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This surface on Panthernation awhile back and has been discussed ad nausium on PN (and other boards for that matter as well), but this rumor really makes it a very important discussion.


People have long complained about the turf in the UNIDome, and it needs to be replaced badly. Sand paper turf seems to be, and should be, ruled out in all cases. However, UNI doesn't have the equipment or storage space needed for field turf. With the dome also being used for MANY MANY things other than football being able to get the turf out and stored is important. There are some field turfs that are rollable, but with the financial situation at UNI we don't know how feasible they are.

Anyway, supposedly the NCAA has ruled that the turf in the UNIDome is unsafe and unfit for play and needs to be replaced by this coming season. I know for a fact Coach Farley and AD Troy Dannen have been talking with synthetic turf reps a lot the last couple months, but don't know if they have struck a deal or not. I haven't saw a rep come in to the dome for a couple weeks, so maybe there was a secret deal struck.

Thoughts on the subject?

Get them to say the same about the FargoDome. I've played on that shit and it's hell on people.

Both should get the stuff the Alamo Dome uses. It rolls up and can be carted away if needed. Which is exactly what they'd need in Fargo, due to concerts, rodeos and the other various events it holds.

Willie wrote:Get them to say the same about the FargoDome. I've played on that shit and it's hell on people.

Both should get the stuff the Alamo Dome uses. It rolls up and can be carted away if needed. Which is exactly what they'd need in Fargo, due to concerts, rodeos and the other various events it holds.

That has been discussed but again storage becomes the issue. As you, might or might not be able to, see in my sig. the stand actually have a 4-6 foot overhang on the edge of the sideline (leaving the players about 10 feet of sideline....maybe....When the astroturf gets rolled up it is stored under there. Field turf is larger when it is rolled and storage becomes a large issue.


UNI doesn't have the equipment to roll field turf, and it doesn't have an external storage building for the turf to sit.

It's not clear to this poster why you play football in a dome in the first place.

clenz - would it be infeasible to build a small structure out in the parking lot to store it? just roll it out the garage door and stash it in one of those shed type buildings.

it would be a stop-gap before something nicer could be built, but it seems to me that could work.

and yes, I agree with willie about the dome. I played on the Metrodome's Astroturf (which in the late 90's was BETTER than the FFD according to guys I went to school with who played on both), and my knees and ankles and feet were miserable for two weeks. my arms had turf burn something fierce too... (shouldn't have made that tackle on the INT...)

There isn't a ton of space outside of the dome. To the East is Hudson Road (one of the 2 major roads in CF) and to the West is the practice fields and softball fields. Space really is limited and it sucks.


The UNIDome won't be going anywhere anytime soon, barring a disaster that destroys it. They are putting large amounts of money into it for upgrades every single year, and it hosts so many other things (boat shows, farm shows, job fairs, concerts, 2 high schools use it as their home field for their games, Iowa High School football semi's and finals, indoor track, national wrestling duals, and the list could go on for about 10 more minutes) that UNI would actually lose money by closing it. If they could get the seats replaced, maybe not with chairs but better bleachers, and get the walls covered some how it would be a top 5 stadium.

Why not do like Gillette and other outdoor places. They have a "stage" that goes over the field turf. So when you need to have a smooth flat surface for something else you put this "stage", it is really a metal floor that connects in a bunch of pieces, down and you do not have to worry about rolling a field in and out.

kemajic wrote:It's not clear to this poster why you play football in a dome in the first place.

No shit. Pussies.

clenz wrote:There isn't a ton of space outside of the dome. To the East is Hudson Road (one of the 2 major roads in CF) and to the West is the practice fields and softball fields. Space really is limited and it sucks.


The UNIDome won't be going anywhere anytime soon, barring a disaster that destroys it. They are putting large amounts of money into it for upgrades every single year, and it hosts so many other things (boat shows, farm shows, job fairs, concerts, 2 high schools use it as their home field for their games, Iowa High School football semi's and finals, indoor track, national wrestling duals, and the list could go on for about 10 more minutes) that UNI would actually lose money by closing it. If they could get the seats replaced, maybe not with chairs but better bleachers, and get the walls covered some how it would be a top 5 stadium.

Can you go across to UW-Platteville and get a chick to store the turf in one of her fat rolls?

Appaholic wrote:

clenz wrote:There isn't a ton of space outside of the dome. To the East is Hudson Road (one of the 2 major roads in CF) and to the West is the practice fields and softball fields. Space really is limited and it sucks.


The UNIDome won't be going anywhere anytime soon, barring a disaster that destroys it. They are putting large amounts of money into it for upgrades every single year, and it hosts so many other things (boat shows, farm shows, job fairs, concerts, 2 high schools use it as their home field for their games, Iowa High School football semi's and finals, indoor track, national wrestling duals, and the list could go on for about 10 more minutes) that UNI would actually lose money by closing it. If they could get the seats replaced, maybe not with chairs but better bleachers, and get the walls covered some how it would be a top 5 stadium.

Can you go across to UW-Platteville and get a chick to store the turf in one of her fat rolls?

and never get it back??? it'd be like Indiana Jones getting it out of there.

dgreco wrote:Why not do like Gillette and other outdoor places. They have a "stage" that goes over the field turf. So when you need to have a smooth flat surface for something else you put this "stage", it is really a metal floor that connects in a bunch of pieces, down and you do not have to worry about rolling a field in and out.

Because the track is under the turf, and is a permanant surface. Here is how our turf is stored right now, I took this just about 5 minutes ago

http://s348.photobucket.com/albums/q340 ... 102800.jpg


You can see the turf rolled up under the stands.


In this picture you can see the garage door that leads to the outside that would be where the rolls would get taken in and out. It isn't a huge door, but a semi can fit through it, but it isn't wide enough for most turf rolles to fit though/we don't have the equipment for it.

http://s348.photobucket.com/albums/q340 ... 2800-1.jpg

The other option that has been thrown around on PN was the permanent field turf with the surfaces to go over it. However, again that brings up the budget issues UNI is under...and the storage space needed for the removeable indoor track.


However, a banked track would be possible that way which could bring in some national meets.


There is so much that goes on in the dome though that a removable turf is needed. The dome is open to the students for recreational use at night, and I don't think that the university wants college kids on expensive turf every night.

AZGrizFan wrote:

kemajic wrote:It's not clear to this poster why you play football in a dome in the first place.

No shit. Pussies.

AZGrizFan wrote:

kemajic wrote:It's not clear to this poster why you play football in a dome in the first place.

No shit. Pussies.

Have you ever been to Iowa in November and December? Ask the UD fans that were in Iowa for the playoff game in 07 if Iowa is a good place to play an outdoor game in late November or later.

clenz wrote:

AZGrizFan wrote:



No shit. Pussies.

Have you ever been to Iowa in November and December? Ask the UD fans that were in Iowa for the playoff game in 07 if Iowa is a good place to play an outdoor game in late November or later.

Yes, and have found nothing unique about it. Venues much further north of Iowa still play in open Stadiums. Since when was football designed to be played in a dry 72 deg environment? This is football, not badminton.

kemajic wrote:

clenz wrote: Have you ever been to Iowa in November and December? Ask the UD fans that were in Iowa for the playoff game in 07 if Iowa is a good place to play an outdoor game in late November or later.

Yes, and have found nothing unique about it. Venues much further north of Iowa still play in open Stadiums. Since when was football designed to be played in a dry 72 deg environment? This is football, not badminton.

And that is not the issue here, the issue is our turf. The dome, actually isn't even 72 degree either.

kemajic wrote:

clenz wrote: Have you ever been to Iowa in November and December? Ask the UD fans that were in Iowa for the playoff game in 07 if Iowa is a good place to play an outdoor game in late November or later.

Yes, and have found nothing unique about it. Venues much further north of Iowa still play in open Stadiums. Since when was football designed to be played in a dry 72 deg environment? This is football, not badminton.

Domes like UNI, NAU, ISU, Idaho were built in the 70's - when multi-purpose domed stadiums were the next big thing.

For at least UNI and NAU, it was a single solution to aging football stadiums and basketball arenas.

dbackjon wrote:

kemajic wrote: Yes, and have found nothing unique about it. Venues much further north of Iowa still play in open Stadiums. Since when was football designed to be played in a dry 72 deg environment? This is football, not badminton.

Domes like UNI, NAU, ISU, Idaho were built in the 70's - when multi-purpose domed stadiums were the next big thing.

For at least UNI and NAU, it was a single solution to aging football stadiums and basketball arenas.

When I was doing my senior project (on public financing of sports facilities) I looked in to what I called "small market multi-domes" UNI, NAU, ISU, Idaho, ETSU, NDSU, UND... All have similar traits. All are in cities or regions without a large indoor space. (at that time). The communities had to justify spending money on their hometown schools football stadiums, or in other cases, the schools had to find a way to pay for a new football stadium and basketball arena... one very good solution in these towns was to build a big indoor space, and rent it out for boat shows, concerts, big ticket high school games (or state tourneys in the case of Fargo and UNI)

In total, while these places aren't palaces of college football, they are models of efficiency for universities and the communities that support them. Oh... and most of these places have nasty, nasty, winters that make late season games just miserable for fans.

clenz wrote:

dgreco wrote:Why not do like Gillette and other outdoor places. They have a "stage" that goes over the field turf. So when you need to have a smooth flat surface for something else you put this "stage", it is really a metal floor that connects in a bunch of pieces, down and you do not have to worry about rolling a field in and out.

Because the track is under the turf, and is a permanant surface. Here is how our turf is stored right now, I took this just about 5 minutes ago

http://s348.photobucket.com/albums/q340 ... 102800.jpg


You can see the turf rolled up under the stands.


In this picture you can see the garage door that leads to the outside that would be where the rolls would get taken in and out. It isn't a huge door, but a semi can fit through it, but it isn't wide enough for most turf rolles to fit though/we don't have the equipment for it.

http://s348.photobucket.com/albums/q340 ... 2800-1.jpg

Didn't know that. That definitely puts them in a bind with trying to figure out what to do.

Our conference championship game this year in Moorhead was 12* with a -5* wind chill and it was snowing like a bat out of hell. It was miserable.

Willie wrote:Our conference championship game this year in Moorhead was 12* with a -5* wind chill and it was snowing like a bat out of hell. It was miserable.

Now that's football.

Do you think Nov-Dec Montana weather is balmy compared to Iowa? Indoor football will never happen at UM. Fans that are wimps about the weather aren't needed. Do you see a dome in Green Bay?

kemajic wrote:

Willie wrote:Our conference championship game this year in Moorhead was 12* with a -5* wind chill and it was snowing like a bat out of hell. It was miserable.

Now that's football.

Do you think Nov-Dec Montana weather is balmy compared to Iowa? Indoor football will never happen at UM. Fans that are wimps about the weather aren't needed. Do you see a dome in Green Bay?

By the way, k, thanks for bringing up the issue...I've always wondered why folks who brag about how tough they are play wuss when it comes to football...

Yeah here's a pic from the game before the snow really started flying. Our stadium holds a little over 8,000 and I think there was like 1200 for the game, it sucked. But speaking of turf rumors, we're "supposed" to get fieldturf on our field this summer. It got torn apart during this game.

Dear clenz,
Please, in the future, refrain from bringing up stupid UNI issues on a national website. This thread is embarrassing.

Jesus Fvckin' Christ.

never been to the UNI Dome so don't know much abt its structural integrity, design or layout. it seems to me that if you can't store the turf in the end zone areas, and it's impractacle to move the turf to an external storage unit, and its not really feasible to embed sideline to sideline encased trenches to lower the turf, how bout setting up rigging to raise the rolls of turf skyward for storage purposes. mumble... ...... .. mumble.............my bad, i'm sure the powers that be at UNI will come up with an appropriate solotion. good luck!