The installment of the new practice field turf at Citrus College was approved in a Board of Trustees meeting on Oct. 2.
“The synthetic turf at Citrus College football practice field is in need of replacement,” said Claudette Dain vice president of finance and administrative services. “The cost of the synthetic turf replacement project is $491,191.82 and will be funded from the Capital Outlay Fund.”
KYA group will remodel the practice field. They installed a new synthetic turf at Citrus Stadium over the summer.
However huge modifications on campus do not come by the snap of a finger.
“I have been told that it is going to be put on one of the to do things for administration to do,” said Ron Ponciano, the head football coach. “There’s a process to everything and this process takes mega amount of time to get done and it’s one of the realities of working in the athletic field where you want something right now. It doesn’t happen.”
Members of the Citrus athletics department worried about the conditions of the practice field and how it affects workouts.
“Literally everyday I pray that there are no injuries out there,” Ponciano said.
The coaches frequently change the intensity of their workouts and have players change gear to adapt to the field.
“I would have the kids go out in tennis shoes to practice to reduce injury because we would slow it way down,” Ponciano said. “I literally made them not wear cleats so there wasn’t a chance of getting stuck.”
Cleats can get caught in older turf fibers that become tangled.
“I will be real excited when they put in the artificial turf because the practice field in my opinion is not very safe right now,” said Steve Handy, the athletic trainer. “It hasn’t been groomed to my knowledge for a long time.”
Coach Ponciano stressed the need for a new practice field after witnessing turf related player injuries.
“You know it was a non-contact deal and I had a couple on that field this summer,” Ponciano said. “Actually I had three and two are requiring surgery. So, yeah, it’s critical we get it done. You don’t know me but I’m furious that happened. It never had to happen.”
The current practice field was installed by FieldTurf on Oct. 19, 2005 — 13 years ago. The company faces a class action lawsuit from colleges and high schools for its turf product, Duraspine. FieldTurf is also being investigated for fraud in hiding product design flaws.
As artificial turf wears down the likelihood of non-contact injuries rises.
The new field, Xtreme Turf uses three types of fibers to create a surface resembling grass. Installation may prevent players’ cleats getting caught in intertwined fibers.
Ponciano said the administration did the “right thing” by getting a new turf at Citrus Stadium but insisted they need to get the practice field done “as soon as possible.”
The head coaches of both the men’s and women’s soccer and football coordinate a schedule for when their teams practice on the practice field or inside Citrus Stadium.
“We make this up just so we can get by and everytime you see (practice field) on there you’re going ugh,” Ponciano said.
In the past two months, Citrus Stadium went through a track and turf overhaul, resulting in the practice field being used by all Citrus athletic teams during that span.
“Very soon; once all the paperwork is completed, a schedule will be developed,” director of facilities and construction, Fred Diamond said in an email.
The Board of Trustees’ decision to reconstruction of the practice field is in process.
