Ava Veith, Travis Roberson, & David S. McCall
Abstract
Spring dead spot (SDS) of bermudagrass presents a major concern on athletic fields due to the non-uniform surface created. However, the impact of SDS on athlete safety and performance has not been evaluated. The primary objective of this study was to define the influence of SDS on key metrics associated with field performance and athlete safety, including surface hardness and shock absorption, moisture levels, ball rebound, shear strength, force reduction, vertical deformation, energy restitution, and force impact. Additional metrics to define the impact of SDS on field uniformity were also collected. Data was collected from three hybrid bermudagrass baseball field fields in Richmond, VA in late May when SDS symptoms were most visible. Twenty matched pairs of SDS symptomatic and asymptomatic bermudagrass served as replications for each data collection. Data was analyzed using ANOVA by comparing the percentage difference between SDS and healthy averages for each measurement. Our data suggests that SDS impacts surface depression, ball rebound, soil moisture, firmness of surface, and shear strength. When the field has an increased moisture content, vertical deformation, energy restitution, and impact values are also affected. We conclude that SDS impacts hybrid bermudagrass athletic field playing surfaces by creating a significant surface void that is firmer than the surrounding turf grass and absorbs more force from the athlete, therefore returning less energy to the player. Additionally, athletes’ cleat grip will be impacted by a weaker shear strength in SDS patches, suggesting an increased likelihood of slipping. Ball rebound is impacted by SDS, altering player perception of ball travel. Finally, our data suggests that SDS impacts field performance and player safety more on wet fields, though more data is needed to validate.
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