Do you ever find yourself wondering about the composition of the new turf at Memorial Stadium? At night when you're trying to fall asleep, do you ponder issues related to subsurface drainage or whether it will have those little bits of rubber blended in the turf? Well, today is your lucky day: the university recently published an article with all the turf-related information you'd ever want to know.
"We believe the Matrix product is the perfect match for our year-round needs," head football coach Jeff Tedford said.
Field installation will begin in late July and is expected to be completed by the middle of August. The turf will be available to all 13 teams housed in the Simpson Center for Student-Athlete High Performance on a year-round basis.
The surface is designed and manufactured by Hellas Sports Construction headquartered in Austin, Texas, with sales and construction offices in Escondido, Calif, and Seattle, Wash., covering California and the Pacific West. Hellas is working with ValleyCrest Landscape to deliver all elements of the new playing field. While specializing in the general construction of sports facilities and synthetic surfaces, Hellas also champions innovative turf manufacturing, base construction, field, track and tennis installation and maintenance. Among the numerous high-profile clients to have the Matrix synthetic turf system are the Dallas Cowboys, the Cotton Bowl, the Sun Bowl, Baylor University and the Alamodome/Valero Bowl.
...The Matrix turf will provide a balance of high performance and sports attributes, optimizing speed and traction on game days and providing softness and shock absorption for the rigors of daily training. The low abrasive qualities of the turf fibers combined with impact cushioning features maximize player safety under all conditions.
The turf surface includes a densely tufted synthetic fiber filled with a blend of crumb rubber and unique silica pea gravel base atop a free draining rubberized shock pad Cushdrain, also installed by Hellas. The surfacing components sit atop an extensive network of subsurface drainage pipes and crushed stone layers designed to carry away surface water from even the heaviest of storms and allow for play in inclement weather.
After the jump you'll find a collection of more traditional Cal sports stories.
Football
- Once the Pac-12 Network kicks off, it will show several classic Pac-12 matchups. Cal-USC 2004 and The 1982 Big Game are expected to be among them.
- Athlon rates the Bears as having the 5th-best offensive line in the conference.
- Athlon named Keenan Allen a second-team All-American receiver.
- Cal is in "we'll see" territory at kicker next season.
- Cal Athletics sends out a press release to assure us all that Memorial Stadium will be "game ready" on September 1st (and they even define "game ready").
- CalBears.com has a Q+A with Breana Kostreba, who talks about her experiences and challenges during her first year.