Tough turf.The University of Utah The University of Utah (also The U or the U of U or the UU), located in Salt Lake City, is the flagship public research university in the state of Utah, and one of 10 institutions that make up the Utah System of Higher Education. is experimenting with the latest in sports-field technology: "SportGrass," a new combination of grass and artificial turf Artificial turf, or synthetic turf, is a grass-like man-made surface manufactured from synthetic materials. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass, however, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial . Why the new field? After a season of wear and tear, traditional grass fields have to be replaced. Artificial turf is more durable. But 93 percent of pro football players believe that this smooth surface leads to more injuries because it doesn't give their cleats enough traction, or grip. "I kept watching the football injuries and wondering, `Is there a better way?"' says Jerry Bergevin, the inventor of Sportgrass. "Then I got the idea to combine the best of both worlds: natural grass and artificial turf." On a Sportgrass field, grass grows through holes in a "carpet" of tough plastic fibers (see diagram, right). The grass roots grass roots pl.n. (used with a sing. or pl. verb) 1. People or society at a local level rather than at the center of major political activity. Often used with the. 2. The groundwork or source of something. grow down underneath the carpet, anchoring the whole surface to the ground, says Ross Little Ross Little (born July 13, 1990 in Manchester, now lives in Bury, Lancashire) is an English television actor and badminton player. As well as being an actor for the BBC on the highly successful television show Born and Bred , president of the SportGrass company. The plastic fibers protect the grass root and crowns, the growing tips of the grass. Trampling cleats still shear shear: see strength of materials. Shear A straining action wherein applied forces produce a sliding or skewing type of deformation. off the tops of the blades, but the crowns below the surface grow right back, explains Sue Pope, grounds supervisor at the University of Utah. Since a full inch and a half of grass grows above the plastic fibers, it cushions falls and gives players the traction they need, she says. "It's great grass to play on," says Utah player Henry Lusk. "It feels soft when you're tackled and fast when you run." But before you send your coach shopping for a new field, take note: Sportgrass, costs more to install than artificial turf or regular grass, says Brian Nielson, director of grounds and buildings at the University of Utah. And like grass, it requires constant upkeep. Still, at least one high school in Washington is trying out the new turf. And, says Ross Little, "we're going to make it to the NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga very soon!" |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion