(VOORHEES TOWNSHIP, New Jersey) – One of the top public high schools in New Jersey, Eastern Regional High School is located in the suburbs of the Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Area in Camden County. This past August the school chose to make a major investment in their athletic program: brand new state-of-the-art synthetic turf fields by Shaw Sports Turf.
Looking to enhance performance and play while addressing the safety needs of its players, Eastern Regional High School chose to replace the existing synthetic turf fields on the Soccer/Lacrosse Complex and Joe Hartman Baseball Complex. The choice to go with Shaw came down to quality. “After doing research, my school district was really impressed with the Shaw product, especially compared to other artificial turf products,” said Jason Hill, Athletic Director at Eastern Regional High School.
Beyond quality, Hill and the athletic program of Eastern Regional have also been impressed by the seamless process provided by the Shaw team. “The Shaw organization has been great throughout the entire process. They were very knowledgeable and honest about their product and synthetic grass fields. They were more than willing to: answer all of our questions - meet in person – send product samples and pictures - direct us to references,” said Hill.
After choosing Shaw, the school worked to find the perfect product for their needs, going with Legion Pro 2.25 for their Soccer/Lacrosse complex and TruHop 50 for their baseball complex. Each product was specifically chosen for the individual needs of the school and their players.
TruHop was developed by Shaw Sports Turf, along with baseball Hall-of-Famer John Smoltz.
“Baseball is a purist’s game,” said Smoltz. “That’s why it’s so important for synthetic turf fields to look and play like natural grass fields. That’s why I worked with the R&D team at Shaw Sports Turf to develop the TruHop system.”
Smoltz likened the TruHop system to a five-tool player in baseball. A five-tool player is one who can field, throw, run, hit for average, and hit for power.
In synthetic turf, a five-tool player is a field that has great aesthetics, is always available, provides performance and durability, allows reduced maintenance, and is safe.
Smoltz cites the consistency and availability of the system for hosting games. The system can be designed to feature turf on all parts of the field, including the mound, batter’s box, and base paths. Infill levels can be adjusted to different locations on the field to adjust the levels of firmness and speed.
Legion is a combination of high-performance monofilament fibers and a durable slit film fiber. The slit film fiber is a workhorse which will handle the workload, while the monofilament provides a more resilient surface that enhances performance characteristics. The Legion Pro system features a premium construction of both Bolt monofilament and slit film fibers for optimized face weight for performance and infill flyout control.
Construction on the fields wrapped in late August, creating excitement amongst the athletic programs and the community. “Our feeder recreational programs that use our fields are also enthusiastic about playing on the new turf fields,” said Hill.
Once the fields were installed, soccer was first sport to experience the new turf as they held first home soccer game on September 7th.
"We are honored to have worked with Eastern High School and the Eastern Camden County Regional School District on this two field replacement. Eastern High School has had a long history of both academic and athletic success. We are proud to have them in our Shaw family,” said Territory Manager Lee DeFrietas.
ABOUT SHAW SPORTS TURF
A wholly-owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Shaw Industries is a full flooring provider to the residential and commercial markets. Shaw supplies carpet, hardwood, laminate, resilient, and tile/ stone flooring products, as well as synthetic turf. Shaw Sports Turf is one of the leading synthetic turf companies in North America and has represented quality and innovation for more than two decades with over 1,500 successful installations, including an impressive list of high-profile field installations. For more information please visit www.shawsportsturf.com, call 866-703-4004 or find us on Facebook.
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