Schools that went to turf the last five years?
- Thread starter btango
- Start date
Mitchell, Mountain Heritage and Hendersonville all played their first home seasons last fall on artificial turf. The 3 "county" schools in Henderson added it in 2017. Asheville School (NCISAA) opened their new stadium with artificial turf in 2018.
In WNC from Smoky Mtn. east to McDowell Co., the only natural grass HS fields left are Polk, Rosman, and Christ School. Hayesville is the only artificial one west of Sylva.
In WNC from Smoky Mtn. east to McDowell Co., the only natural grass HS fields left are Polk, Rosman, and Christ School. Hayesville is the only artificial one west of Sylva.
Lexington debuted theirs last year. Looks good. They’ve already had to move the county track meet to another location because the brand new track around the brand new field isn’t suitable. Rocks all over the track, someone poured a bottle of fabric softener in one of the turns and it sat there for months…. Trash is strewn everywhere.
Also, Lexington clearly wasn’t even aware of it because they waited until the day before the meet (during the coaches meeting on site) to cancel and give it to another school who had about 20 hours to plan for it.
Also, Lexington clearly wasn’t even aware of it because they waited until the day before the meet (during the coaches meeting on site) to cancel and give it to another school who had about 20 hours to plan for it.
For the past decade the grumbles of the dislikes of Turf has gotten louder by players due to it being injury prone. I think however the NFL takes it … so goes the rest of the league's. I know of all the pro's of artificial turf but I think you will see some investigating going into this turf thing on the NFL level real soon... and if they decide turf is "bad"... then you'll see a lot of turf being torn up on the high school level.
There's already been plenty of studies and the results vary. I've found over time that study results depend on a study's intent and who's paying for it. What I will say is that the debate on turf is not a one size fit's all answer. The NFL may do a study and find that their injury rates increased with artificial turf, but what was the study baseline? Multimillion $ grass turf playing surface, with dedicated practice facilities and an entire full time turf grass management team with millions in equipment to manage grass turf day to day? Who at the HS level has that? Our baseline is likely a glorified pasture for practice that is worn down to the dirt by mid-September and game fields that are used by the HS, middle school and youth sports, to include football, soccer and track. The truth of the matter is that artificial turf is much more practical at the HS level and gives a consistent playing surface that can both be played and practiced on, regardless of weather, usage and time of year. I would be willing to bet that for school sports, artificial turf has lowered injury rates especially the lingering soft tissue injuries such as tendonitis and shin splints from practicing on dirt and other unfit playing surfaces due to underfunding, overuse and lack of resources. High schools shouldn't be listening to NFL teams regarding playing surfaces if they don't have the same resources to manage said surfaces.
I agree with you DTN... there are pro's to turf surface.. I'm just saying usually however the NFL moves so will everyone else... the helmet to helmet rule for example.... noise was made... studies where done and changes where made.
Correct, but the helmets were far less subjective and even so, there are plenty of options in plenty of price ranges.
Haywood County is installing turf on the Bethel Middle School field right now.
Good for them! That will be really nice, especially for the MS and youth programs.
I think Murphy Swain and Robbinsville Andrews? still play on grass unless that has changed this year.
Thank God. That has to be the worst field I have ever seen. Granted, that was a few years ago. The old Owen High field was pretty bad too.
My point exactly. We can't compare artificial turf to manicured grass fit for use at Augusta National. We're not the Carolina Panthers, most schools barely have enough resources to mow their fields let alone worry about irrigation, fertilization, management and usage. This is where artificial turf shines!
When I played nobody had turf …. So I can’t speak on the difference but my 3 sons played and all 3 hated playing on turf feilds… they look amazing that’s for sure and I’m sure have advantages/ disadvantages
Franklin is still on the grass, but let's see how the new high school situation turns out.
If you have turf, do your kids use different cleats on a grass field versus the artificial turf?
Say what you want but thats a GREAT natural turf at Franklin IMO. It sure show a lot of effort in giving their kids a great grass carpet to play on! Maybe the best Ive seen around here.
Regular cleats work but turf cleats are definitely better. Best to invest in a pair if your home team has turf.
Hickory High got a new turf field in 2021. The best thing to come out of that move was the field was dedicated and named in honor of Coach David Elder. The City of Hickory assisted in the funding as they use it for City run soccer and Lacrosse Tournament action.
By the way, remember Coach Elder and his family as he entered Hospice care last week with his battle with cancer.
By the way, remember Coach Elder and his family as he entered Hospice care last week with his battle with cancer.
Prayers for Coach Elder. He used to give me hell when he was coaching basketball, but when it was over, usually found us to thank us for being there.
Coach is now near death and this friend will always remember his coaching style in basketball. He worked the officials and looked out for his girls. He is known for his 1996 3A football championship but he also won 3 state 3a Basketball Championships in girls basketball in '95, '98 and '99.
I hope South Point continues to play on its grass covered gravel pit forever.
Now with the new middle school nearly next door, hopefully some of the day to day traffic can be kept off the field at Lineberger Stadium.
Now with the new middle school nearly next door, hopefully some of the day to day traffic can be kept off the field at Lineberger Stadium.