Pioneer Fields of Excellence Winners
CLEVELAND - Folk Field, the home of Purdue women's soccer, has been selected as a winner of a Pioneer Athletics' Fields of Excellence award for the fourth consecutive year.
The Fields of Excellence award program honors outstanding athletic fields and the hardworking field crews who diligently maintain them. It was established in 1997 and has honored over 750 athletic fields from around the country since its creation. Eighty-five winners were recognized for their excellence in 2016.
Nick Lievense and Steve Vonderheide are the primary sports turf managers responsible for the playing surface at Folk Field. Lievense says that the help from the part-time turf science student employees and the coaching staff are also critical to their success.
Folk Field features a cold-tolerant bermudagrass field as one of the most northern-most facilities in the country with that style of playing surface. Bermudagrass is not native to west central Indiana and therefore presents an additional challenge to maintain it throughout the year.
In June, Folk Field had the unique opportunity of hosting training sessions for C.F. Pachuca of Liga MX, the top level of the Mexican soccer system, before Los Tuzos' exhibition game against the Indy Eleven. The players and staff of C.F. Pachuca raved about the field conditions and commented that it helped the club have very productive training sessions.
"We did have to overcome a major hydraulic leak that occurred on the field a few days before that training," Lievense said. "The mower dumped hot oil on the field which left a large scar. It took extra effort to have it ready before the start of Purdue's season. We did extra topdressing, verti-cutting and fertilizer to get the Bermuda to grow back. We did not have to use sod or seed to get the grass to recover."
Lievense and Vonderheide are planning on utilizing a Universe fraze mowing technique again in May after the end of the spring semester. Fraze mowing is a common practice in Europe to renovate fields and continues to take hold in the United States. Folk Field was the first collegiate bermudagrass field in the United States to use this technique and remains the northern-most bermuda field to Universe fraze mow, as well as the only school in the Big Ten. The machine strips off the top half of the field (depths vary), which removes organic matter, thatch and weeds while smoothing the surface. Lievense says it's a highly aggressive technique and a very progressive approach to managing bermudagrass.
"After fraze mowing we resurface the field with a new cultivar of bermudagrass called Northbridge," Lievense says. "This kind of bermuda is more tolerant to cold weather, more divot resistant, less disease prone and has a finer leaf texture. We also increase our aerification and topdressing from year to year. The fraze mowing and increased cultural practices all help to create a safe, consistent, and predictable surface for the players, which are our ultimate goals."
During the 2016 calendar year, the Folk Field hosted 14 games. That total includes Purdue's 11 home dates during the fall season, a neutral-site game between Oakland and Montana on the season-opening Friday and two exhibition games in the spring. Visiting players and coaches remain very complimentary about the quality of the playing surface at Folk Field.
The sports turf staff utilizes aggressive turf management techniques to keep the goal mouths in pristine condition all season. This includes extensive aerifying, topdressing and seeding.
Lievense says the professional maintenance at a mowing height lower than many fields provides an extremely fast, smooth and dense surface. This allows for predictable ball roll and bounce for the players. He added that the staff maintains the field at a professional level without the benefit of a pro sports level budget.
Pioneer is the nation's leading manufacturer of athletic field marking paint and equipment. Pioneer's line-up of field paints, striping machines, stencils and athletic accessories are used by over 22,000 high schools, colleges and professional athletic organizations throughout North America.