was never a situation like Scranton with the d### cut-outs and the clay they used in the cutouts instead of some real dirt.. That's why folks almost killed themselves in '03 or '04 after it rained..Maybe clay works better for baseball..Peronally, I always thought Tartan or Astroturf was 'slippery when wet', sometimes dangerously so..

I know the stuff they have at TCF Bank Stadium at the "U" looks really nice and drains REALLY QUICK!!

During that deluge we witnessed, after they let us out of the restrooms, we could see that the field was covered in water, so much so that many of the yardlines, hashes and the "M" at the center of the field were illegible...took about 20 minutes to drain..Amazing!!

Pat

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Let's see . . . for our regular season competitions this year:

Madison: turf

Stillwater: turf

Minneapolis (DCI MN): turf

Jamestown: turf

Racine: grass

Kenosha: grass turf (thanks, JC!)

St. Peter: grass

S. St. Paul: grass

So I guess about 50-50 for us.

As noted, turf fields vary almost as much as grass fields although they rarely need to be mowed.

Edited by MBIBari
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