August 19, 2007

Synthetic Surface is a Hit with Players
by Allen Gamaehlich, The Daily Sentinel

Sherilyn Stoffel was almost afraid to step onto Mesa State Stadium soccer field.

When she did, the Mesa State College sophomore women's soccer player was pleased.

"I feel special playing on this," Stoffel said. "It's perfect in every way."

Stoffel, her teammates and the Mesa State men's soccer team finally got to play on its own field for the first time after grand opening ceremonies Saturday.

Players on the men's and women's teams helped conduct a youth clinic on the field in the morning and then had scrimmages on the field in the evening.

The men played Colorado Mountain College, a two-year school, before the women played a game against the alumni. The Mavericks defeated Colorado Mountain in the unofficial game. Mesa State is not allowed to report the game according to NCAA rules. A near-capacity crowd attended the scrimmages.

"We played well being our first game," Mesa State senior Nick Gumpert said. "We set the tempo early and were able to get the jitters out.

"We didn't know what to expect. We haven't played in a game atmosphere."

Gumpert admitted the jitters were as much from playing the first game on the new field as it was playing its first game together as a program.

This is the first season for men's soccer at Mesa State.

"It was in everyone's head a bit," he said. "Everyone knew what was on the line. Luckily, we played well."

Although it was the men's first game as a team, many of the players had already played on a synthetic grass surface.

"I've played on this surface in the high school playoffs," Mesa State sophomore Stephen Hofer said. "It plays the same. You stick in more. The traction is good."

Gumpert played on a similar turf while playing for Limestone (S.C.) College.

"It's good stuff," Gumpert said. "Mesa invested the time and money to go into it."

The Mesa State women loved the turf as well.

"It's really soft," Alina Hartfield said. "This helps make passes sharper. We've been wanting this forever. Everyone was so pumped to play on it.

"It helps with ankle injuries. There are not holes all over the place."

Copyright © 2007 The Daily Sentinel.
Original article printed in the Sunday, August 19, 2007 issue of The Daily Sentinel (click here to view a copy of the original article as found on the Daily Sentinel website).
 
 

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"I can't say enough about Dale and his crew and their impeccable attention to detail. From the day he arrived at Grants Pass High School to talk to our board, to the final walkthrough, it was a delight to work with the PTS family. The workmanship was excellent -- early morning, evenings, rain and hail didn't curtail their progress. Our field is absolutely beautiful and is being used every day, regardless of the weather, by our students and athletes. We look forward to having PTS install our new girls' softball field!"

   Tom Blanchard, 11-Year NFL Veteran
   Athletic Director & Football Coach
   Grants Pass High School, Oregon

"We used Professional Turf Solutions at the University of South Carolina in September 2004 to install a 60 yd. indoor multi-use practice field. Their crew, led by Dale Collett, did an exceptional job. They were very organized and worked from sun up to sun down. The crew tore out and disposed of old turf, then cleaned up the area before installing new turf. The new turf, including football yard lines, hash marks and one end zone area, was installed in a very professional manner. The company left us extra supplies and phone numbers to call with any problems. I am happy to say our turf has had no problems. This turf also needs only a little maintenance (frequency depends on use). I highly recommend using Professional Turf Solutions for all your installation needs."

   Kelly E. Lewis
   Field House Manager
   University of South Carolina

"What impressed me most about Pro Turf Solutions was that the president of PTS was directly involved in our field installation at Roseburg High School from start to finish. These guys are real pros."

   Thurman Bell, 4-Time State Champion
   Athletic Director & Football Coach
   Roseburg High School, Oregon

"Wow! What better way to express the feelings of our community about your efforts on Mel Ingram Field. It is absolutely beautiful and is being used every day, rain or shine! Our thanks to you, Dale, for everything you've done to make this dream a reality. Your patience with us and your willingness to explain every detail of the project was very much appreciated. You were available when we had questions and your attention to detail was exceptional. Please say hello and 'thank you' to all of your crew. We enjoyed meeting and working with them!"

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