TPI GETS INVOLVED AT LOCAL LEVEL By Casey Reynolds, PhD
In early 2019, the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill announced plans to remove the natural grass playing surface in Kenan Memorial Stadium and replace it with synthetic turf. As one could imagine, this decision did not sit well with sod producers in North Carolina and one of them decided to reach out to TPI to take action. Keaton Vandemark, retired TPI member of Vandemark Sod Farms in eastern North Carolina, reached out to me to discuss contacting UNC officials regarding this decision.
I wrote the letter that follows and sent it to the Chairman of the UNC Board of Governors as well as the Director of UNC Campus Health, the UNC Director of Athletics, the NC Department of Agriculture Commissioner, a former NC Speaker of the House, and the UNC Board of Trustees.
I also worked with Mr. Vandemark to contact local news agencies to get this story in front of the public, and it was highlighted on the local CBS evening news. To watch the entire news segment follow this link:
https://www.cbs17.com/sports/natural-grabss-groups-raise- concerns-over-unc-s-move-to-artificial-turf/1911607676
Tis story also made the rounds on social media where it was shared by Jody Gill, the current president of the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA), and others.
UNC’s athletic director responded to our letter directly and said that they were moving forward with the synthetic field installation despite our concerns. While we didn’t win this battle, we at least got UNC’s attention and made them aware of the increased risk to their athletes on artificial turf.
If TPI can ever assist any of our members with local issues, please let us know. We are happy to promote natural grass and fight to keep our kids and other athletes safe everywhere we can.
Be on the lookout for a new TPI publication summarizing recent NFL field safety research. Tis printable resource will hit our new website in July so be sure to be on the lookout for it!
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TPI Turf News July/August 2019
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