The whole speed argument is ridiculous, as all of the fastest teams in the country have natural grass, LSU, USC, Miami, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Alabama.
Unfortunately, that means absolutely d**k. Just because *insert team name here* has grass, doesn't mean the speed of the players would not be more noticeable and advantageous on field turf.
Style of running means nothing. Proper footwear is the biggest change that athletes have to make. Just look at the NFL, where footwear and turf are a science.
Loureauville, Westgate or Jeanerette maybe...I figure if three of the four high schools in Iberia Parish nicknames is the Tigers then maybe just maybe Tiger Field is located in Iberia Parish. Two of those schools are also purple and gold.
It's both..you must have the proper footware, but there is also a learning curve, any team who uses it will tell you that. Several have mentioned injuries above, but there is zero proof that turf (even astro turf) causes more injuries. This has been studied several times, and the amount of injuries is the same (minor and major). What is different is the amount of nagging injuries players get on astroturf (turf toe, cuts, bruises, etc). Field turf is as safe as grass in all areas of injury..there is a difference in potential head trauma, with grass being safer in the spring and field turf safer in the winter. I'd rather have grass, but field turf would be just fine too as long as they maintained it properly.
I'm curious. Do you have a practice field on campus that has the field turf? We installed one a few years ago to practice on for teams that use it. In fact, Ole' Miss is one of the teams that uses the field turf and I've seen players have difficulty getting used to it during a game even after preparing to play on it for a week or so before the actual game. One comment made in this thread is about how hot it can get. Very, very true especially in the South with the humidity as it is. I've seen reports where the turf temp was a good 20 degrees higher than the actual temp. Personally, it seems more suited for teams that play in cooler climates. Secondly, one major complaint I've heard players comment on is the rubber pellets that serve to cushion the surface....and those complaints centered mostly on dealing with the pellets getting in their eyes.
One of the outdoor practice fields has always had artificial turf as does the indoor field, of course. I'm not sure what brand.
The indoor practice field has fuzzy concrete. I wasn't aware of an artificial surface on any of our outdoor practice fields, but I haven't been out there in a long time.
BS Down here on the GC, grass is safer ... winter down here is of no consequence as related to injuries ... it doesn't get cold enough before Thanksgiving ... and you know it. As for number of injuries ... field turf causes more overall injuries ... that's a known fact. Players that play on turf long enough get accustomed to it ... but deal with more overall nagging injuries ... another fact ... Those are Sunday boys talking! LSU's Tiger Stadium will be "NATURAL GRASS" ... hopefully for a long, long time. And the Great One decreed ... before he took the green & went to work for Dumpster Boy in Miami ... THAT DEATH VALLEY SHALL HAVE THE FINEST GRASS PLAYING SURFACE IN ALL OF COLLEGE FB ... I reckon it shall be so!
