Case Study
Grass Isn’t Always Greener
Boys’ Latin School of Maryland Makes the Switch to Synthetic Turf
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n a town where lacrosse is king, every Tuesday and Friday brings a highly competitive game in the revered MIAA Conference. Canceling even one game due to weather or an unrepaired grass field makes playoff bids almost impossible to determine. As a solution, schools scramble to find highly durable synthetic fields, paying top dollar in rental fees and even scheduling some games in the mid-afternoon. One of the participating K-12 schools, Boys’ Latin School of Maryland, decided it was time to upgrade to a more dependable option for its students. Athletic administrators needed a surface that could handle extensive use by 631 boys and satisfy the demands of the entire sports program, consisting of lacrosse, football and soccer. In October 2004, the Board of Trustees, along with school officials, made the decision to replace their long-time natural grass fields with a synthetic surface. “The Boys’ Latin School and its athletic department made a strategic move to install two synthetic turf fields to replace our two primary natural grass fields,” says Athletic Director Michael Thomas. “While being landlocked, the condition of the natural grass fields was terrible with determinants such as weather, compaction, and overuse.” After doing some research and meeting with representatives from Shaw Sportexe, Boys’ Latin learned that synthetic turf systems can withstand up to four times the amount of play of natural grass, allowing them to endure high traffic from every sport, club, and organization in its athletic program. And with a high-tech drainage system, teams can stay on schedule regardless of the weather.
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“We looked at multiple playing surfaces before deciding on Shaw Sportexe,” says Thomas. “It is a similar surface to that used by the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, which is ranked one of the best by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA).” In addition to a great reputation for quality, Shaw Sportexe designs turf systems around key performance criteria. By measuring both athlete-surface interactions and ballsurface interactions, turf systems can be built to ensure the ultimate combination of durability, playability, and safety. “Our Shaw Sportexe fields have provided our community with a safe, consistent, and playable space for athletic events, physical education classes, and a variety of other school activities,” says Thomas. In addition to the game schedule, Boys’ Latin physical education classes have been using the fields non-stop. Additionally, visiting toplevel college teams are using it as a practice site prior to their games in Baltimore. Boys’ Latin students are able to see college practices and get first-hand knowledge of the physical demands of NCAA Division I sports programs. Over time, Boys’ Latin has continued to see great things from its Shaw Sportexe fields. “Our fields are five and six years old, respectively, and have held up very well,” says Thomas. “Post-installation maintenance and the associative service from the Shaw Sportexe crews have been wonderful.”
Shaw Sportexe 1201 Roberts Blvd. NW, Suite 220 • Kennesaw, GA 30144 866-703-4004 • info@shawinc.com www.shawsportexe.com
Coaching Management
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