The removal of natural grass at UNC’s Kenan Stadium is more than just a decision by an incoming football coach to switch playing surfaces. It sets a precedent by one of North Carolina’s leading educational institutions who has chosen to replace a locally-grown, successful, NC agricultural product with an out-of-state plastic product that is not only more expensive, but less safe for NC kids and athletes. North Carolina schools and communities look to the UNC system to set the standard for safety and health, and we feel that this decision falls far short of the positive example expected of the UNC system’s flagship institution.
Furthermore, it is also clear that no consideration was given to the impact of this decision on North Carolina’s agricultural community or the precedent that it sets for local schools, athletic fields, and community parks. Every year, NC Sod Producers grow over 13,000 acres of sod valued at $47 million but lose local business to out-of- state plastic, synthetic field companies that falsely claim their product is cheaper, safer, and maintenance free when in fact none of which are true. Kenan stadium has long-been a perfect venue to highlight the NCDA slogan “Got to be NC Agriculture”, and it is a public insult to NC's agricultural industry that this locally produced agricultural product may be replaced with an out-of-state plastic product.
The natural grass currently in Kenan Memorial Stadium and the 2018 National STMA Field of the Year will provide the safest possible playing surface for UNC student-athletes for many years to come. We urge our state lawmakers and UNC Board of Governors to put the safety and health of North Carolina children and student athletes first by choosing a safer, locally produced product in NC natural grass. As proud, life-long North Carolinians, my constituents and I feel like this would serve as a shining example for our NC schools and communities by meeting or exceeding the highest standard of safety that is expected of the UNC system while at the same time showcasing the pride and value of NC Agriculture.
Sincerely yours,
Casey Reynolds, PhD Executive Director, TPI
creynolds@turfgrasssod.org CC:
Keaton Vandemark Vandemark Farms, LLC
keaton@vandemarkfarms.com
Linda Bradley Vice-President, NCSPA
turfmountain@bellsouth.com
UNC BOARD OF GOVERNORS KEN PITTMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNC CAMPUS HEALTH BUBBA CUNNINGHAM, UNC DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS STEVE TROXLER, NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER HAROLD BRUBAKER, FORMER NC SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
The original research referenced in this letter appears in The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2019;47(1): 189-196, DOI: 10.1177/0363546518808499.
Casey Reynolds, PhD, is executive director of Turfgrass Producers International.
18 TPI Turf News July/August 2019
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