Sports
Camp Randall Stadium is changing its turf. And, as a direct result, Dennis Helwig '74 may be changing his mind.
Helwig, the head athletic trainer for UW's twenty-three varsity sports teams, has long believed that you can't beat nature at its own game. Like most athletes and experts in sports medicine, he'd take a grass field over an artificial one any day.
After burying his fist into the verdant strands of Camp Randall's new synthetic turf, however, he's not so sure.
“I'm definitely rethinking my position,” he says.
The grass in UW's football stadium hasn't been real since before the 1990 season, and, considering Madison's chilly fall weather and the heavy use of Camp Randall for high school football games and band events, it will probably always be better suited for the fake stuff. But artificial turf has come a long way since 1998, when the university last laid carpet at the stadium. The new fields that were installed this summer in Camp Randall and the adjoining McClain Athletic Facility are about as much like the thin turf they replaced as a throw rug is to wall-to-wall Berber.
“It's very much like grass in a lot of ways,” confirms Helwig. “And it has a number of advantages over grass, too.”
Helwig, the head athletic trainer for UW's twenty-three varsity sports teams, has long believed that you can't beat nature at its own game. Like most athletes and experts in sports medicine, he'd take a grass field over an artificial one any day.
After burying his fist into the verdant strands of Camp Randall's new synthetic turf, however, he's not so sure.
“I'm definitely rethinking my position,” he says.
The grass in UW's football stadium hasn't been real since before the 1990 season, and, considering Madison's chilly fall weather and the heavy use of Camp Randall for high school football games and band events, it will probably always be better suited for the fake stuff. But artificial turf has come a long way since 1998, when the university last laid carpet at the stadium. The new fields that were installed this summer in Camp Randall and the adjoining McClain Athletic Facility are about as much like the thin turf they replaced as a throw rug is to wall-to-wall Berber.
“It's very much like grass in a lot of ways,” confirms Helwig. “And it has a number of advantages over grass, too.”
The surface, known as FieldTurf, is a hot new commodity on the market, having been selected as the field of choice for a host of universities, including Michigan, Missouri, Washington, and Oregon, as well as the National Football League's Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks. The UW paid some $735,000 to install its two fields, which were completed in August as part of the ongoing renovation of Camp Randall.
“We think this gives us the best of both worlds,” says John Chadima, associate athletic director for operations, who helped select the new turf. “You can have a grasslike field but still have all the usage you want without wearing out the field.”
Expect no elegies for the UW's five-year-old nylon carpet, which workers rolled up yard-by-yard in early July. That surface — upon which the Badgers rumbled to two Rose Bowl berths and Ron Dayne x'00 set an NCAA career rushing record — drew little love from players or coaches. Even during hot days in August, some players wore long-sleeved shirts underneath their jerseys to protect their arms from the painful burns and rashes that came from falling on it.
And rug burn was the least of it. In an eighteen-month span, four Badger players tore knee ligaments while playing or practicing on the carpet — including All-American receiver Lee Evans x'04, who missed all of last season after falling awkwardly during the 2002 spring game. While no one goes as far as blaming the turf entirely for those injuries, “intuitively, you can probably say that the surface played some part,” Helwig says, adding, “I know I won't miss it.”
“We think this gives us the best of both worlds,” says John Chadima, associate athletic director for operations, who helped select the new turf. “You can have a grasslike field but still have all the usage you want without wearing out the field.”
Expect no elegies for the UW's five-year-old nylon carpet, which workers rolled up yard-by-yard in early July. That surface — upon which the Badgers rumbled to two Rose Bowl berths and Ron Dayne x'00 set an NCAA career rushing record — drew little love from players or coaches. Even during hot days in August, some players wore long-sleeved shirts underneath their jerseys to protect their arms from the painful burns and rashes that came from falling on it.
And rug burn was the least of it. In an eighteen-month span, four Badger players tore knee ligaments while playing or practicing on the carpet — including All-American receiver Lee Evans x'04, who missed all of last season after falling awkwardly during the 2002 spring game. While no one goes as far as blaming the turf entirely for those injuries, “intuitively, you can probably say that the surface played some part,” Helwig says, adding, “I know I won't miss it.”
FieldTurf is part of a new breed of turf systems engineered to look, feel, and act more like grass. It consists of a mat of long, polyethylene fibers, which are held in place by a two-inch-deep layer of sand and rubber infill, a soil-like mixture from which the fibers protrude like grass blades. Helwig, who tosses around terms like torque and drag coefficient, says that FieldTurf should reduce the incidence of injuries for two reasons: it doesn't hold on to a player's foot when he turns or cuts, reducing the stress on bones and ligaments; and, because it's thicker than the old turf, it will slow players down, lightening the impact when they hit each other or anything else.
Donny Brady can attest to that. A member of the 1994 Badger team that won the Rose Bowl, Brady was working in the UW weight room when Chadima and Helwig recruited him to help evaluate turf choices. The three traveled to facilities around the Midwest to test-drive four leading brands of turf, with Brady serving as the literal fall guy.
A veteran of three NFL teams who now plays professionally in Canada, Brady performed a battery of maneuvers that included a simulated slide and several hard cuts. These were workouts where the goal was not to feel the burn. Brady was looking for comfort and ease of movement, and FieldTurf earned his nod, not to mention his envy.
“He was really excited knowing that our players would be getting the opportunity to play on this surface,” says Helwig. “And I think there was a little bit of jealousy there, too.”
— Michael Penn
Donny Brady can attest to that. A member of the 1994 Badger team that won the Rose Bowl, Brady was working in the UW weight room when Chadima and Helwig recruited him to help evaluate turf choices. The three traveled to facilities around the Midwest to test-drive four leading brands of turf, with Brady serving as the literal fall guy.
A veteran of three NFL teams who now plays professionally in Canada, Brady performed a battery of maneuvers that included a simulated slide and several hard cuts. These were workouts where the goal was not to feel the burn. Brady was looking for comfort and ease of movement, and FieldTurf earned his nod, not to mention his envy.
“He was really excited knowing that our players would be getting the opportunity to play on this surface,” says Helwig. “And I think there was a little bit of jealousy there, too.”
— Michael Penn
Team Player — Jeff Mack
Five things to know about Jeff Mack, a senior captain of the Badger football team:
— Michael Penn
- Mack is a bright star on the field and a bright guy off it. A business major, he has twice been named to the academic all-Big Ten team.
- Coaches say his value to the team goes beyond statistics. But here's one to chew on: last year, Mack missed six games because of injury. Wisconsin lost five of them. Of the eight in which he played, seven were wins, including the Alamo Bowl, where Mack was named defensive MVP.
- He and the three other captains are being counted on more than ever before to set a strong example for teammates. Coach Barry Alvarez expects these leaders to play a more active role in enforcing team rules and conduct codes.
- At six feet tall and 244 pounds, Mack has no problems with enforcement.
- Astute fans may remember another Jeff Mack who figured prominently in Badger football history. In 1974, a receiver by the same name caught a touchdown pass to give Wisconsin a stunning 21-20 upset over national powerhouse Nebraska. That was Jeff's dad.
— Michael Penn
If You Wanna Be a Rugger ...
Football players aren't the only ones who tackle, pass, and run down the field during fall. The Wisconsin Rugby Football Club does all that, too. And if you've ever wondered what it's like to don the striped shirt and shorts, there's a chance to find out.
For the second year, the UW-Madison club will host a free clinic for anyone interested in learning more about football's older sibling. Beginning at nine o'clock on October 4 at University Bay Field, would-be ruggers can learn the basics of the game and participate in a team scrimmage led by coaches Jeff Cement and Lisa Riehl. “We want to get more exposure for rugby and find new recruits for the team,” says club president Scott Martell x'05.
No experience is necessary, and all ages are welcome. To find out more about the clinic, contact Martell at (608) 239-1476, or slmartell@wisc.edu.
— Erin Hueffner '00
For the second year, the UW-Madison club will host a free clinic for anyone interested in learning more about football's older sibling. Beginning at nine o'clock on October 4 at University Bay Field, would-be ruggers can learn the basics of the game and participate in a team scrimmage led by coaches Jeff Cement and Lisa Riehl. “We want to get more exposure for rugby and find new recruits for the team,” says club president Scott Martell x'05.
No experience is necessary, and all ages are welcome. To find out more about the clinic, contact Martell at (608) 239-1476, or slmartell@wisc.edu.
— Erin Hueffner '00
In Season — Women's Soccer
With the World Cup games on American soil, it's a big year for the sport. And that's true for Wisconsin's team, too, which this season will host the Big Ten championship tournament. The conference usually features some of the top teams in the nation, and the Badgers, coming off a second-place Big Ten finish last year, hope to be among them. One good omen: the last time the tourney visited Madison in 1994, Wisconsin walked away with the trophy.
Circle the dates: September 19, Big Ten home opener against Indiana; October 19, at defending champion Penn State; November 6–9, Big Ten tournament, in Madison.
Keep an eye on: Can you say reload? A huge class of eleven newcomers will join the roster this year. Leading goal scorer Jenny Kundert x'04 adds experience to that mix.
Think about this: Wisconsin has made the NCAA postseason tournament twelve times, more than any other Big Ten school.
Circle the dates: September 19, Big Ten home opener against Indiana; October 19, at defending champion Penn State; November 6–9, Big Ten tournament, in Madison.
Keep an eye on: Can you say reload? A huge class of eleven newcomers will join the roster this year. Leading goal scorer Jenny Kundert x'04 adds experience to that mix.
Think about this: Wisconsin has made the NCAA postseason tournament twelve times, more than any other Big Ten school.
Badger swimmer Carly Piper took home a gold medal as part of the U.S. team competing in the summer Pan American Games. Piper swam the third leg of the 4-by-200-meter freestyle relay, helping her team to victory and a record time for the games. Joining her in the Dominican Republic for the events was Eric Hansen, coach of the UW swimming teams, who headed the U.S. men's team.
Beau Hoopman and Paul Daniels, members of the UW men's rowing team in 2003, also claimed gold at the Pan American Games. The rowers, who made up one-fourth of the winning U.S. crew in the men's eight race, added silver medals in the men's four.
Tara Clack, a pole vaulter for the Badger track and field team, lifted herself onto the pages of UW history in her final season. On her way to winning the Big Ten title in the event, Clack cleared a school-record mark of thirteen feet, five and one-quarter inches, which earned her a place at the NCAA championship meet. A four-time member of the academic all-conference squad, Clack later joined UW basketball alumnus Kirk Penney as Wisconsin recipients of the Big Ten's award for outstanding sportsmanship.
Dennis Tiziani, the long-time coach and main architect of UW's golf programs, has hung up his spikes. Coach of the men's team since 1977 and the women's team since 1989, Tiziani led the women's team to its first-ever NCAA championship match this past season. Jim Schuman, the head professional and director of instruction at Hawks Landing Golf Club in Madison, will take over the men's team. Todd Oehrlein, who coached the men's team at UW-Eau Claire for six seasons, will head the women's squad.
Beau Hoopman and Paul Daniels, members of the UW men's rowing team in 2003, also claimed gold at the Pan American Games. The rowers, who made up one-fourth of the winning U.S. crew in the men's eight race, added silver medals in the men's four.
Tara Clack, a pole vaulter for the Badger track and field team, lifted herself onto the pages of UW history in her final season. On her way to winning the Big Ten title in the event, Clack cleared a school-record mark of thirteen feet, five and one-quarter inches, which earned her a place at the NCAA championship meet. A four-time member of the academic all-conference squad, Clack later joined UW basketball alumnus Kirk Penney as Wisconsin recipients of the Big Ten's award for outstanding sportsmanship.
Dennis Tiziani, the long-time coach and main architect of UW's golf programs, has hung up his spikes. Coach of the men's team since 1977 and the women's team since 1989, Tiziani led the women's team to its first-ever NCAA championship match this past season. Jim Schuman, the head professional and director of instruction at Hawks Landing Golf Club in Madison, will take over the men's team. Todd Oehrlein, who coached the men's team at UW-Eau Claire for six seasons, will head the women's squad.
