turf column

September 2005 will not be remembered as the brightest moment in American University's history. But, I'm getting sick and tired of hearing people complain about money misspent for things that don't affect the school. So, ion honor of my frustration, I'm going to complain about the thousands of dollars AU did spend for a "good reason." The brand Astroturf, field hockey/intramural field is a disaster. It was just over a week ago when a fraternity member let out a blood curdling scream as he ripped his quadriceps muscle from the bone, requiring major surgery. Parallel to him on the next field, another fraternity member lay on the ground clutching his knee. After hours in the emergency room, he got away lucky, with only a sprained medial collateral ligament. In two minutes, two major leg injuries. All because of the shoddy Astroturf on the intramural field. Now, I'm not saying this isn't good for field hockey, where our fourth-ranked team finally has a home and is making a strong push for the National Championship. The turf is designed for field hockey, where the cuts are less harsh and the surface is conducive to a quick-rolling ball with many players. However, there's a reason no NFL stadiums use Astroturf anymore. It's dangerous. I've seen too many Vinny Testaverde/Dan Marino torn ACL's, and too many Michael Irvin/Reggie Brown broken necks to see how Astroturf is a viable playing surface for any type of football. The game is designed around harsh, quick cuts to fake out defenders or jump a route. These must be done with precision by planting the foot into the ground and pushing off of it to propel the body in another direction. Astroturf is dangerous because it doesn't allow the foot to properly push off, thus putting undo strain on the leg. When the body propels itself in one direction, the lack of give from the turf does not support the leg, and thus, joints and ligaments are injured. It's simple science, and I guess AU never has been accused of focusing too much on the sciences. That doesn't change the fact that students have been thrust into danger. What seemed like a nice gesture has turned into a debacle for football-loving students everywhere. Aside from the ligament damage already done, bloody knees are commonplace on the intramural field. I know the intramural directors thought they solved this problem by eliminating any type of contact from the game, but spills still happen, and when they do, some of the nastiest rug burn scrapes I've ever seen, occur. What did humor me last week was the lack of compassion from an AU employee reacting to the man who tore his quad. He allowed the referees to tend to the injured player, while he fervently searched for the waiver form, double checking to make sure no liability was on the school. Now, I'd do that same thing, but it doesn't speak wonders when one of the most comprehensive waiver forms is produced to protect the school from the additional liability encountered by Turfgate 2005. I know, by now you're asking, "Well, if not the Astroturf, then what?" Glad you asked. While it's very convenient to have the games on campus, I propose a temporary solution of returning the games to the Tenley fields. Despite the less-picturesque view and lack of multiple fields, there was also a lack of life-changing injuries which we should strive for. This next summer, the school should replace the Astroturf with something more reminiscent of grass, similar to what National Football League teams use in domes. Or if that doesn't work, maybe we can play Arena Football in Bender. That would surely spark some interest. In all seriousness though, what has to happen for AU to realize the danger that is the current intramural field? I saw an ambulance come last week for a torn leg muscle. I shudder at the thought that one of my fraternity brothers or another player or myself may one day be lying there with a broken neck waiting for the next ambulance. In this time of negative publicity for the school (many of which is undue), we must focus on the positives, one of which is usually intramural sports. However, because of the danger imposed by the condition of the field, some misspending may not be the biggest story at AU much longer.