Passed through Blacksburg on Friday and got to see the facility for the first time. It truly is an impressive structure and really makes that area look top notch. I just wish they could still have 2 full length outdoor fields, cause then it really would be perfect.
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How often do you need a full field for practices? Not a rhetorical question. Aren't practices more situational/formation-oriented? Or do they actually simulate an entire game during practices? As long as a practice field is long enough to have to different squads working on opposite sides of it, it's big enough isn't it?
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Your argument has pretty much summed up the other side of the debate, essentially say: we don't use two full fields anyway so two short fields is big enough.
But I believe is the tallest indoor facility in the nation. It's clearly surpassed the "big enough" limitation that this argument is suggesting is applicable to the outdoor practice fields. No other team has a facility this tall with this much interior space to house legit punting competitions. I love that about it, don't get me wrong, but just for the sake of this debate I do find it ironic.
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We don't have enough turf to rotate practices anymore to really keep the grass on those outdoor fields fresh throughout the season. By the time we get through late summer 2 a days, and 2 months of daily practices during the season that outdoor field is going to be in pretty rough if not terrible condition.
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The turf system in lane is a single unit composed of a base of 'removable' trays. Once the Bermuda grass is fully established the playing surface is one unit. The cost of installing a similar system for the practice field would be preventative not to mention it's primary objective is to be able to use the field in the rain. If you have an indoor facility you won't be practicing in the rain.
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Huh, today I learned. Pretty cool stuff, thanks for the info.
It seems like Tech plays at least one wet game a year so I hope they still get some practice in the rain
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1) Do we do two-a-days now? A while back I remember a story about two-a-days in college football that pointed to us as one of the few BCS conference programs that has never done them. Did Frank adopt them recently?
2) How short are the outdoor fields now? If they're both 50 yards I could see what you're saying. If they're both 80, I don't see us wearing them down like you're saying, because we probably didn't really use those other 20 yards much anyway.
3) We do now have THREE practice fields, don't we? Why wouldn't we rotate into the indoor facility to save wear and tear on the two outdoor fields? Wasn't that partially the point? And isn't that really the hidden benefit of us locating the indoor facility right beside the outdoor fields?
4) I'm bad at math.
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I expect part of every practice to be indoors, and all of the potentially muddy field practices to be indoors. That should take some pressure off of the more compressed outdoor space. They also have the option of "resting" an outdoor field from time to time to make sure they have an outdoor field in good shape for when they need it. And they can overlay a 100 yard field parallel to the IPF to move wear and tear around.
They could tear up the outdoor fields but I'm not sure they have to.
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Also, if they find this does actually become an issue, couldn't they replace the turf on the practice fields with an artificial surface to make it more resilient?
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they could but if they play on on a grass field, I would think they'd want to practice on one when possible. IIRC, most of the damage gets done to a football field when it is soft, and that is no longer required. Bottom line is there is more total practice space than before and a good chunk of it is all weather.
Hopefully it will also impress the hell out of recruits over the next few weeks
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You assume the will be doing all the practice on the outdoor turf, my guess is morning practice outside, afternoon practice in the shade inside. Is the place air conditioned and heated or will it just be a wind and rain barrier?
I thought it was supposed to have a series of nearly floor to ceiling doors on the practice field side to allow practice to carry inside to out and vice versa. Looks like it has garage doors but not doors that you could open to run practice through.
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Yeah, I had the same belief about the doors when the project was first announced. Not functional to the point I thought.
Question to anyone, I have not played on turf since I was in high school. Do you still need different cleats for turf or is it to the point where you don't need to change shoes? I know there is turf grass which is thicker and deeper where cleats can be used, but typically sports turf, which is here, is thinner and more durable.
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I was at the German Club for a wedding on Saturday night. My wife and I snuck away to go see the greatest barn in the history of barns. We also did this....
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Comments
That is a fine-looking addition to our program and campus
Awesome. Love the video. Players gotta be stoked. Get those qbs n receivers in there workin timing. LET'S GO!
HOKIES!
Is it real grass or turf?
sports turf
Passed through Blacksburg on Friday and got to see the facility for the first time. It truly is an impressive structure and really makes that area look top notch. I just wish they could still have 2 full length outdoor fields, cause then it really would be perfect.
How often do you need a full field for practices? Not a rhetorical question. Aren't practices more situational/formation-oriented? Or do they actually simulate an entire game during practices? As long as a practice field is long enough to have to different squads working on opposite sides of it, it's big enough isn't it?
Your argument has pretty much summed up the other side of the debate, essentially say: we don't use two full fields anyway so two short fields is big enough.
But I believe is the tallest indoor facility in the nation. It's clearly surpassed the "big enough" limitation that this argument is suggesting is applicable to the outdoor practice fields. No other team has a facility this tall with this much interior space to house legit punting competitions. I love that about it, don't get me wrong, but just for the sake of this debate I do find it ironic.
We don't have enough turf to rotate practices anymore to really keep the grass on those outdoor fields fresh throughout the season. By the time we get through late summer 2 a days, and 2 months of daily practices during the season that outdoor field is going to be in pretty rough if not terrible condition.
I wonder if they'll try to use the sectioned turf like in Lane. It would make it easier to repair weak spots
The turf system in lane is a single unit composed of a base of 'removable' trays. Once the Bermuda grass is fully established the playing surface is one unit. The cost of installing a similar system for the practice field would be preventative not to mention it's primary objective is to be able to use the field in the rain. If you have an indoor facility you won't be practicing in the rain.
Huh, today I learned. Pretty cool stuff, thanks for the info.
It seems like Tech plays at least one wet game a year so I hope they still get some practice in the rain
Couple of things...
1) Do we do two-a-days now? A while back I remember a story about two-a-days in college football that pointed to us as one of the few BCS conference programs that has never done them. Did Frank adopt them recently?
2) How short are the outdoor fields now? If they're both 50 yards I could see what you're saying. If they're both 80, I don't see us wearing them down like you're saying, because we probably didn't really use those other 20 yards much anyway.
3) We do now have THREE practice fields, don't we? Why wouldn't we rotate into the indoor facility to save wear and tear on the two outdoor fields? Wasn't that partially the point? And isn't that really the hidden benefit of us locating the indoor facility right beside the outdoor fields?
4) I'm bad at math.
I expect part of every practice to be indoors, and all of the potentially muddy field practices to be indoors. That should take some pressure off of the more compressed outdoor space. They also have the option of "resting" an outdoor field from time to time to make sure they have an outdoor field in good shape for when they need it. And they can overlay a 100 yard field parallel to the IPF to move wear and tear around.
They could tear up the outdoor fields but I'm not sure they have to.
Also, if they find this does actually become an issue, couldn't they replace the turf on the practice fields with an artificial surface to make it more resilient?
they could but if they play on on a grass field, I would think they'd want to practice on one when possible. IIRC, most of the damage gets done to a football field when it is soft, and that is no longer required. Bottom line is there is more total practice space than before and a good chunk of it is all weather.
Hopefully it will also impress the hell out of recruits over the next few weeks
You assume the will be doing all the practice on the outdoor turf, my guess is morning practice outside, afternoon practice in the shade inside. Is the place air conditioned and heated or will it just be a wind and rain barrier?
I thought it was supposed to have a series of nearly floor to ceiling doors on the practice field side to allow practice to carry inside to out and vice versa. Looks like it has garage doors but not doors that you could open to run practice through.
Yeah, I had the same belief about the doors when the project was first announced. Not functional to the point I thought.
Question to anyone, I have not played on turf since I was in high school. Do you still need different cleats for turf or is it to the point where you don't need to change shoes? I know there is turf grass which is thicker and deeper where cleats can be used, but typically sports turf, which is here, is thinner and more durable.
I was at the German Club for a wedding on Saturday night. My wife and I snuck away to go see the greatest barn in the history of barns. We also did this....
Thought I saw someone sneaking around outside the barn the other day
I figured you would see a guy in a suit and assume I was on official business. Suit business.
sneaking off with the wife? Business time?
I know what you mean. Sometimes you gotta roll like that, haters gonna hate
Fancy!!
I dunno, I see a guy in a suit around a football stadium and I would assume wahoo spy!!! You are lucky HOAT didn't give you two shoes to the chops!
I was wearing a regular tie, not a bow tie.
Can I just say from the flickr stream...that place looks hawt.