Spring Break
The Daily OrangeTurf War
By Mike Janela
Posted: 4/6/05, 12:13 AM EST Section: Sports
Damien Rhodes loves snapping off breakaway runs on the Carrier Dome turf. Nothing quite like that fast surface when you get into the open field, he says.
But Rhodes hates the toll the Dome's carpet has taken on his body. He has the wounds to back his case.
"I've scored some touchdowns on it," the Syracuse football team's starting running back said. "We've had some big wins on it. But I've had a couple burns that I would like to take back, some scars on my arms and knees that I wish weren't there."
Rhodes and the rest of the SU football team won't have to worry about scars and burns much more if the Carrier Dome replaces its current surface with a new, synthetic grass system this summer, an option that Dome managing director Pat Campbell says his staff is investigating.
The most famous of these synthetic grass companies is FieldTurf, which holds 11 patents regarding the production, composition and installation of such a surface.
FieldTurf's product attempts to replicate the feeling of natural grass by using Polyethylene fibers - which feel like soft blades of grass - and silica sand and cryogenic rubber to create an artificial earth.
According to its Web site, FieldTurf's product feels "like new blades of grass in a spring meadow" and is brazenly dubbed "The Greatest Turf on Earth."
But Campbell says not so fast. While the Dome is investigating a switch from its abrasive Astro Turf surface, no specific replacement product has been chosen. He said SU must still look into the histories, playability, injury experience and acceptance of NFL and NCAA teams of numerous turf suppliers such as A-Turf, Evergrass and FieldTurf.
"FieldTurf is sort of like Kleenex," Campbell said. "You just ask for a Kleenex but you don't know what you're getting. It's become just the common name for turf. There's several out there that we have to look at."
If players' and coaches' testimonials are any indication, Campbell ought to have a very quick look and replace the Dome's surface as soon as he can.
But Rhodes hates the toll the Dome's carpet has taken on his body. He has the wounds to back his case.
"I've scored some touchdowns on it," the Syracuse football team's starting running back said. "We've had some big wins on it. But I've had a couple burns that I would like to take back, some scars on my arms and knees that I wish weren't there."
Rhodes and the rest of the SU football team won't have to worry about scars and burns much more if the Carrier Dome replaces its current surface with a new, synthetic grass system this summer, an option that Dome managing director Pat Campbell says his staff is investigating.
The most famous of these synthetic grass companies is FieldTurf, which holds 11 patents regarding the production, composition and installation of such a surface.
FieldTurf's product attempts to replicate the feeling of natural grass by using Polyethylene fibers - which feel like soft blades of grass - and silica sand and cryogenic rubber to create an artificial earth.
According to its Web site, FieldTurf's product feels "like new blades of grass in a spring meadow" and is brazenly dubbed "The Greatest Turf on Earth."
But Campbell says not so fast. While the Dome is investigating a switch from its abrasive Astro Turf surface, no specific replacement product has been chosen. He said SU must still look into the histories, playability, injury experience and acceptance of NFL and NCAA teams of numerous turf suppliers such as A-Turf, Evergrass and FieldTurf.
"FieldTurf is sort of like Kleenex," Campbell said. "You just ask for a Kleenex but you don't know what you're getting. It's become just the common name for turf. There's several out there that we have to look at."
If players' and coaches' testimonials are any indication, Campbell ought to have a very quick look and replace the Dome's surface as soon as he can.
