Penn State Univeristy (PSU) Is Very Happy With AstroTurf Field

Courtesy of The Daily Collegian
Written by Adam Michael
October 6, 2005

Prior to this year, field hockey conference competitors came into Penn State knowing victory in a deadlock was one bad bounce away.

This year, opposing teams are finding out they need to leave it all on the turf, because newly constructed AstroTurf Field is as smooth as they come.

The new $1.2-million home of the Nittany Lions is a field that is close to, if not the best collegiate field in the country, said Paul Ruskin, spokesman for Penn State's Office of the Physical Plant. In addition to the new field surface, construction included state-of-the-art water cannons, fencing, lighting, renovated bleachers and a new scoreboard.

"There's [a great field] at the U.S. Training Center in Virginia Beach. Michigan has its own field, but it can't compare to what we have here," Penn State field hockey coach Char Morett said.

"In previous years we've looked forward to going on the road and playing on other nice fields. We're very happy to be at home and are very happy to have the field that we have."

AstroTurf Field differs from several other fields in the country because the pitch was created with a layer of asphalt beneath the playing surface. The surface is smooth, but also expensive, said Sportexe East Region Sales Manager Lee DeFreitas, who represents the company that installed the turf.

"If you want to make the field roll like a pool table, you need to do it that way because it makes it nice and flat. That makes the ball roll smooth," DeFreitas said of the asphalt base.

The playing surface itself is composed of AstroTurf® 12, which DeFreitas said was an old favorite of field hockey.

"It's a short carpet-like product that is ideal for their game." DeFreitas said.

The field is probably most defined by its state-of-the-art watering system. The scheme is composed of six water cannons, one in each corner of the stadium ground and one on both sides of the mid-line. The cannons disperse water onto the field every game before pregame warmups and again during halftime. The spray from the cannons shoots to all lengths of the field and distributes water evenly on the surface.

Morett said a change was needed because a dry field in combination with the makeup of the ball causes the ball to spin and skip. The friction from the water then helps the ball to glide. The water also has an additional benefit because it slows balls that would normally have run out of bounds on dry turf.

The spacing of the water cannons has helped with practice efficiency as well.

"During practice, if one side of the field is getting dry, we can just work on the other end of the field and turn on the cannons on the other," Morett said.

Fencing surrounding the entire playing surface, a small but important feature, has also been beneficial to practice.

"It keeps the ball from going all over the place and keeps the field contained," Morett said.

Morett said that the field has aided in the recruiting process not only because it is an "awesome" field to play on, but also because the setting is designed specifically for field hockey purposes.

"It doesn't have lines from football or anywhere else," Morett said. "It shows a true commitment from the university to the field hockey program."

Ruskin said that the university felt the field hockey team needed its own field for play.

"The old field was a multiple usage facility. This one is dedicated specifically for field hockey," Ruskin said. "It's exactly what you need."

Construction for the field began last fall and was completed in April of this year. DeFreitas said installation of the turf alone took eight weeks. The new field is located just next to Bigler field behind the Shields building.