Hellas Construction is supporting many high schools and universities – we all have our favorite team but the prevention of injuries and concussions is important for everyone. In the midst of football season Hellas Construction is launching its own safety campaign to increase the awareness and how to build a safer synthetic turf field for athletes.
A “safer” sports field is one that has a consistent and low G-max or shock absorption. By installing a Cushdrain® underneath the turf an artificial turf field will retain a consistent G-max over time, improve drainage, and ensure planarity. It’s simply a better way to build a field and it is providing a safer, more efficient long-term investment for the buyer. An unsafe field has a high G-max and can lead to an increase in concussions. A higher G-max, or harder surface, may be due to compaction, lost infill or turf fibers from wear and tear.
The Cushdrain pad is an elastic layer that is paved in place over the laser-graded drain stone foundation of an artificial turf system. By installing a Cushdrain pad, a sports field will have a base that will last for at least three lifecycles of the synthetic turf. A replacement of the turf is easy and will require no sub-base construction or re-grading, which is typical for a field without a pad.
Ysleta Independent School District made the decision earlier this year to invest in athlete safety. Over the past five months Hellas has been building and installing the seven Matrix® Turf Systems with Cushdrain shock pads for Ysleta, just one of several school districts going the safer route. “Your body feels better after being on it a few hours as opposed to natural grass,” said Jesus J. Perales, Head Football Coach for Del Valle High School, Ysleta ISD, “The feel of the turf is excellent. It has a certain bounce to it,” said Perales.
The increase in Cushdrain installations has nearly doubled for Hellas Construction since last year. It is a better choice that school districts are making and taking seriously when it comes to athletes’ well being. “There are many components and products that go into a sports construction project,” says Reed J. Seaton, President and CEO of Hellas Construction, “but our Cushdrain shock pad is one of the most important products for the safety aspect,” says Seaton.