Sportsfield Management October 2024 | Page 35

JOHN MASCARO ’ S PHOTO QUIZ

ANSWER

From page 17

This brown circular area on the NFL practice field in Houston , Texas is the result of a stationary tackling dummy that sits on a weighted tire that the team uses in practice drills . The training staff for the team has been using these dummies for many years now , and this was the first time they had ever seen this happen . The model they were using had oil in the tire located on the bottom of the unit for stability and additional weight — presumably to create a heavier base . Somehow , during practice , the tire popped off the rim and leaked the oil onto the field . The grounds crew saw the oil the day of the spill , so they tried to wash it through the soil profile with soap and water . The damage appeared over the next few days and progressively got worse . To ensure there were no future issues , the crew drained all the remaining oil out of this unit and washed the inside of the tire out . They then replaced the oil with water in this unit , as well as repeating this process with the other units the team uses for practices . Due to the damage , the crew also had to resod the area with thick cut sod from their turf supplier . Unfortunately , you never know when a dummy is going to take a leak on your field .

Photo submitted by Jonathan Wolf , assistant sports fields and grounds manager with ASM Global / Houston Texans . Kevin Hansen is the sports fields manager .

John Mascaro is president of Turf-Tec International

If you would like to submit a photograph for John Mascaro ’ s Photo Quiz , please send a high-resolution digital photo to John Mascaro via email at john @ turf-tec . com . If your photograph is selected , you will receive full credit . All photos submitted will become property of SportsField Management magazine and the Sports Field Management Association .

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