Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
Turf ruling may
By Pat Omandam
trim stadium access
Star-Bulletin
Grass or artificial turf?
That often-debated issue among coaches, athletes and sports fans may be settled once and for all by the state Legislature.
Lawmakers are considering a bill that would ban future use of artificial turf at public facilities, including Aloha Stadium and Rainbow Stadium.
"I know for one thing, it will probably result in a reduction of the number of events that we can have each year at the stadium," said Kenneth Tong, Aloha Stadium engineer.
"We're considered a multipurpose stadium. I think if we went to grass, we would probably have to focus primarily on football," he said.
With Aloha Stadium serving as the state's showcase during the football season, two state representatives believe it is imperative that all state-owned playing fields, such as the Halawa stadium, convert to grass from artificial turf.
They also cite concerns by professional and collegiate football players who say they are more prone to injuries on artificial surfaces than on grass.
"I can tell you that over years, even prior to being elected, there have been many concerns regarding playing on artificial surfaces," said state Rep. K. Mark Takai (D, Pearl City), who along with Rep. Ken Ito (D, Kaneohe) introduced House Bill 1890 last week.
"You talk to trainers, coaches, even talk to players -- it's pretty dangerous. It's almost like falling right onto concrete or asphalt," said Takai, a former University of Hawaii student body president.
Tong, who is drafting testimony against the measure, said the stadium would be forced to dramatically scale down the hundred of events to a few dozen if it replaces its new Astroturf -- installed last summer -- with natural grass once the turf wears out.
Some of the events that would have to be cut are concerts and high school sporting events, he said.
"For example, if we went to grass, we probably only would be able to put on one event a week because the grass would need to recover," Tong said. "If they televise (a UH game), it needs to be in good shape, otherwise we'd kind of reflect poorly on the reputation of the stadium nationwide."
The bill would amend state law to ban the installation of artificial turf on state-owned facilities, including those at the university, after Dec. 31. Tong said the $2.7 million Astroturf installed last summer has an eight-year warranty, after which stadium officials plan to install new Astroturf.
Current maintenance costs for the Astroturf at Aloha Stadium is just under $200,000 a year. Tong estimates it would cost about $3 million to put in grass, with about $300,000 in annual maintenance costs.
Takai admits the ban would cost the state money, but he said lawmakers need to consider the concerns of athletes and coaches who prefer grass to avoid injuries.
But Glenn Beachy, Punahou School athletic director, said there haven't been any studies at the high school level that show Astroturf causes significantly more injuries than grass.
"Injurywise, I can't say one way or another there would be an increase or decrease because we don't have the data to prove that," he said.
Beachy said Wednesday that he prefers grass but, from a practical and economical point of view, grass wouldn't make sense at Aloha Stadium, which holds double- and triple-header high school games during the football season.
"I remember very well the old Honolulu Stadium, and half-way through the season, it was an absolutely mud bowl," Beachy said.
"And every game from then on was played in massive mud. So there wasn't much grass left."
The bill was sent to the House Higher Education and Education committees. A hearing has not yet been scheduled.
Takai said this is the first such bill, and he expects it will take a few years before there is enough support for serious debate.
Legislature Directory
Legislature Directory
Legislature Bills & Hawaii Revised Statutes
