H - University Library

Gridders favor
artificial turf
By REED SCIIRECK v -
Assistant Sports Editor
The Illini gridders want artificial turf.
According to a random sample of 11 football players—six offensive and
five defensive—the acquisition of some form of synthetic turf is
necessary if Illinois is to compete on an equal basis in the future with
other Big Ten schools.
A majority also expressed support for the entire bill as passed by the
Illinois House of Representatives Committee on Higher Education and
presently before the House. The bill includes $250,000 for a practice field
with artificiahturf adjacent to Memorial Stadium.
The most frequently" mentioned drawback to synthetic turf was that
burns are easily received whenever skin comes into contact with the surface
and that they are slow to heal.
Catagorizing the opinions of the offensive team members, they
generally believe it is more difficult to make cuts on artificial turf , but
that the transition could be made with little trouble.
Meanwhile, the defensive performers feel that they benefit from
playing on the surface because they can move quicker, thus allowing
them to remain closer to the men they are covering.
Two offensive halfbacks, Roger Coleman and George Uremovich;
seemed the most concerned about receiving burns.
"I get burns all over my arms, hands and legs when I play on it, but
acquiring it would be a step forward for the University," Coleman said.
"It's a lot harder when I fall on it," Uremovich said, "and it's easy to
get scrapes because you slide a lot on it. At Washington last season , three
or four layers of skin were burned off my elbow and hand when I was
tackled on the first play of the game."
Uremovich favors getting a practice field artificially turfed . "We
really don't perform up to par at our practices because of the poor field
conditions," he explained. "And when it rains, we can't keep going to the
Armory because it's too small. Roger ( Coleman) just about got killed in
there this spring."
Coleman was forced to miss a week of driHs because of a severely
bruised leg incurred by running into some bleachers stationed in the Armory.
One player is strongly opposed to having a practice field with artificial
turf. "It's ridiculous to get one because the stadium would be sufficien t
and also because of the costs involved," Ken Braid, senior co-captain,
remarked.
Braid, an outside linebacker , said he prefers playing on-normal grass
but agrees synthetic turf is necessary for Illinois to become a solid football
contender.
"It would be a big advantage to Illinois to get it, especially since almost
all the other conference teams have it," Braid said.
Only one person contacted remained totally noncommittal towards
acquiring artificial turf , that being potential superstar Lonnie Perrin. "I
don't notice any real difference unless the ground's wet," Perrin said.
Some of the strongest support came from a pair of defensive linemen,
who are accustomed to practicing on the hole-infested southwest field.
Mike Waller and Scott Studwell, junior and sophomore, respectively,
have unique ways to describe the field.
"It's like North Vietnam out there because of all the shot put holes,"
Waller said.
Studwell likened it to a mine field, and thus hopes Illinois receives both
proposed fields, although he is aware of the high cost difference .
As for playing on artificial turf , Studwell said, "I really like the stuff . I
move a lot better on it, although I prefer grass fields but ours certainly
isn't one of the best around.
"I've played on artificial turf only four or five times, but I do feel
faster, more mobile and agile on it. Also, there's more continuity to the
surface. It's not like out at practice when you never know when you're
going to step in a chuckhole."
Defensive halfback Bruce Beaman said artificial turf has
psychological implications for himself.
( Cmitinued I»I ptif / v .371
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