e By RICK STOLLE Sports Reporter \'OTE ; This is the first of a special (^part series. the snap of the ball, the defen- ^ back bolted toward the line, k®* Sudd en b'’ h e realized a pass would be completed if he didn’t get back ntM jnto position. He tried to cut and win nonnft, )uld ^ ^'■something gave way. ^ On the artificial turf, the pain hit. He tried to move his leg but painful ie d up* jpjsms shot through his body. Char- Ij^atcrs was down for the season and nobody had touched him. Waters’ injury in the 1979 exhibi tion season deadt a serious blow to tbe Dallas Cowboys’ secondary. It is sa > »t an example of a new type of injury: " e ra|| jon-contact injuries, which are be- 3 ' coming more prevalent in American football today.’ Non-contact injuries occur when a joint in the body cannot stand the pressure the body exerts on it an extreme movement. Non-contact in- juries can spell disaster not only for ’ ame ^ the athlete but for his team as well. Artificial turf, with its great amount of traction, has been blamed as the cause of many of these in juries. Although no direct associa tion has been proven, it is commonly believed that artifical turf is a major cause of non-contact injuries. The injuries are unfortunate, but can they be avoided? As more high schools and colleges are using artifical turf, the questions about artificial turf s safety become more important. Does artificial turf We on. Ido,. :hat wji. llerby* lost Vi res are ■ the tea avidKa Houstot iversit); lehind. s time, leld F: as beat :ason. es to for a la KL id d 2-61® I.-5P* I.-1P* MAW Y'S IP $44 I 12.15 ity Artificial turf It has advantages — and disadvantages, too THE BATTALION Pm 13 THURSDAY. APRIL 24. 1M0 facturers, he said. “When it was first marketed, the companies promised it would eli minate serious knee and ankle in juries from the game,” he said. In 1968, the Monsanto Company, which produces Astroturf, made a survey of football knee and ankle in juries for the 1967 season. The sur vey reported that 80 percent of turf- related knee and ankle injuries would have been avoided if Astroturf had been used. In 1967, only three fields in the nation had Astroturf; the Astrodome in Houston, Seattle Municipal Stadium and Indiana State University’s field. The survey concluded Astroturf would cut down on the number of In 1968, the Monsanto Com pany, which produces Astroturf, made a survey of football knee and ankle injuries for the 1967 season. The survey reported that 80 percent of turf-related knee and ankle injuries would have been avoided if Astroturf had been used. The survey con cluded Astroturf would cut down on the number of serious knee and ankle injuries in football. Does artificial turf contribute to injuries? Can athletes compete on it without the danger of re ceiving a serious injury?What are the advantages that make it appear so attractive to so many be Aggr an ^ organizations? the Si —contribute to injuries? Can athletes doubksi compete on it without the danger of /ensau receiving a serious injury? What are j tbe advantages that make it so attrac- ' lead'd bve to so many people and organiza- ^’.I ( ®hons? In 1979, more athletes played on ne podbflartificial tur f than ever before. An ever rising number of high schools going to artifical turf. Many col- _leges now have artificial turf sta- n C or F diums to practice and play on. It is l ?y ea P impossible for a college team to go id fotl brough an entire season without ■ Jeingexposed to artifical turf: at least heldU^neteam in each conference has it.. Fifteen of the 28 professional football learns play on artificial turf at their me fields. Artifical turf has not eliminated in- mstoni uries from sports, it has just changed ^ he type, said Billy Pickard, Texas 5 tl University head trainer. Pick- said the only actual way to pre- „, _ ve nt injuries in football would be to r’7? S* 0 ? Paying. The problem came with the prom- ses made by the artificial turf manu- serious knee and ankle injuries in football. It said, “there were approxi mately six natural turf injuries to each Astroturf injury.” To many of the trainers and coaches around the nation, this state ment looked like a saving grace. Now, they don’t make the same claim, Pickard said. The manufactur ers now say artificial turf will simply reduce the amount of injuries. “But it’s not the turf that causes the injuries,” said David Heath, assistant trainer for Texas A&M. “It’s the contact on that surface.” A solid hit can do more damage than getting hit by a car at the same speed, he said. The players are so big and fast, they can easily hurt them selves and their opponents by their momentum at contact, he said. “The force is channeled to so small an area on the helmet that it actually can do a great deal of damage.” So far in the 1980 spring training season, three football players have gone down with knee injuries requir ing surgery. “All the injuries were due to con tact,” said Pickard. The contact, momentum and rules of the game are such that injuries are expected ocewranees, -be^saidv Nobody likes to see an athlete go down with an injury,,, he said. “There can be too much traction on the surface and the athlete will get hurt.” Pickard used the example of Wa ters as a prime case. “He got too much traction and when he tried to cut, his foot wouldn’t give and his knee couldn’t take the pressure.” Pickard said traction is so impor tant, the shoe becomes a vital con cern to any football team. “We feel there are some shoes on the market that give too much trac tion and we prefer not to use them.” The Texas A&M football team uses a multi-cleated shoe that costs $50 a pair. Pickard said it gives the support and traction needed but will give. “It is expensive, but we feel that it is safer for the athletes,” he said. Pickard said he also prefers new shoes because of an experiment he tried in the spring last year. He gave all the players older shoes to practice on and got a surprising result. The older shoes had a greater susceptibil ity to great toe sprains. He said, like turf, the more wear a product gets, the more problems are associated with it. A report by the National Athletic Injury Reporting Serivce (NAIRS) came to a similar conclusion. In the report to the U.S. Consum er Safety Product Commission, it showed a relation to the age of a sur face and the amount of injuries on it. There were increasing numbers of injuries as the surface aged. This is due to the fact that the wear on the surface tends to break the padding down and mat the fibers to the sur face. According to the report, in 1976, there were 13 cases of significant knee sprains on old Tartanturf to one case on the new. A signficant injury will keep the athlete out of competi tion for up to seven days. There were 20 significant ankle sprains on old Astroturf to 10 for new in 1977. And again in 1976, there were 17 signifi cant ankle sprains on old Tartanturf to zero for the new. This produced an injury rate on old Tartanturf of 8.9 for 1,000 athlete-exposures in 1976. For ex ample, of a 100-member football team, approximately nine ankle sprains could be expected in 10 prac tices on the turf. The data in the report come from approximately 150 high schools and colleges from around the nation. The Artifical turf has not eliminated injuries from sports, it has just changed the type, said Billy Pickard, Texas A&M University head trainer. Pickard said the only actual way to prevent in juries in football would be to stop playing. injury, minor or major, in 1975, 93 in 1976 and 92 in 1977. These injuries may or may not have been serious but they required some type of treat ment. A college team had an average of two knee surgeries a season. The report compared the two arti ficial turfs to natural counting the number of injuries on each. It broke injuries into four categories; signifi cant, moderate, major and severe. After the seven days of a significant injury, moderate injuries kept the athlete out of competition for eight to 21 days. A major injury kept him out for more than 21 days and a severe injury permanently disabled the athlete. The report did say, howev er, that severe injuries were very CLUTCHES FOR MOST IMPORTED CARS CALL FOR PRICES PASSPORT AUTO SUPPLY “The Store with the Cat!" 1403 Harvey Rd. 693-9411 On Hwy. 30 One Block West of East Bypass Didn’t you know yet THE COPPERSTONE SQUARE RESTAURANT 403 Villa Maria - 1 block west off the Mall is not only the perfect place for a delicious lunch, but also the restaurant to go to for an outstanding dinner and A Sunday Brunch at Black Forest Inn. 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