Turf at the Doyt

[dstubb]

Am re-watching last Sat's game on ESPN3, and man, our field looks pretty bad on TV. I don't know what it takes to update the logos and end zone "paint," but it needs to get done. Everything looks faded and washed out.

[Falcon Commander]

there isn't any budget for "Repairs & Maintenance" at BGSU

[Dayons_Den]

It should be noted, however, that although turf requires (obviously) less maintenance than the real stuff, regular maintenance is require to keep it fresh and safe. Not only does it need to be dragged to keep looking sharp but the crushed rubber needs replenished and it needs to be cleaned to kill bacteria etc.

I trust that like any X-thousand dollar investment that it is being taken care of and wasn't just seen as an end all be all in regards to the playing surface.

[Bubba Bo Bob Brain]

It should be noted, however, that although turf requires (obviously) less maintenance than the real stuff, regular maintenance is require to keep it fresh and safe. Not only does it need to be dragged to keep looking sharp but the crushed rubber needs replenished and it needs to be cleaned to kill bacteria etc.

I trust that like any X-thousand dollar investment that it is being taken care of and wasn't just seen as an end all be all in regards to the playing surface.

You are absolutely correct about what the turf requires, in addition to being watered to keep the heat down in the summer. Unfortunately, your trust is misplaced. The powers that be heard the sales people say "maintenance free" and took them at their word.

http://www.fieldturf.com/artificial-turf-maintenance/ lists several things:
BARS Maintenance
Brushing - Rejuvenates the matted fibers and levels the top portion of the infill.
Aerating - Minimizes risk of slight compaction, by penetrating and loosening the infill with rotating tines.
Raking - Prevents fibers from matting down and ensures infill is loosened.
Sweeping - Ensures debris doesn't get into the infill.
Other necessary maintenance procedures should be done periodically and according to FieldTurf’s maintenance guidelines.

http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/afdevel ... ffield.pdf
is a great document explaining what needs done and why.
It lists
- maintenance equipment, which the athletic department probably owns if the tractor purchased when the field was installed isn't being used in lieu of a lack of tractors for everything else the athletic department and golf course might need.
- weekly maintenance which may or may not be done before a home game, but most likely is not being done the rest of the time during practice season
- irrigation and waterfall. I wonder if it's EVER been done.
- leveling the in-fill
- additional maintenance

But, as with most things at BGSU (not just at Athletics), we like things when they are shiny and new. Taking proper care and doing proper maintenance is another thing altogether. Paying people to make the big decisions is far more important than paying to keep a proper staff of underlings to maintain the place.

[TG1996]

I could be mistaken, but I don't believe it's a "paint" issue. All of the colors (at least the orange in the end zones) is the color of the "grass", not paint. I noticed from the stands Saturday that a lot more of the black rubber pellets seemed to be visible, which mutes the brightness of the orange and white, for sure. I suppose it's possible the grass is laying down a bit to make the pellets more visible, but I don't think it's a "not painting it" issue at all.

Also, there was some type of vehicular activity on the field hours after the game, which seemed to me (from a distance and through trees/fence signage - which looks fantastic, btw!) to be a turf maintenance-type vehicle.

[Falcon137]

It should be noted, however, that although turf requires (obviously) less maintenance than the real stuff, regular maintenance is require to keep it fresh and safe. Not only does it need to be dragged to keep looking sharp but the crushed rubber needs replenished and it needs to be cleaned to kill bacteria etc.

I trust that like any X-thousand dollar investment that it is being taken care of and wasn't just seen as an end all be all in regards to the playing surface.

You are absolutely correct about what the turf requires, in addition to being watered to keep the heat down in the summer. Unfortunately, your trust is misplaced. The powers that be heard the sales people say "maintenance free" and took them at their word.

This is not true. BG does rake and maintain the field. TG is right, the endzones and logos are not painted on, they are colored turf sown together with the rest of the field, same for the yard lines and numbers.

How much do you want to bet if BG spent money putting new endzones in people on here would be pissing and moaning that they could have spent that $5,000 or whatever it cost towards baseball scholarships or women's cross country and that it was a waste of money. "Women's cross country needs new locker rooms and Christopher spent money on new endzones....our athletic department is full of idiots."

[Rightupinthere]

The turf was in great shape and I had a fairly close view of it. The fibers are colored plastic and not paint. The only "rough" spot is where the visiting team likes to burrow holes into the turf on their sideline. Nice and disrespectful, but what do you expect?

I was on the turf Saturday and it was bouncy and smooth as ever [still miss grass but only because it gave me something to jam my stick into. ] If there was no maintenance, that would have been obvious by now.

Cheers.

[TG1996]

[still miss grass but only because it gave me something to jam my stick into. ]

Ummm... TMI?