FIELD SCIENCE

-' , charti.ng system developed.. to assist sport turf manag-

ers, the Field Wear Index.... (FVVI), enables better

visualization and trackingof the amount of activity occurring on yoursport fields. It will permit you to assess theimpact these activities will have on their fieldand allow them to prescribe a level of main-tenance that is appropriate for the amount ofdamage that is occurring on the field.

Some activities have greater impacts onsport fields than others. For instance, foot-ball is harder on a sport field chen baseball.Activities where the players arc allowed to

wear cleats have a greater negative impact onan athletic field than activities where the play-ers do not wear cleats. When play takes placeduring or just after a rain storm the negativeimpact on an athletic field is multiplied.

An activity that is allowed to take placeon a sports field before and/or after the turfis dormant greatly compounds the damage tothe field because the turf has stopped growingand the grass cannot out grow the injury doneto the Reid. An activity with 300 participantshas a greater negative impact on a sports fieldthan the same activity with only 100 par-ticipants. Damage can also occur because ofnon-sporting uses, for example, a field used asa parking lot or holding a concert on a field.

28 February 2008

To compensate for the impact each event hason an athletic field we assign each activity amultiplier.

Here is an example of how multipliers areused: You have an intramural soccer game

on a field lasting for 1 hour. The impact thatthis game will have on the field is equivalentto people standing and walking on the fieldfar 2 haurs.lfyau have three I-hour gamesan the field the impact of those three games

This is a list of the activities that take place on BYU'sathletic fieldsand the assigned multipliers for each event:

Multiplier1

1.251.5

1.5

1.7522

2.252.252.252.252.5

2.52.5

2.752.75

33.253.75

4

ActivityWalking and/or standing on a fieldBaseball and/or softballParked carsSport camp: baseball/softballMarching band practiceSoccer w/o cleats (Intramurals)Ultimate FrisbeeField hockeyFootball w/o cleats (flag football)LacrosseSoccer w/c1eats & team practicesRugbySport camp: lacrosse and team practicesTournamentsFootball w/cleats (College Football)Sport camp: soccerSport camp: footballFootball team practiceActivity before/after turf dormancyActivity during/after rain

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on the field is equivalent to people standingand walking on the field for 6 hour"

The above multipliers are for sandy loamor sand-based fields. For a heavy loam ornative soil sports field add 0.5 to the abovemultiplier. Each activity will have an areawhere the impact of thc activity will be moreintense than in other areas on the field, whatI call "focus areas."

Walking and/or standing on a field:This isthe base line multiplier.

Baseball/softball: There is localized activ-ity in the outfield, where the outfielders stand,however, most of the activity takes place onthe skinned area and on the infield grass.Youwill alsohave wear in front of the dugouts andin the coach'sboxes.This does not include thecare needed for the skinned area.

Field used as a parking lot: Extreme wearwill become evident in the area between the

parking rows.The paths to the exit gates willalso receive excessivewear. If a car acceleratestoo fast or the driver spins out on purposesome turf will be lost due to peel out. If thefield is wet this multiplier must be raised.

Soccer: A continuous motion game andsome wear can take place anywhere on thefield. Extra wear will take place at the goalmouths, the corner kick areas, in the centerarea, and along the sidelines were the teamsstand and a referee runs up and down.

Ultimate Frisbee: A continuous motiongame. The play takes place all over the field.Wear areas can be at the goal line" also usedas the toss-off lines, and along the sidelineswhere the penalty and team boxes arc andwhere a referee runs.

Field Hockey: A continuous motion game,however, you will have excessive wear areasin the goal mouth areas and in the shooting

circle area.Hockey sticks have the potential totake out divots as the players hit the ball.

Football: Damage caused in between thehash marks and near the goal line. Wear willalso OCCUI along the sidelineswhere the teamsand other spectators stand, If the games arctelevised you will also have damage from thecamera cart moving up and down the field.

Lacrosse: A continuous motion game.Excessive wear will occur at the goal mouthsin the attack/defense areas,along the sidelineswhere the referee runs and around the inteam's bench area.

Rugby: A continual motion game. Playwill move all over and damage can occur any-where on the field. Additional wear will takeplace along the side lines where the teams sitand a referee runs. The serum can take placeanywhere on the field where a tackle is made.A serum can be very damaging to turf.

FIELD SCIENCE

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www.stma.org SportsTurf 29

FIELD SCIENCETeam practices: Will cause wear 011 specific areas of the field

where the players do drills in the same areas repeatedly. Another areais around the goal area where the team will repeatedly practice playsstarting from the same spot and working toward the goal.

Turf dormancy: After the turf has gone dormant any damage doneon the field is compounded. The turf cannot outgrow the damageinflicted.

Rain: Damage done by play during or just after rain can causesevere surface disruption in a surprisingly short period of time.

Any activity such as a sport camp or tournament play will increasethe activity multiplier because of the number of participants that areinvolved in the event. For example, 300 people using a field will havea greater impact than 100 people using the same field. Other consid-

erations you should include beside the length of the activity are setupand take down for the event.

How can we use this information?

Calculating the AdjustedWear Index Value (AWIV)A 4-hour college football game calculation would look likc this:

Activity Lcngth of Activity Multiplier AWIVFootball (college) 4 Hours 2.75 11

Multiply the length of the event by the multiplier to get the A\iV1V.

Y e " r

-1.--<.......-,.IF ie I d : -I

~Fie I d T Y P e :

::J fie I d s q F l.

o fie Id Co.

~

Level 1 - Light M aintenanee

Level 2 . Light 10 Medium M aintenence

Below 250

250_300

Level 3 - Medium M ainlenenee

Level 4 . Medium 10 Heavy Maintenance

300-350

351·400

400-450LevelS· Heavy M einlenence

'level 6 - Renovation-- --- 451 +

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Now that we know the basic principlesbehind how the F'vVlworks,we need to trans-form the results into information we can use.

Step 1: 1 apply this information during thewinter. Before the growing season starts I sitdown and record the various events that willtake place on a Held for the year.You can useyour past records for when sports are sched-uled to be played, when team practices will beheld and so on. 1 record all of this informationon a preseason FVVIyearly log (see Figure 1).

Use one sheet for each of the fields youplan to track the activities on. Figure Out theA\VIV for each event and then add the lastcolumn to get a yearly A\V1V at the bottom.You can also chart the A\V1V by the monthif you wish. Next, compare your yearly AVlIVwith the activity rating at the bottom of theform. This number will prescribe the amountof maintenance you should be doing to keepyour field in a healthy condition. Each of

these maintenance levels will be discussed infurther detail shortly.

Step 2: During the course of the growingseason 1 keep a F\VI monthly log sheet forever activity that takes place on the field andfor every month during the growing season. Jkeep a mnning total of the monthly A\iVIVand compare this number with the number Jcalculated on my preseason FVVIyearly log,using the monthly breakdown I calculated. Ifthe A\V1V number is higher than the A\NIVnumber on the preseason log sheet] can adjustthe level of maintenance upward to anticipatethe increased use of the fleld.I can also adjustthe level of maintenance downward if thenumbers show a decrease in field usc.

As you use this system year after year thecalculating of the preseason FVVlyearly logbecomes easier because you have the FVVlmonthly log sheet from the previous year touse. Ifyou put the preseason FWI yearly logs

and the FVVImonthly log sheets in a spread-sheet program the calculations are mucheasier to do.

It becomes quite easy to adjust your main-terrance progrum swiftly using the F\VI.

Activity ratingThe activity rare shows what maintenance

is prescribe for your calculated A\NIV value.The maintenance schedule is as follows:

Level 1: Light maintenance; equal to orless than 250 A\VIV a year. Perform one ortwo hollow core aerations a year.

Level 2; Light to medium maintenance:251-300 A\VIV a year. Perform between twoand four hollow core aerations a year and onetopdressing a year.

Level 3: Medium maintenance: 301-350A'vVIV a year. Perform hollow core aerationonce a month, one deep rine aeration a year,onetopdressinga year,and one overseedinga year.

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SportsTurf 31

FIELD SCIENCE

Level 4: Medium to heavy maintenance:351-400 A\VIV a year. Perform hollow coreaerations once a month, two deep tine aera-rions a year, t\'VO top-dressings a year, and twoor less over-seeding a year.

Level 5: Heavy maintenance 401-450AVVIV a year. Perform hollow core aerationsonce a month, two or morc deep tine aera-tions a year, or one deep tine aeration and onedeep hollow tine aeration a year, two or moretopdressings a year, two to four over-seedinga year, and field repairs, for instance, pluggingor minor sod repair.

Level 6: Renovation more than 451 AWlVa year. Perform hollow core aeration once amonth, two or more deep tine aeration a year,or one or more deep tine aeration and one ormore deep hollow tine aeration a year, two ormore top-dressings a year, overseeding oncea month, and major Held repairs by pluggingand sodding large areas of the Held.

The numerical ranges of the activity rating

32 February 2008

are for Kentucky bluegrass. Use the speciesmodifier if you have a different species ofgrass on your fields.

Species MultiplierKentucky bluegrassPerennial ryegrassBerrnudagrass

11.251.5

Use this multiplier to adjust the numericalrange of the activity rating.

Some things you should remember: Notall fields are created equal, and each field isunique in its character. The impact an activ-ity will can have on a field with a heavy claynative soil rootzonc will be different than afield that has a sand-based rootzone. Be awareof the characteristics of each of the fields youmange. The Index gives you detailed informa-tion of the wear taking place on your fields, byactivity; this will allow you to plan an appro-

priate maintenance regiment. This Index'sinformation can also be used to calculate amaintenance budget for your fields.

The important thing to remember is tobe proactive; the F\VI should not be used asa replacement for walking your fields daily.On the contrary, the F\VI is more effectivewhen you do walk your fields daily. Use theindex as another tool in your turf manage-ment tool box .•

David Schlotthauerisathletic field man-ager for BrighamYoung University inProvo, UT He canbe reached at dbs4@b)'U.edu.

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