Q & A WITH DR . GRADY MILLER

The amount of damage we have had on our school fields has been excessive . We had a lot of winter rains on poor-draining fields . The pandemic caused us to host fall and spring sports this spring , which really increased wear . Our users , parents and school officials are all disappointed in the field conditions , and are beginning to talk about options going forward . Replacing natural grass fields with synthetic surfaces keeps coming up . I prefer natural grass , but that is not my decision . What are your thoughts ?

I continue to get questions related to field conditions this spring , and this question is largely a continuation of my last Q & A . I have seen a number of fields that have shown their limitations with bare ground over significant portions of the field . Field managers have been explaining the issues to those questioning field conditions , but some people just do not understand how fields that had good turfgrass cover in previous years are now “ falling apart .”

The situation has become so bad that some schools have begun looking into field rebuilds later in the year . Some groups are thinking that a synthetic surface will solve all their maintenance problems . It still amazes me when I hear the amount of money a school is willing to spend on a synthetic field when they were reluctant to spend a small fraction of that cost on either the proper construction or maintenance of their natural grass field .

My suggestion , as an educator , is to try to educate those around you ( e . g . athletic director , school superintendent , etc .) that may be involved in this decision . I know some field managers are at ease with their school ’ s administration . However , others may not have that type of relationship . As the most informed person on field maintenance , I would encourage you to start gathering information on renovating and / or rebuilding your fields . If that is well beyond the scope of your position , at least offer to assist . This may be the best chance you have of getting a field built correctly .

One place to start would be to contact the Certified Field Builders in your state or area . To be certified they must have worked at least three years and have built at

least 20 projects . Not only must they demonstrate their expertise to be certified , but these experienced individuals also tend to have access to quality building materials at good prices . They can help develop a realistic construction budget and help ensure the end product will be a better-performing and safer facility for years to come . Depending on your field ’ s age and its original construction , you may be able to get by with a drainage and playing surface renovation , or they may recommend a total rebuild .

Many of these builders are also certified in constructing facilities that utilize synthetic turf on the playing surface , so they are able to make construction comparisons . If your school is really interested in switching to a synthetic surface , they should also educate themselves on not only the cost of installing these fields , but also the implications of using synthetic surfaces . There is substantial information available related to cost , management , injury rates and player preferences of using these surfaces that may surprise people at your school . The two most common surprises are the maintenance requirements for synthetic fields and the recent studies that show much higher injury rates on synthetic surfaces .

There is a lot of information available to those interested . A number of organizations — including Turf Producers International ( TPI ), Synthetic Turf Council , and STMA — have readily available resources related to the use of their products that can be downloaded and shared . The time you spend getting this information together can really pay big dividends toward getting quality fields for your school ’ s athletes .

SFM

Grady Miller , Ph . D . Professor and Extension Turf Specialist North Carolina State University

Questions ? Send them to Grady Miller at North Carolina State University , Box 7620 , Raleigh , NC 27695- 7620 , or e-mail grady _ miller @ ncsu . edu Or , send your question to Pamela Sherratt at 202 Kottman Hall , 2001 Coffey Road , Columbus , OH 43210 or sherratt . 1 @ osu . edu

50 SportsField Management | May 2021 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com