Practice Facilities and Artificial Surface

[joeboo22]

Re: Practice Facilities and Artificial Surface

For what?

I think I agree with that..... if the field was used more then 15 times a year I could see the argument but I'm not sold on Field turf yet, I had 2 friends brake bones in there feet playing on field turf, also some people don't understand that there is maintance with field turf also.....

[filbert]

Re: Practice Facilities and Artificial Surface

Meh. ESPN article (AP source) quoted some players as appreciating the field, and the Packers had been using it on their practice field already.

Oh, come on now, I don't think that deserved a "meh."

[JACKGUYII]

Re: Practice Facilities and Artificial Surface

For what?

Football Practice (year around)
Softball and Baseball Teams can work out
Marching Band Practice and Competitions
Area High School Football Games and Playoffs
Outdoor Concerts
Intramural Events
Summer Football Camps
Soccer Practice

I'm sure there are other activities that I have not listed. Some of these will generate additional revenue. The chance of another situation like the UW Lacrosse game is likely. That would have never happened with a good playing surface. Would love to hear feeback of past and current players on whether they would support a new surface at CAS.

[EQguy]

Re: Practice Facilities and Artificial Surface

I am on record saying part of the homefield advantage of CAS is that it is a grass field. I think removing it would be a mistake. Now a practice turf would be nice to have for weeks when the team is playing on turf and to help ease the beating the grass fields take.

Some thought about JGII's things that can be done on a turf CAS.

Football Practice (year around) - Maybe, but the more use the FT gets the shorter its life
Softball and Baseball Teams can work out - They need indoor facilities, when its nice enough to be outside they have fields
Marching Band Practice and Competitions - they can do that on grass also.
Area High School Football Games and Playoffs - why would anyone leave their home field? The dome will host the champs as long as their isn't another indoor facility.
Outdoor Concerts - they could be regardless of FT or grass
Intramural Events - they already have a beautiful area
Summer Football Camps - not much gained there
Soccer Practice - NOT ON YOUR LIFE...Having soccer markings on the field at CAS would be worse than having a hs football team playing on it.

[zooropa]

Re: Practice Facilities and Artificial Surface

Football Practice (year around)
Softball and Baseball Teams can work out
Marching Band Practice and Competitions
Area High School Football Games and Playoffs
Outdoor Concerts
Intramural Events
Summer Football Camps
Soccer Practice

I'm seeing a consistent thread here: 'practice'. I don't like the idea of using CAS as the all-purpose practice facility, as it's not very practice friendly.

[zooropa]

Re: Practice Facilities and Artificial Surface

Oh, come on now, I don't think that deserved a "meh."

Better a 'meh' than a 'feh'!!!!

[zooropa]

Re: Practice Facilities and Artificial Surface

having a field turf practice field would definitely be a nice perk that I bet Stig and a few of your other coaches would enjoy.

I'm pretty sure the thinking is 'fieldturf + fieldhouse'.

IMO, only if it becomes apparent that a fieldhouse is a nonstarter, will you see talk of a fieldturf practice facility.

[CatchEmAll]

Re: Practice Facilities and Artificial Surface

I'll throw my 2 cents in as a former player.

I always loved the grass field at CAS over any other surface we played on back in the early 90's in the NCC. Over the years though there have been many issues with the grass field (in the last decade) that have made me re-think my feelings of grass versus artifical surface. Anyone remember the early 2000's when the field was killed inadvertantly. That was fun. Mud bowls. Good times.

Here's my thoughts as we head into playoff football (yes, there will be playoff football at CAS). Some people like the "home field advantage" and letting the elements factor into deciding a game. Well lets assume we get an extended fall and end up playing our first ever playoff game on a muddy field against a similar team and that comes down to SDSU needing a FG to win...only the kicker slips on the approach and SDSU looses due to field conditions. How many who are opposed to artifical surface are then back on here screaming for it because SDSU lost a game due to a crappy field. Everyone I'm guessing. Chances of that scenario actually happening, slim, but you get my point.

At this point I'd be in favor of an artificial surface because the surfaces have advanced so much in the past 15-20 years. CAS can still be a great field, and the home field advantage should have little to do with the surface one is playing on and more to the crowd and atmosphere. I'm pretty sure that Stig would adjust recruiting styles if he saw fit to play on an artificial surface as well. No coach in their right mind would be pissed at getting an upgraded playing surface and worry about not having an advantage on game day just because they are no longer playing on grass. Think of it, every team SDSU plays has a grass practice field so it's not like they are walking on grass for the first time ever at CAS. Just like when we go play on artificial surface...wait, we don't have one of those. And yes, there is an adjustment going from grass practice to artificial surface to play.

Conclusion, South Dakota's weather in the fall is way to unpredictable so there's no way to ever know if a grass field on Saturday's is going to be playable or not. I'd be very much in favor of watching quality football on an artifical surface every home Saturday regardless of the weather rather than tune in on a rainy Saturday knowing it's going to be the most boring 3-0 ever due to the conditions. And besides, who wants to re-live the "game that shall not be mentioned" ever again.

[EQguy]

Re: Practice Facilities and Artificial Surface

I gotta tell ya. I am still in favor of grass but after seeing Augie's new field and stadium it dang near made me change my thoughts. That is a first class setup.

[JACKGUYII]

Re: Practice Facilities and Artificial Surface

I gotta tell ya. I am still in favor of grass but after seeing Augie's new field and stadium it dang near made me change my thoughts. That is a first class setup.

I'm all for natural grass if we could maintain the grass consistently, control the weather and not have more than one team playin on it. Let's look at the difference between Augie's new field this spring and SDSU's.

http://www.goaugie.com/photo_gallery.aspx?gallery=29

http://www.brookingsregister.com/V2_...d=5014&page=77

I know which one I would rather play on!

[RabbitObsessed]

Re: Practice Facilities and Artificial Surface

I'm all for natural grass if we could maintain the grass consistently, control the weather and not have more than one team playin on it. Let's look at the difference between Augie's new field this spring and SDSU's.

http://www.goaugie.com/photo_gallery.aspx?gallery=29

http://www.brookingsregister.com/V2_...d=5014&page=77

I know which one I would rather play on!

Yeah, but removing the possibly for muddy games means there will never be another memorable game ever at CAS.

Sorry, just the facts.

[JimmyJack]

Re: Practice Facilities and Artificial Surface

Has anybody seen the track facility on the BHS campus lately? With a few additions, it would be a very nice high school football facility. There are nice stands on the south side that were built over the summer. If they were extended the full length of the field on that side, they would have enough seating for home BHS fans. Add some lights and some temporary bleachers on the north side (over the track) and you'd have a pretty nice on-campus BHS football facility.

Anybody know if there's any talk of bringing football back to the BHS campus?

[CatchEmAll]

Re: Practice Facilities and Artificial Surface

Yeah, but removing the possibly for muddy games means there will never be another memorable game ever at CAS.

Sorry, just the facts.

So a muddy field equals memorable games? I would have to say as a player the memories I have were from the crowds we put in the stands and the outcome of the games, not a muddy field.

Off topic, but I remember my first fall as a student coach standing on the field for the first home game with Steven Heiden. I pulled him aside when the Pride came marching down the street and told him to soak it in a little bit. And when the Pride marched into CAS I grabbed him again and told him to enjoy the atmosphere of CAS. I remember those momements and for two years watched another young player taking in the atmosphere of CAS, not the condition of the field.

[SturgisJeff]

Re: Practice Facilities and Artificial Surface

I doubt you'll ever see field turf or any articficial turf at Green Bay.

[zooropa]

Re: Practice Facilities and Artificial Surface

Well lets assume we get an extended fall and end up playing our first ever playoff game on a muddy field against a similar team and that comes down to SDSU needing a FG to win...only the kicker slips on the approach and SDSU looses due to field conditions

Who's more likely to slip? The SDSU kicker that's used to playing and practicing on grass, and in iffy field conditions, or the fieldturf kicker?

Re: Playoffs

Lambeau field, according to that article, needed to be resodded between the hashes once a season. Based on the season finale last year, SDSU is pushing the extreme outer limits of what the midfield grass can stand, so either resod it (have BHS kick in part of the cost) or go with the natural/artificial hybrid they've got at Lambeau to keep the area between the hashes from getting too shredded as the season wears on.