Bobcats Take to New Turf
8/13/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Just after 10:30 on Wednesday morning, Rob Ash's whistle pierced the air, and moments later a new era in Bobcat football began.
After a short break in the team's full-contact practice Thursday, the Bobcats trotted across Kagy Boulevard and began practicing on Bobcat Stadium's new FieldTurf playing field for the first time. The reviews were all positive.
"It's fast, it's fun, it's clean, it looks great," said Bobcat senior Bobby Daly. "We were having a good time. I'm glad it's done and I'm glad we got to get out here and play on it. I saw all the rubber shavings (outside the Stadium) gone, so I thought it was pretty close. I was hoping for Saturday, but I'm glad to be out here today."
Ash's appreciation for the turf project, funded by members of Montana State's 1984 National Championship team, was obvious. "It was a great day for our program to be able to come over here," Ash said. "It was a real boost for the players, very inspiring. We really owe it to the '84 team for getting this done, and I think our fans are really going to enjoy watching games on this surface. It's going to be great for everybody associated with Montana State football."
While Ash had learned the field would be ready for Wednesday morning's practice the day before, he sprung it on his team in the middle of practice. "I didn't want to detract from the first part of practice with the anticipation of coming over here," he said. "I wanted to see what our mentality would be coming out to practice today, anyway. We're kind of challenging the team to be ready every time we practice, and I was concerned coming over here might overshadow what we were trying to do in the first part of practice."
The idea of surprising the team with its trip across the street, though, held other benefits. "I thought it would be exciting for them, and it was. They were thrilled to come over here, and to a man they really loved it. They had no idea when it was going to happen. The looks on their faces were tremendous when I told them we were going to come over here."
Practicing in Bobcat Stadium has practical applications, as well, Ash said. "We were able to get the play clocks and the markings and the good goal posts. Practicing where we're actually going to play was really important for us, and really good."
When asked what he would say to members of the 1984 squad for helping fund the project, Daly's message was simple. "Thank you," he said, his smile carrying far more impact than his words. "Thank you, it's nice, we love it. We're really appreciative. It was really nice of them."
After a short break in the team's full-contact practice Thursday, the Bobcats trotted across Kagy Boulevard and began practicing on Bobcat Stadium's new FieldTurf playing field for the first time. The reviews were all positive.
"It's fast, it's fun, it's clean, it looks great," said Bobcat senior Bobby Daly. "We were having a good time. I'm glad it's done and I'm glad we got to get out here and play on it. I saw all the rubber shavings (outside the Stadium) gone, so I thought it was pretty close. I was hoping for Saturday, but I'm glad to be out here today."
Ash's appreciation for the turf project, funded by members of Montana State's 1984 National Championship team, was obvious. "It was a great day for our program to be able to come over here," Ash said. "It was a real boost for the players, very inspiring. We really owe it to the '84 team for getting this done, and I think our fans are really going to enjoy watching games on this surface. It's going to be great for everybody associated with Montana State football."
While Ash had learned the field would be ready for Wednesday morning's practice the day before, he sprung it on his team in the middle of practice. "I didn't want to detract from the first part of practice with the anticipation of coming over here," he said. "I wanted to see what our mentality would be coming out to practice today, anyway. We're kind of challenging the team to be ready every time we practice, and I was concerned coming over here might overshadow what we were trying to do in the first part of practice."
The idea of surprising the team with its trip across the street, though, held other benefits. "I thought it would be exciting for them, and it was. They were thrilled to come over here, and to a man they really loved it. They had no idea when it was going to happen. The looks on their faces were tremendous when I told them we were going to come over here."
Practicing in Bobcat Stadium has practical applications, as well, Ash said. "We were able to get the play clocks and the markings and the good goal posts. Practicing where we're actually going to play was really important for us, and really good."
When asked what he would say to members of the 1984 squad for helping fund the project, Daly's message was simple. "Thank you," he said, his smile carrying far more impact than his words. "Thank you, it's nice, we love it. We're really appreciative. It was really nice of them."
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