SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y., July 21, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Skidmore College is installing the latest in field hockey surfacing technology. The PUR synthetic turf surface is the result of extensive investment and R&D in close consultation with FieldTurf Tarkett's installation and technical staff. This state-of-the-art field hockey product complies with all International Hockey Federation (FIH) requirements for official competition and as a result of these efforts, the PUR product was selected for the field hockey pitches at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. The same surface used in Athens will be installed at Skidmore.
For many years, field hockey had been played on Astroturf because of the ball roll characteristics of a flat surface. The only problem with this surface was that it caused severe injuries to athletes all over the world because of its unforgiving nature and lack of favorable biomechanical playing characteristics. The PUR product is a result of carefully researched components forming one product that is ideal for field hockey.
The stability of the backing, and thus of the whole carpet, is optimized by the use of fiberglass reinforcement that binds with the backing during the latex coating process. The tufting technique provides a reduction of the gap between rows of tufts after cutting. This results in better joining of the turf rolls with maximum accuracy in pitch lines.
Skidmore College's senior project manager of capital construction, Larry Krison, is a firm believer in the performance of the PUR product.
"We looked at the PUR product and we looked at the Astroturf product when making a decision about the resurfacing job on our field hockey surface. The tips of the astroturf nylon monofilament tend to curl down easily and make the surface way too hard and way too fast. The tips of the slit-film PUR product stay up much longer than the nylon. The PUR surface is less carpet-like and more grass-like. We felt like this would give us a more appropriate surface in terms of speed. The grass-like finish of the slit-film PUR product was key."
Part of Skidmore College's mission statement mentions that the Skidmore College Department of Athletics, Fitness and Recreation, is committed to pursuing excellence both academically and athletically. With the installation of FieldTurf for their soccer /multi-purpose field, and the selection of the PUR product for their field hockey surface, Skidmore College is quickly becoming a school with some of the nicest facilities in NCAA Division III that will no doubt aid in the recruiting process.
"Short turf (PUR), which is less than an inch long, is preferred by field hockey players because the ball rolls quickly on it", said Gail Cummings-Danson, Skidmore's athletic director in an Albany Times Union interview. "Synthetic long turf (FieldTurf) is better for softball. The longer turf (FieldTurf) also will replace the aging surface (Astroturf) in the college's sports complex, where men's and women's soccer and lacrosse will be played, along with intramural sports".
At Skidmore, FieldTurf and PUR will work wonders for the school. About 450 students play 19 varsity sports at Skidmore; about 150 will use the new turf fields for organized sports and 500 to 600 students participate in intramural sports. With the FieldTurf surface on the soccer field along with the PUR synthetic turf product on the field hockey field, the students will have plenty of playing time as these fields can be used 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with virtually no maintenance.
FieldTurf Tarkett was created through the integration of two sports surfacing industry giants - FieldTurf and Tarkett Sports. FieldTurf Tarkett are the inventors of FieldTurf which is installed on 1800 fields worldwide and is currently in use in 25 NCAA Division 1-A football stadiums, twenty-two of the NFL's 32 teams currently use FieldTurf at their stadiums and/or their practice facilities, while more than 450 high school stadiums have selected FieldTurf. FieldTurf Tarkett, headquartered in Montreal is the largest entity in the sports surfacing industry. FieldTurf Tarkett is the industry's one-stop resource for high quality sports surfacing products.
For more information on FieldTurf Tarkett, please visit www.fieldturftarkett.com or call (800) 724-2969.