Rebels proud of their turf as new practice field debuts

Steve Guiremand

Friday, April 12, 2002 | 9:48 a.m.

UNLV's football team still hasn't managed to reach John Robinson's goal of becoming a Top 25 program. But it's doubtful many teams in the nation can claim a better practice facility.

The school's new AstroPlay synthetic turf practice fields will make their official debut on Saturday afternoon when the Rebels hold a 1 p.m. spring practice. The $1 million project, made possible by a donation from the Ernie Becker Family, gives the Rebels two state-of-the-art practice fields on which to hone their skills.

"From a recruiting standpoint, we now have the finest surface in the United States for practice and also one of the most attractive facilities in terms of overall ambiance," Robinson said while standing near one of the many palm trees that now line the fields. "I think it will help recruiting tremendously. Very few NFL teams have two practice fields like this."

But Robinson, who obtained the donation shortly after taking over for Charles Cavagnaro as athletic director, is more excited about what the new fields will mean to the overall student body and athletic department.

"Every student or faculty member who wants to come in here and jog and watch practice can," Robinson said pointing to a bright red jogging track that circles the two fields. "They can use it any time of the day. I'm not going to lock these gates.

"My whole concept of our facilities is that they ought to be used by everybody. You can use it every day and it has multiple uses. We're making this available for intramurals and we're making it available for other sports here to use. You could maybe even hold a soccer tournament on it. What I would love to see is a couple of students say, 'Hey, lets go play touch-tackle' and come down and play on these fields."

Robinson stressed that the new artificial surface, which is partially made out of grass fibers and is much softer than older Astroturf fields, shouldn't be confused with some of those turf fields that were despised by NFL and major league baseball players.

"This is a whole new concept," Robinson said. "This one appears to have tremendous safety in terms of the player. The surface is very springy and will make a difference as far as wear and tear on the legs and in terms of major injuries, too. It's the best surface you can possibly have."

In fact, the surface at first glance looks like real grass with long blades of synthetic grass standing in the air. Tiny pieces of rubber are spread on the surface and eventually sink to the bottom to provide even more cushion.

Players can also wear their normal cleats on the surface which doesn't absorb heat as much as the old Astroturf fields did.

"One of the main factors we liked about it was from its safety prospective," said senior associate athletic director Jerry Koloskie, a former trainer who investigated several artificial field surfaces before helping pick AstroPlay.

Robinson said he believes the field, which is expected to last about 10 years, will also pretty much pay for itself in terms of maintenance.

"We estimate it will save us between $60,000 and $70,000 in watering costs," Robinson said. "And unlike grass fields, it won't wear out from the pounding it will take from daily practices."

Robinson said if the AstroPlay field turns out to be as good as it appears to be, he could see maybe one day putting it in the school's soccer facility as well.

And what about Sam Boyd Stadium, where the Rebels play their home games?

"The Thomas & Mack people have to make that decision because they have their needs," Robinson said. "We would hope so, but that isn't an athletic department decision.""