Indy 500 - In Photos

Is it interesting that the 100th post of the SmartTurf blog is in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway? Just a thought....

Here are a few photos from Sunday. First, the flag before the anthem. Nice pattern in the turf!

The next photo shows the flag during the anthem. To give you a scope of the size of the speedway, this is the same flag that covers almost 120 yards at Lucas Oil Stadium!

The next shot is of the stealth fighter flying overhead. Did you know that the only base for this fighter is in Missouri! ALL flights begin and end in Missouri. A mission in Libya begins and ends in Missouri. In fact, the same plane participated in flyovers at Indy and Charlotte in the same day. To see a link for the stealth bomber, click HERE. This was a quick trip. Great work to our armed forces!

The start, the only 3 wide start in the world. 11 rows, 3 cars per row = 33 cars.

Finally, the end of the race. JR Hillenbrand was still in the car in front of us in this shot. Wow a tough ending to the race. To be honest, most of the people in our section thought he won! The way he handled the situation is the most memorable aspect of the race.

If you have never been to the Speedway for the 500 mile race, this is definitely a bucket list item.

To learn more about IMS, click HERE.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie

IPL Parade and a Story Behind the Floats......

The second to last post on the 500, and the month of May in Indianapolis. Saturday was the IPL 500 Festival Parade. Over 300,000 people turn out to see the parade. Below is a photo of Kelli Pickler singing before the parade. The car directly behind her was the car that won the first race in 1911.

I know many of you may say, how does a parade have a sports tie in , since this is the SmartTurf blog? Well, an interesting story behind the next set of photos. When the Colts won the Super Bowl in February 2007, they had to have a parade, right? So, where did they turn for floats? See if you can see a tie in here.

The 500 Festival Princesses and a number of the Colts........

REO Speedwagon and the float that carried these well known figures......

To learn more about the 500 Festival Parade, click HERE.

To learn more about REO Speedwagon, click HERE.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Look for a race post later today or tomorrow, then back to sports turf later this week.

Play on!
--Jamie

Anderson - Colts Training Camp Fields - May 26, 2011

Below are a few photos of the training camp fields at Anderson University. The Patriot bermuda grass fields are the scheduled site for the Colts 2011 training camp. So far this spring, the following applications have been made to the surface:

1. Katana application to remove a light overseeding and remove additional winter annuals
2. 16.28.12 application
3. Granular Ronstar

The first two photos show the field from the south looking north. Notice the thinner stand coming out winter is along the hash marks.

The thin areas are a bit deceiving. Here is a close up, there is a tremendous amount of green leaf tissue.

The final photo shows a couple of spring dead spot areas on their way to full recovery.

To learn more about bermuda grass in Indiana, click HERE.

To learn more about Anderson University athletics, click HERE.

To see earlier posts from Anderson and additional bermuda grass info from 2011, click HERE.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie

John Glenn is a Grad - Muskingum University

I visited Muskingum University earlier this week. The university is the home of astronaut, John Glenn.

I visited with Head Baseball Coach, Gregg Thompson. The skipper is the all time career win leader for the Muskies. Below is a photo of the newly constructed bullpen behind the 1st base dugout.

A stop in New Concord, OH would not be complete without a stop at the softball field. Muskies softball have a history of good teams as well. Here is a photo of their backstop. As you can see they have been very successful.

Finally, a neat photo of the mascot of Muskingum University. It's a friendly fish!

To learn more about Muskingum University, click HERE.
To learn more about Muskingum athletics, click HERE.
To learn more about astonaut John Glenn, click HERE.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie

Columbus Clippers - Here Comes The Rain - Vol. 2

The second set of 2 volumes of my visit to Huntington Park. Volume 1 ended with the tarp placed on the field. The next step for Wes and the crew was to "float" the tarp. Many groundskeepers have experimented with floating tarps. Here is how the tarp is floated in Columbus:

The plan uses six carpet blowers. Two blowers are placed at first and third base and a final set behind home plate.

The photos below are from first base. The carpet blowers are set on plywood which was placed on top of Enkamat. After the blowers are set, stools are used to slightly lift the tarp to allow for initial air to get under the tarp to start the "floating"

The next photo a long distance shot showing the set up at third base.

Finally the set up at home plate.

The last two photos......

The tarp before it is inflated and after the blowers are turned on.

Notice that when the tarp is inflated it “floats” above the turf at a height of approximately 5 ft.

Why float a tarp? The ability to lift the tarp allows for some air movement under the tarp but also, the turf does not become matted which it typically does after the tarp sits on the field overnight. Finally, by lifting the tarp, disease pressure in less.

The most famous application of this, Wimbledon (photo below). The All England Lawn Tennis Club performs all of the maintenance of the turf under “floated” tarps during the typical wet conditions during the tournament.

To learn more about the Columbus Clippers, click HERE.
To learn more about Huntington Park, click HERE.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie

Columbus Clippers - Here Comes The Rain - Vol. 1

Last night I was in Columbus, OH, and decided to catch a Clippers game. Wes Ganobcik and his crew, including you, Nick, had their hands full during the game, and during the next couple of weeks. Huntington Park will be the host of 40 events in 24 days. Can any of you beat that!

The field consists of sod from Tuckahoe and an infield mix that has been amended with Natural Sand Dura Edge Clay.

Here is a photo from the first inning:

Here is a photo from the fifth inning:

And then the 8th inning:

Sorry for the blurry photo.... I was running for cover.

Here comes the tarp - notice the tractors pushing the drum:

A few more......

Wes and his crew have a very effective method to tarping overnight, look for that post tomorrow. Also, look for a post from the college of astronaut, John Glenn.

To learn more about the Columbus Clippers, click HERE
To learn more about Huntington Park, click HERE

Play on!
--Jamie

The Month of May in Indianapolis

I know this is a blog about athletic fields, but I would be remiss if I didn't include a post or two about the 500 mile race that we know as the Indy 500. The race dominates the month of May in Indianapolis. I was at the track a couple of days ago and wanted to post a couple of photos.

The first one is rather unique. The group huddled by the wall is none other than Mario, Michael, and John Andretti.

Next are a couple of photos of Marco Andretti. The first one is Marco sitting on the pit wall as Danica Patrick's car is towed past. The second is a photo of his helmet bag. It says is all! Marco had a great run to qualify today.

It would not be the speedway with a photo of Danica......

A busy week is ahead with trips to Columbus and Cincinnati, OH. Also on the schedule are trips to Kentucky and northern IN. The week wraps with a bow at the 500 on Sunday. Look for numerous posts this week.

Play on!
--Jamie

Ripken Baseball - Aberdeen, MD - Vol. 2

Here are more photos from the Ripken Baseball Complex in Maryland.

The first photos below are from the "Yankee Stadium" field. This field has dimensions and a layout similar to Yankee Stadium

Next, the paths between the fields.

A few photos of "Fenway." The first photo is from behind the monster. Also notice the plaque on the fence giving a brief history lesson of Fenway.

Look for the 3rd and final volume soon.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie

Ripken Baseball - Aberdeen, MD

On my trip to the East Coast, I stopped by Cal Ripken's complex in Aberdeen, MD. Here is a number of photos from the stadium. This is a replica of Camden Yards. Note, the building that looks like the B&O Warehouse in RF is actually a hotel.

I will post additional photos tomorrow.

To learn more about the complex in Aberdeen, click HERE.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie

Central Region Little League - Stokley Field - Step 4

Battling the rain once again.....

Here are three photos taken this week at Stokely Field

The first photo is a view from homeplate. The yellow painted lines are the layout of the future field.

The next photo is a view of the infield sub base. As you can see, the sub base is simply compacted soil. The sub base is 4 inches below finish grade. Dura Edge Classic will be installed at a four inch depth. The edges will be cleaned up after irrigation is installed this week.

The final photo is taken from the LF foul pole. Here you can see the outfield grade clearly.

This week's work includes, installation of the new irrigation system and edging the infield and warning track.

To see the posts from the previous four blog entries in regards to this project, click HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie