Oklahoma high school football stadiums have turf fields? Simply usability

As every new high school football season comes, new high school stadiums are being opened in the Oklahoma City metro area increasingly. 
 
From the small institutions such as Blanchard to the large ones such as Edmond Memorial and Edmond North, various teams have in the recent past been provided with new fields. 
 
This year again will not be an exception and both South more and West more will be playing in new stadiums. 
 
As you can see, there is only one component that in common with all these fields, that is the fact that all of them have turf instead of grass. 

Attend a high school football game this coming fall and there is almost a guarantee that one will see a turf field, not always though. The controversy over which type of playing field is safer for the players is still a concern today; however, for those involved in the Oklahoma high school football, turf is home, and it’s just as safe as the natural grass. 
 
“We track concussions, and it doesn’t matter,” Edmond Public Schools athletic director Mike Nunley said. “Well I must tell you this in football, a couple of years ago, we had more concussion incidences in basketball and wrestling than in football put together. ” 
 
One of the things that people have complained about concerning the turf fields is the heat, especially during the summer when it can get even hotter as compared to natural grass. 

The three Moore public schools are fighting against that. 
 
In what could be as much as a color change, they’re switching from the black rubber infill used previously to the BrockFill, a wood particle infill. 
 
“It’s going to keep the field up to 20 degrees cooler than the temperature around, So it is not the black infill It is a fiber infill So we are very much excited about that,” Mashburn, the athletic director Westmoore. “That is quite a major point and that will help in eliminating the incidences of heat stroke and those related to the kids when they are practicing in early season. ” 
 
Moore High, which was the home field of its two crosstown rivals previous to this year, had been tarted up with a new field at the end of May, and all three schools in the district combined have the wood infill. 
 
Moore coach Greg Bryant has however noted a big difference. 
 
“I think with this new turf now it is a bit more cooler hence the technology in installing the turf has advanced. ” “You are very similar to how it would feel to touch grass. ” 
 
Concerning injuries, there is disagreement on whether or not turf is more beneficial as evidenced by the following findings. 
 
Trobaugh, an athletic trainer, who works at Deer Creek, has not experienced directly a serious problem with injuries in turf. 
 
“The teams that I’ve covered on natural grass and turf about 90% of my 20-year career are familiar with the field,” Trobaugh said. “Well, I cannot truthfully say that I have had an increase in orthopedic injuries like some ATs have had Lot of fields ATs have got a new turf and they have observed that athletic trainers have More Ankle and knee injuries, I have never been able to observe that in the schools that I have worked for. ” 
 
Deer Creek still utilizes the rubber infill so the heat is one thing that Trobaugh has to be weary of during this time of the year. 
 
“The most significant issue for me has been thinking about the kids and how they react to heat on a turf field; you install a turf type of surface and almost immediately you are worrying more heat 25/30 degrees warmer air temp around it because when the turf heat up it does not cool like grass does,” he said. 
 
A high school having turf instead of natural grass has several benefits that one can easily consider. 
 
All three Edmond public schools have turf fields, and from Nunleys perspective, the benefits are significantly greater than the disadvantages, which, oddly enough, exist for Edmond as well during summer hot temperatures, and the dreary fact that one has to replace them after ten years or so. 
 
“The specifics of our design approach as well as the details of its execution would reveal our focus on usability alone,” Nunley said. “You exercise on it every day, you can do puzzles on it every day. Ours were heavy use areas, and that would be Number One. 
 
“No. 2 is the maintenance, which means it’s not going to save you money, well, except manpower, man time, which can be better invested elsewhere, working on other projects of the major university like OU, which is in need of synthetic turf for athletic fields knowing that they will be playing only six games a year on the said turf and not practicing on it as well. 
 
No argument can be made about the fact that turf is easier from the aspect of an administrator. 
 
But for a player there is that feeling which can only be described if one has stepped onto a natural grass field. 
 
“When it’s all said and done, I’m just a backyard football kid that hoped to make it. ” Edmond Santa Fe high school’s running back and now an Arizona State commit Demarius Robinson. 
 
On one hand, Robinson has fond memories of playing on grass but on the other hand he has some on turf. 
 
“From my childhood I played on grass and I felt that all my life I have been on grass courts only,” he said. I guess grass is my favorite, but if wetted it will be even better. To be very truthful to you, I have made many touchdowns in grass do you know. That yet, where the circumstances and conditions have been right, turf has proven to be favorable. 
 
“Turf monsters are a thing and have claimed the ACL of many teammates They are more common today and so is the shoe Cleats have been altered to reduce the injuries You even have lineman wearing guards for their knees. ” 
 
Bryant attended Edmond Santa Fe and played for the Western Michigan University at the defensive line. 
 
He has also observed that turf fields can be somewhat rough but he has not doubt about the advantages. 
 
‘Compared to a grass field, it’s not as soft for the body,’ Bryant said. “And to let it, it can wear one out, which is why the NFLPA doesn’t want turf fields in the NFL But for what we do, we can, with very low care, have a premium playing surface all twelve months of the year. ”