In the spring of 2014, chs made the $1.9 million move from grass to turf fields. Now, as the fall sports season moves into high gear, CHS reviews its condition after a season of use.

The football field, Murray Stadium and two practice fields all received new turf two seasons ago. Multiple sports teams, gym classes and Carmel Dads Club are all using the fields regularly, creating concern about how long they will last. Zachary Miller, soccer player and junior, said although the fields are constantly being used, they are still in flawless condition.

“I went all summer, and I know a bunch of other people on the team who would go all summer to Murray Stadium, and the fields were getting worn out every day, but you couldn’t tell at all. They look great and still play the same as they day we got them,” Miller said.

The soccer teams may be one of the largest groups to be affected by the switch to turf. Athletics Director Jim Inskeep was also a part of choosing the new field. “I think where we found the biggest change for our programs was with our boy’s and girl’s soccer programs last year; because we have one stadium field at Murray, it gets a lot of use, about 38 games a year or more, and that doesn’t even count practices that are on there,” Inskeep said. “Under the old field, around the goal boxes and other areas of Murray Stadium would get beaten up pretty good, and then that ends up being to the point where you’re constantly trying to repair the turf, and not every step is true out there.”

Sprinturf, the company which installed the turf, said if the fields are maintained well, they should last from eight to 14 years. Proper caring for the fields includes frequent brushing and cleaning of the turf, as well as testing the evenness of the ground. According to Inskeep, all of the fields are groomed and sanitized every week.

Although turf fields do require consistent maintenance, Inskeep said, “We made the decision to transition to turf, and it has just been awesome for so many different groups because you don’t worry about the wear and tear, and you don’t worry about the weather.”

According to Miller, rain and snow have practically no effect on turf fields, whereas on grass fields, players must be much more conscious of whether or not the ground is wet. An additional factor that has helped decrease the effect of rain on gameplay is the newly installed drainage system which came with the turf. The old fields would often accumulate standing water on the fields and sidelines in instances of heavy rainfall because of a defect in the drainage system. In the process of installing the new turf, the problems in the drainage system were identified and repaired.

Many players prefer the style of play that the turf brings, and they enjoy the advantages turf has, as it outweights the disadvantages.

“On turf, you fly around a lot faster. Also, playing on turf just gets you more excited than playing on grass,” Hunter Roser, football player and senior, said. “When you dive out of course you get road rash on your arm, but other than that I mean the field gets hot, but that’s just part of the game.”

According to Inskeep, one of the downfalls of turf fields is how hot they can get, especially during summer practices. Despite this, Inskeep said through adjusting practice times and watching the weather, athletes have not had too many problems with the ground overheating.

Harrison Adams, soccer player and junior, said, “If you’re wearing black cleats, then your feet will get really hot, but it’s not really a big problem.”

Overall, according to Inskeep the turf has received a fairly positive response.
“For purists, it’s not something that they like, but I will tell you a lot of student athletes like playing on the turf,” Inskeep said.

“Just between an average grass field and turf, I’d pick turf every day,” Miller said. “I think the turf is really great because it holds up for longer and you don’t have to take care of it as much.”