BusinessTN

AstroTurf's success in the synthetic turf industry has resulted in brand notoriety on par with Xerox and Kleenex; the Texas-based company's name is synonymous with its product.

Not content to rest on its synthetic laurels, the industry leader has formed a new research partnership with the UT Institute of Agriculture. At issue? Which grass is safer when it comes to the health of the athletes who play on its surface?

Located on the UT-Knoxville campus, the Center for Safer Athletic Fields, which will take six to eight weeks to construct starting this summer, will research new and more specific methods of testing synthetic surfaces for performance, safety and durability. The $1.5 million outdoor facility will feature 60 small fields that can be used to compare turf with natural grass.

AstroTurf's decision to partner with UT stemmed from a relationship between one of the company's researchers and UT's John Sorochan. A meeting between the parties a year and a half later spelled the launch of the partnership.

UT's turfgrass program is already one of the most respected in the country. Sorochan, board member of the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA), has headed the turf research program at UT's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources for over 15 years. Jim Brosnan, STMA representative to the American Society of Testing and Materials, is an assistant professor in the department (alongside Brandon Horvath and Tom Samples). This consortium has advised field managers representing professional sports teams and leagues in America, including the NFL and MLB, as well as other entities around the world.

Once initiated, the Knoxville project will increase educational and work opportunities for UT students in the Turfgrass Science and Management concentration. Undergrad and graduate students will be hired to conduct research. The results will be included in classroom instruction.

The Center is also intended to make its mark nationally in the discussion of turf versus grass.

"My objective with turfgrass research, with a big emphasis on sports turf, is to make the fields safer with more consistency, particularly for the youth," Sorochan says.

Synthetic turf is gaining popularity nationwide even at the prep school level. That trend is due in large part to perceived lower maintenance and also durability under greater traffic.

But not all industry experts agree that the trend toward turf is a wise one. Harder surfaces pose certain safety risks, such as an increased risk of abrasions and contusions. And most pro football fans have had cause to lament the negative effects of the injury called "turf toe" on even their most durable heroes.

Charles Williams is one of those experts. In 1996, he formed CW&A Sod Solutions in Fayetteville, Tenn., south of Nashville. His firm's clients include UT-Knoxville, Louisiana State University and the Indianapolis Colts.

For instance, Williams points out that turf doesn't drain like a natural surface, thereby enhancing the risk for staph infection and other diseases already more prevalent in athletics. This is particularly true at the high school level where there might not be enough dollars to keep a surface adequately clean and free of risk.

Regarding the new UT-Knoxville research center, Williams is taking a wait-and-see approach given that "most, if not all, of the funding for it came from artificial turf people." He adds, "It's a good idea, as long as the data collection is done the way it should be."

AstroTurf will be involved in determining the program's agenda. But UT staff and students will handle the research. According to AstroTurf GM Lou Ziebold, "We have a steering team made up of a few of them and a few of us. We won't have anyone there, but we'll be visiting a lot...AstroTurf will have no influence whatsoever, no hands, in the results of the research."

Ziebold says he is banking on UT's academic integrity and desire to produce publishable results to maintain unbiased research. No matter what side of the fence the new Center's research lands on, athletes and athletic programs alike nationwide can expect firming footing as a result.