IU on cutting edge with state-of-the-art field surface

IU players still have bad memories of losing to Penn State late last season on a Memorial Stadium turf made more of sand than grass. \n"The turf got so bad last year, it was basically a beach in the middle of the field," senior safety and captain Joe Gonzalez said. "They were painting the sand green to make it blend in."\nBut after a summer facelift, the field is free of both sand and dirt. In its place is AstroPlay, a state-of-the-art surface that imitates the feel of grass while providing the durability of artificial turf. Blades of grass have been replaced by vibrant green polyethylene fibers while the give of a natural surface is simulated by a layer of grinded rubber between the fibers.\nMost returning Hoosier players have competed on the surface before, as Big Ten foe Illinois uses AstroPlay. Gonzalez, however, suffered a season-ending injury prior to IU's 45-14 loss to the Fighting Illini last season. He said he's looking forward to playing an actual game on it.\n"I love the new field," he said. "Once they put the rubber down, it makes a very good surface. Surprisingly, it has enough give where there's no worries of turf burns. There's no substitute for natural grass, but this makes so much sense. I think it's a sharp field, and I really like what they've done with it."\nJunior wideout Courtney Roby echoed his teammate's sentiments and said although the field required some footwork adjustments, it is a definite upgrade.\n"At first it was kind of different, and I wasn't used to playing on it with the new surface and everything," Roby said. "I was slipping because I wasn't sure how to plant and cut. But I got used to that after a day. It was a good decision."\nThe advantages of AstroPlay aren't limited to the guarantee of a pristine playing field on gamedays. IU's two new practice fields are made of natural grass and, despite efforts to maintain them, are showing the wear and tear of a month of training. \nCoach Gerry DiNardo said the new stadium turf allowed the team to train in town.\n"The artificial turf allows us to rotate three fields instead of wearing out those two fields," he said. "I wanted to stay in Bloomington for camp, but if we didn't have the artificial (surface), we may have had to go away."\nThe practice fields also don't have lights, so the new stadium turf lets the Hoosiers practice even after dark. And since IU doesn't have priority registration for football players, DiNardo said practices already start later than most other teams in the conference. \n"We start our day at 3 p.m. as opposed to most people starting at 2 p.m.," he said. "Once it starts getting dark earlier, we have no lights on our practice field, which is another $300,000 to $400,000 investment. ... This new field is a soft version of the old artificial surface. I can't say enough about it. It is a tremendous plus for us."\nAs for Gonzalez, he'll finally get a chance to compete in a game on AstroPlay on Sept. 13, when IU opens at home against Indiana State. Already though, he is singing its praises.\n"I'll make a prediction," he said, "that in the next 10 years, at least 75 percent of the division I-A schools in the country will convert over to these types of surfaces."\n-- Contact staff writer Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.