by Shane Henson — April 1, 2013—When the hard-hitting football team representing the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor hits the field for their first fall game, they will be ready for action with the new state-of-the-art AstroTurf the university recently installed at its new stadium.
According to AstroTurf, makers of the product, the AstroTurf is part of a massive $50 million renovation project that the oldest continuously operating college in Texas has planned to modernize the stadium. Players will be stepping onto AstroTurf’s GameDay Grass 3DH. The field utilizes AstroTurf’s monofilament Horseshoe fiber, an omega-shaped fiber that is more resilient and bounces back, staying upright longer than other turf fiber. It also reflects less light and heat. Speed, performance, safety and aesthetics are the GameDay Grass hallmarks, making it a signature surface for AstroTurf, says the company.
To go along with the new stadium, the signature styling of The Cru has been revamped in the form of a new set of logos designed by the team at Woodward Creative Group and unveiled in February. The re-branding effort strikes a balance between the honor and tradition of a university whose college charter was issued in 1845 by the Republic of Texas, and the powerful force their football program, which joined the NCAA Division III in 1998, has become. It’s all part of comprehensive launch aimed at propelling the athletic department forward that has included new logos, a new stadium, and last September’s dedication of the Cummins Field House, one of the finest football training facilities in the country, explains AstroTurf.
The blending of tradition and innovation is a thematic quality familiar to the team at AstroTurf. According to the company, the originators of the synthetic turf trade have maintained the balance of the industry’s oldest and most recognizable brand name while developing next generation products that propel the industry forward.
A vital component of the GameDay Grass system is the RootZone, a proprietary technology invented, patented, and improved upon by AstroTurf. It is an infill stabilization system comprised of a thatch layer of textured nylon that radically reduces both infill migration and deep cleat penetration—contributing to a faster, more consistent playing surface with a cleaner look. But perhaps most important, the RootZone complements the GameDay Grass 3D engineering to create a synthetic turf system that is proven by independent studies to be much safer than competing products.
