Astroturf question

[slapshot]

I worked the chain crew at a college football game today. The field had the old traditional carpet astroturf. It was surprisingly soft and spongy, it didn't feel like cement at all. At least to stand and walk on, I wasn't getting tackled so I can't speak about it's shock absorbency. It did heat up the air around it by 20 or so degrees.

Here is my observation...I had these little shavings all over my shoes and socks. Most were white, a few were green. I don't know if the field had just been painted, but when I rubbed my hand over the lines it didn't turn white. But they covered my ankles, and I could feel them prickling my feet all game. Very annoying to say the least.

Has anyone else been on the original Astroturf before and had shavings all over their feet? I know with the new FieldTurf that the black rubber fill comes up and sticks to shoes and socks, but I have never heard or seen it with the original fake (nice oxymoron) stuff.

[pcgd]

I went to a football came at Illinois before they switched to Fieldturf. (oh, and every turf is different. I've always heard that Wisconsin's was terrible from my friends that played games there, Illinois was also pretty bad. I had a camp at Indiana State U and their's wasn't too bad. Depends on the padding and the age of the turf) Anyway, like I said, Illinois was pretty rough. It was hard and it was old, so it didn't have any "fibers" anymore. I guess that's the best way to put it. The soles of my shoes around the edge got green fakes on them, but I didn't notice any white ones. I don't remember them itching.

Yeah, Field Turf does that. Carthage, my alma mater, had that and I had the "luxury" of playing on it when it was brand new. Until it settles in, those black rubber things are real bad. If a ball is rolling no the ground and the tip hits the ground, it'll look like it hit black sand. The game socks still got crap in them and that was 4 years ago.

The next year it wasn't a problem at all.

Anyway, turf sucks. I love FieldTurf even more than grass for football at least. Constant footing no matter the weather. And it was soft, didn't heat up too bad either.

[jkrdevil]

I had a chance to go on the old Vet turn a while ago. It was hard, and that's an understatement.

[Stampman]

I did the chain thing in high school, but it was real grass--so can't really compare--but chalk comes off of grass very easily...

[winters in buffalo]

I've only been on two turf fields, but neither was to play on.

One was at Jamestown (NY) HS. I was there for a track meet in high school and warmed up on the turf. It was hard, but not like concrete - actually felt like there was plywood underneath. It had a bit of bounce to it. I dont remeber getting any fibers on me, but when I was strecthing, the surface was scratching me, even through my clothes.

I ran some drills on turf at Ralph Wilson Stadium, probably 7 or 8 years ago. My cousin won one of those field day contests and asked me to go along. The turf there was pretty hard, and even more scratchy that the one in Jamestown. But, I don't recall any fibers there either.

I was on the field during halftime at the last game the Bills played on the old turf 2 years ago, but I didn't pay much attention to the surface that day.

[Thad]

Played a baseball game in the Vet... we weren't allowed to slide. It was like playing on the driveway - one kid fell over first and hit his elbow on the turf... it was pretty bad.

[Puckguy14]

I played flag football on Astro Turf at my junior college. It made me a lot faster. However the disadvantage is when you try to cut. I remember when Rod Woodson at the time with Pittsburgh and tried to make a cut and basically made his knee go the same way and tore his knee up BADLY.

I will say this, it's more bouncier when it has moisture on it. After a rain storm, its actually just as good as dry grass.

BTW, My soles on my shoes tend to be green, no itching, except when the field is over 130 degrees.

[Dilbert]

When I was about six or seven I walked on the turf at Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field in Cincy for some kind of YMCA games. One of the times it was set as the REDS field (without the basepaths and pitchers mound, home plate) , the other it was set for the BENGALS( no field goal posts or lines) It was very hard surface. I had also walked on the turf at Nippert Stadium(UC football) before it had changed to Field turf. I cant quite remember how hard it was , but It gave my brother a "turf burn" . I still have the little black things in my sox from that field.

[mjrbaseball]

I have been on a number of Astroturf® fields over the years (including Veterans Stadium).

It seems fields designed for baseball and football are different. There is more foam padding under the actual turf on a football-only field. That's because a baseball would hardly bounce at all if it had that much padding.

On a baseball-only or multi-purpose field like the Vet, the padding under the turf is minimal -- maybe 0.5 cm of foam or less. It is therefor very hard when playing football on it.

[Discrim]

i barely missed playing on Carthage's new field by a year, cus we'd gone down to beat the hell outta Bradford and i got some garbage time...perfect irony cus the grass they were using at the time was near garbage.

as all turf isn't created equal, neither is all grass. although for what it's worth, one of my linemates went up to a UW camp before senior season and the verdict was the turf sucked.

[phillyfan36]

i, too, have been on the vet's turf - it was so hard, it was like they took concrete and just painted green on it

i have also been on the grass at the linc and at citizens bank park because of my sports connections and they are great - especially CBP

[JamesCraven]

Join the club. I've been on the AstroTurf® at The Vet (also the NexTurf there as well), Franklin Field, Temple's Geasey Field and Villanova. All of them were nothing more than painted concrete. The new SprinTurf at Franklin Field is an improvement, as is Villanova's AstroPlay, but NOTHING beats the real stuff.

[pcgd]

i barely missed playing on Carthage's new field by a year, cus we'd gone down to beat the hell outta Bradford and i got some garbage time...perfect irony cus the grass they were using at the time was near garbage.

as all turf isn't created equal, neither is all grass. although for what it's worth, one of my linemates went up to a UW camp before senior season and the verdict was the turf sucked.

Yeah, I missed that grass by a year in the other direction! And of course it was garbage....Football, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, Games, Practices, Scrany runts from Bradford wanting to play on it

But even all fieldturf is created different. North Park University (chicago) also in Carthage's conference has a Field Turf soccer field. The difference is they use sand instead of rubber. The soccer players I know absolutly hate it. They'd rather play on Astroturf. (ok...that's probably an exageration)

Played on Marquette's "Football" Field and they have astroturf. Its actually the nicest astroturf I was ever on. Of course its barely used and that may be why.

[Shmee]

My story's a bit different. Before my family moved to this house, our old casa had a greenhouse connected to the main building that we used quite often. The floor in there, since it was an all glass room (walls and ceiling), was covered in oldschool astroturf. It was very green, and very weird. I spent a lot of time playing in there, and I must say the stuff got pretty itchy. It stuck to my socks and pants, and my parents would always find little shavings all over the house.

[pflava]

I played on the turf at Rice Stadium in the late 80's, and it was awful. It was a Sept. game, inexplicably scheduled during the day, so it was a crisp, cool 110 degrees on the field. My feet were burning through the bottom of my shoes if I stood in the same place for more than a few seconds. Anyway, it was like playing on green sandpaper, and all of us got nasty turf burns.

I've been on a few Fieldturf fields, and they were impressive. Still, I prefer real grass.