SPIN

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ISSUES ANSWERS - GMAX
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Gmax
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The understanding of surface testing and safety
is vague at best.
Jeffrey L. Bruce and Company Landscape Architects
and Planners
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Infill systems such as FieldTurf are not a
traditional artificial surface.
Jeffrey L. Bruce and Company Landscape Architects
and Planners
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Existing testing procedures may not be
appropriate for assessing their performance with
regard to human performance or safety.
Jeffrey L. Bruce and Company Landscape Architects
and Planners
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The existing data on surface testing and
traditional artificial surfaces is not well
correlated to injury data.
Jeffrey L. Bruce and Company Landscape Architects
and Planners
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As an industry, the state of the art in surface
testing leaves a lot to be desired.
Jeffrey L. Bruce and Company Landscape Architects
and Planners
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Artificial turf is supposed to emulate real
grass.
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And FieldTurf does it best.
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The 2002 NFLPA Surveyranked FieldTurf 3rd
Overall.Ahead of 20 natural grass fields.
NFL Players Association Health Safety Survey -
2002
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And our competition?AstroPlay - 20thRealGrass
- 22ndNexTurf - 27th
NFL Players Association Health Safety Survey -
2002
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So while the pros (1280 of them) voted FieldTurf
miles ahead of any of our competitors
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Our competition has chosen to use Gmax as their
marketing angle.
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The competition would have you believe that
shock absorbency is the only criteria for
designing a field.We disagree.
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You need a balance of properties.And thats
what FieldTurf provides.
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FieldTurf provides the right range of shock
absorbency for hard blows. Look at our Gmax test
data.
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We let you play within the safety zone.
Without a pad.Our patented heavier fill is the
main reason.
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Better stability is another very important
property.
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A field that is too soft is not only difficult
to play on (leg fatigue, lack of speed, less
player confidence) but even more dangerous.
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The facts are that a softer field is more likely
to cause injuries.
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October 29, 2002Todd KellyMississippi States
Jackie Sherrill said, "You can't stay on a soft
field very long because you take the spring away
from your legs in a hurry."
ASTROPLAY
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November 11, 2002Brad BiggsIN KNEED OF
HELPReserve cornerback Reggie Austin was lost
during the third quarter with a sprained right
knee. It appeared the injury occurred when he
tried to slam on the brakes near the Bears'
bench. The team has complained about the
AstroPlay surface, with Head Coach Daniels and
wide receiver David Terrell blaming it for ankle
injuries.
ASTROPLAY
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October 11, 2002Randy KindredThat darned
state-of-the-art, AstroPlay surface at Memorial
Stadium."But on this, my shoes slide and then
they catch, which causes the ankle to roll. When
I got hurt (in the opener), that was the third
time I rolled my ankle that day."Daniels
returned for Monday night's loss to Green Bay,
which ended with Bears' receiver David Terrell
cursing the playing surface as he left the field.
Terrell fractured a bone in his right foot late
in the game.
ASTROPLAY
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November 26, 2002Larry MayerON SOLID
GROUNDMichigan Bulldogs defensive end Phillip
Daniels, wide receiver David Terrell and
cornerback Reggie Austin have all pointed to the
AstroPlay surface at Memorial Stadium as a
contributing factor to leg injuries they've
suffered this season.
ASTROPLAY
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November 23, 2002Peter RichinsHAPPY
FEETTooele's players enjoyed the newly
installed surface at Rice-Eccles stadium. The
turf uses tiny rubber pellets to simulate dirt,
with blades of artificial grass sticking
through."We really like it," Tooele quarterback
Easton Nigh said, noting the Buffaloes' home
field is often muddy and slippery."It allows
you to plant, and it really helps our running
backs so they can cut, and our line can dig in,"
Nigh said.
FIELDTURF
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September 12, 2002Don BanksFIELDTURF OF
DREAMS"I'm a tremendous believer now," Seattle
head coach Mike Holmgren says of the cushy and
yet consistent FieldTurf, which many teams and
players believe represents a significant step
toward reducing artificial turf-related injuries.
"It's about as much like grass as you can have
a synthetic surface be. I really think the right
decision was made. This is great for everyone.
Players love it, and this surface will offer a
better product on the field for fans.""It's
better than natural grass," says Kansas City head
coach Dick Vermeil.
FIELDTURF
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October 27, 2002Lee ShappellFieldTurf is
drawing raves in new stadiums in Seattle and
Detroit. Eleven teams have it at their practice
facilities. The league and NFL Players
Association will install FieldTurf at Aloha
Stadium for the Pro Bowl.In an NFLPA's player
survey, it ranked higher than many grass fields.
Jets Curtis Martin said Unlike some artificial
surfaces, FieldTurf doesn't make players faster,
it just makes you more comfortable and it's safer
to play on."
FIELDTURF
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According to Broncos receiver Rod Smith, "They
ought to install that at every stadium."The
real bottom line was expressed by Lions defensive
end Robert Porcher "FieldTurf will definitely
prolong a lot of players' careers. It is easier
on the knees and the back. There is no comparison
with the old artificial turf because this is like
grass."
FIELDTURF
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Heres whats wrong with the Gmax story
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Direct excerpt from Appendix (non-mandatory
information ASTM standard F1936) X1.2The test
method used in this specification (Procedure A of
Test Method F355) has been documented, through
"unofficial" use for testing impact in fields for
over 20 years. The development of this 2 ft
fall height method can be traced back to the Ford
and GM crash dummy tests of the 1960's medical
research papers from the 1960's and 1970's
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The information is outdated and inappropriate
for use today.And heres why
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What happens in the real world is very different
from what happens in the lab.
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During play, just like cleats create divots in a
grass field, foot traction displaces the infill
in an infilled artificial field.
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Displacement is not much of an issue for
FieldTurf as our infill consists of 10 lbs. of
cryogenic rubber and silica in each sq. ft. of
turf.
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But its a much bigger issue for our
competition, whose infill consists of just 3 lbs.
of rubber per sq. ft.Less than 1/3 of ours.
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ALL RUBBER INFILL3 lbs ambient rubber
INFILL COMPARISON
FIELDTURF INFILL3lbs cryogenic rubberplus 7 lbs
silica
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As cutting, turning and twisting occurs during
every game, it will displace a considerable
portion of an all rubber infill.
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ALL RUBBER INFILLshoe penetrates to bottom of
infill displacing large amount of rubber
INFILL DISPLACEMENT
FIELDTURF INFILLshoe breaks top surface only
limited infill movement
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INFILL DISPLACEMENT
On FieldTurf
On Astroplay
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So realistic testing would conduct the same Gmax
tests under real game conditionswhere the
infill is displaced.
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Doing so would show that an all rubber infill
provides very little protection.
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Unless you can pick and choose where you land,
you are probably playing on a surface that in
many places is only crushed stone.
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Whats the Gmax number for that?About 400.
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• Heres what else is wrong with the Gmax story

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• The ASTM-355 test
• uses a 20 lb. object dropping
• a distance of 2 ft.

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• The 20 lbs. is
• supposed to represent
• your head and neck.

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• And the 2 ft. drop is supposed to represent the
  speed distance of your fall.

(assuming youre crawling along the field when
tackled)
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• But, in the real world,
• thats not quite how it happens.

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• A 270 lb. defensive tackle will make
• your head and neck go a lot faster.

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• And weigh a lot more than
• 20 lbs. when he hits you at speed.
• And buries you into the turf.

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• So establishing a more
• accurate representation of real playing
  conditions would require
• a very different test.

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• On a Gmax test using a 4 ft.
• drop vs a 2 ft drop, the scores for Astroturf
  (with rubber elayer), Astroplay (all rubber
  infill) and Fieldturf (sand/rubber infill)
• were virtually identical.

BIOMECHANICA - DECEMBER 2002
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• The actual shock attenuation
• for Fieldturf is much better than claimed by
  competitors.

BIOMECHANICA - DECEMBER 2002
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A review of 32 Fieldturf installations tested
reveal an average Gmax of 118.
BIOMECHANICA - DECEMBER 2002
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Autzen Stadium 134.0Beaverton High
School 111.5Franklin Pierce HS 111.3 Genesee
Field 119.4Grass Lawn Park 109.3 Gresham
HS 107.3 Highline HS 121.3 Juanita HS 130.5
Lake Oswego HS 100.5
BIOMECHANICA - DECEMBER 2002
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Lake Washington HS 126.3 Lakeridge HS 93.2Laney
College 131.1Lincoln HS 117.3Mackie
Park 115.3Mercer Island HS 115.3Merritt
College 122.6Minoru Park 109.1Miramonte HS 117.2
BIOMECHANICA - DECEMBER 2002
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Oakland Raiders Practice 125.0Ohio
University 119.8Ross Snyder Park 110.5San Diego
State University 123.5San Diego State
University 110.9San Francisco City
College 129.1San Lorenzo Comm Park 135.5Seahawk
Stadium 130.0Seattle Seahawk Prac Field 122.2
BIOMECHANICA - DECEMBER 2002
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Stony Brook University 115.0Streamwood
HS 113.9Thomas A. Edison HS 119.0University of
Washington 122.8West Salem HS 119.6William
Griffin Park 122.0
BIOMECHANICA - DECEMBER 2002
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The range of scores claimed for sand and
rubber in-filled surfaces on competitors web
sites appear to be based on an unrepresentative
sample.
BIOMECHANICA - DECEMBER 2002
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The range of scores we havemeasured on newly
installed Fieldturf systems is 90-140.
BIOMECHANICA - DECEMBER 2002
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This overlaps the claimed ranges of both
AstroTurf (75-105 with rubber elayer) and
AstroPlay (130-135 with all rubber infill).
BIOMECHANICA - DECEMBER 2002
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Whats more important, is that FieldTurf offers
a betterbalance of the right amount of shock
attenuation, with other performance
characteristics.
BIOMECHANICA - DECEMBER 2002
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• So, while the competition
• has used testing based on poor information - that
  surprisingly happens to favor their product -
  dont be misled.

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Although the competition may like you to look
at their numbers
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Its probably because their rubber only infill,
especially with their rubber elayer pads, will
only look good as numbers on a Gmax test.
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Heres another thing thats wrong with the Gmax
story
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ASTM standard states that any score below 200
is acceptable.
BIOMECHANICA - DECEMBER 2002
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This reflects the fact that risk of fatal head
injury approaches zero below 200 and is
effectively zero at ALL scores below 200.
BIOMECHANICA - DECEMBER 2002
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There is nothing to indicate that low scores
are any better beyond that.
BIOMECHANICA - DECEMBER 2002
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The Gmax score does not reflect the overall
performanceof a sports field.
BIOMECHANICA - DECEMBER 2002
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Shock attenuation is only one of many important
properties.
BIOMECHANICA - DECEMBER 2002
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A surface that is too soft may have good shock
attenuation but can arguably be described as
inferior overall.
BIOMECHANICA - DECEMBER 2002
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Softer surfaces have a greater risk of lower
extremity injury and knee injury due to foot
fixation.2 Ball bounce and roll are inferior
and less consistent.3 Surface softness reduce
player performance.4 Softer surfaces may be
less durable and less consistent.5 Player
fatigue may be increased.6 Players feel more
secure and perform better on firmer surfaces.
BIOMECHANICA - DECEMBER 2002
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• Its all about performance - not just Gmax
  numbers.
• "Did you hear the one about the K-Stater who was
  watering the artificial turf? No punch line,
  though.
• It's true. Each morning, as Kansas State football
  coach Bill Snyder looks out the windows of his
  office he sees what many would interpret as a
  misguided soul watering the turf.
• "It's kind of funny, looking out there and seeing
  them water that stuff," Snyder said Tuesday.
• Each day the field is -- yes, watered -- to help
  work the rubber granules down into the turf for a
  solid base.

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So dont be misled by our competitors claims.
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• Dont let bad information
• cause you to spec a Gmax
• criteria that is outdated

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• And likely to leave you with
• a field with very poor playing characteristics,
  increased muscle fatigue and more injuries.

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ISSUES ANSWERS - GMAX