The simplicity of the 12-volt diaphragm pump technology (Shurflo) and the Tru Mark athletic field marker design leads customers through ample opportunities to to diagnose a problem through a process of elimination.

In a recent series of emails and replacement parts ordered for a Model E-100 walk behind athletic field marker, recently inherited by a youth soccer association volunteer, resulted in the following testimonial.

"Finally solved our problem with the new spray tips. I am sure the other new parts and the thorough cleaning helped, but the improvement in the width of the spray was amazing with the new spray tips. We haven't seen that kind of spray performance in years. Many thanks for all your timely advice and support. I particularly appreciated the promptness of your replies. When we are in the market for a new field liner, we will return to TruMark."

Jack, West River Sports Association
Peru, VT

Labels: Services, Testimonials

Dr. Dave Minner, Iowa State University Turf Grass Extension Educator, performed a field trial to learn the effects of herbicide application (broad leaf control) associated with the seed germination.

This test did not follow recommended label instructions, off-label application, on 5 different products.

He was trying to determine whether there were adverse impacts to seed germination and plant growth.

Dr. Minner is looking for time saving steps to help sports turf managers because of the limited opportunities and time to establish a new seed bed, reseed/overseed areas of turf while still controlling broadleaf weeds.

His findings showed that there were almost no impact to seed germination when herbicide is applied at the time of seeding. Two products showed some impact to seed germination when the herbicide is applied 7 days after seeding. There were no noticeable impacts to the seedings at 14 and 21 days after seeding with herbicide application.

A couple images are shown in a photo album depicting the field trial.

To learn more about Dr Minner's research and field trials check the ISU website.

Labels: Product_Review, Services, Turf _Tips

Some of the Tru Mark products we offer are used for a variety of purposes that we didn't originally foresee.

Here's an example from a customer that is responsible for marking a cricket pitch in the United Kingdom. Here's his story on how these sports field marking whiskers are being used to help save time setting up their cricket pitch.

"I help with the ground on a cricket pitch.

The "square" has 20 wickets side by side like a bowling alley surrounded by the oval outfield. Each wicket will have a set of stumps (three bits of wood sticking up) that need to be centered. When we start the new season we have to painstakingly remap these and ensure that they are all square again etc. This can take us 2-3 days, and we will also need to do it several time during the season as the paint fades etc.

We thought it would be a great idea to use the whiskers to mark the square out at the ends so that we can just find the tufts and go from there.

Each "wicket" is 66 feet long and 10 feet wide and must be lined up correctly (otherwise it looks a mess!) and as there are only two of us volunteers, anything we can find to reduce time is welcome."

Check out their Unsworth Cricket Club web site.

Labels: Product_Review, Services, Testimonials, Turf _Tips

Area Field Marking Services and Requests

We have had numerous visitors call or email requesting contact information on field marking services in their area.

Here's your opportunity to post your field marking services and as well as requests through the comment section of this blog. In addition we'll add your posting to our Links Service Providers web page.

Please add appropriate contact information to include name, address, telephone numbers, FAX, email, and web site address.

Are you considering adding field marking operations to your business operations? We can help with how to prepare for a bidding process when it comes to amount of time to stake a field, string, and then paint a sports field, as well as the equipment and paint supplies needed. Send us an email: TruMarkAthletic@gmail.com.

Also post your guidelines and tips how to save time and supplies for field marking operations.

Labels: Services, Turf _Tips

Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker General Manager, Mark Hall, will be attending the 2009 Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) Midwest Regional Conference & Trade Show at Iowa State University, Ames, IA, June 24 & 25, 2009.

Check out the STMA program and brochure (1.4 MB PDF file) for the 6 state STMA sponsored event. Thursday June 24th includes Five Concurrent Educational Activities as well as the Trade Show 1-6PM to include a BBQ Dinner included in the trade show area. On Friday June 25th there will be two concurrent educational session hosted in both the AM and PM.

Check out the latest equipment and supply items featured by Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker as well as other sports turf equipment firms.

Tru Mark will be feature demos of temporary field marking supplies to include aerosol chalk and bulk liquid chalk solutions that don't require any special cleaning solutions. A perfect marking solution for synthetic turf applications where cleanup must be a minimum task.

Also Tru Mark plans to display their three field marking 12 volt diaphragm pump technology solutions, RS-500F with the latest upgrade kits, E-100 with improved pump access and intake line upgrade kit and EZ-70, the most current model introduction.

Tru Mark will be displaying Aer-flo products to include Wind Weight Tarps, sideline turf protectors, cross-over track protectors, and bunt zone training and turf protectors.

Check out the latest in field paint and colorant technology for every field and turf application.

Labels: Demos, Product_Review, Services

Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences recently released a "Report to THE SYNTHETIC TURF COUNCIL On the Research Project SURVIVAL OF Staphylococcus aureus ON SYNTHETIC TURF."

The objective of the study was to examine the survival of S. aureus on infilled synthetic turf systems and natural turfgrass under different environmental conditions and to evaluate the effectiveness of various control agents applied to the synthetic turf in both indoor and outdoor situations.

The report concluded "Commercially available antimicrobial treatments as well as detergent significantly decreased the survival rate of S. aureus present on these natural grass and crumb rubber infilled synthetic turf indoors although every experimental unit inoculated tested positive for the presence of S. aureus for the first 4 hours and a number were still positive 9 days after inoculation."

The report stated, "It is difficult to draw conclusions regarding the effectiveness of various treatments in an outdoor environment because the bacteria do not appear to survive very long under these conditions whether treatments were applied or not, but both detergent and fabric softener applied to the surface around the time of bacterial inoculation seem to reduce S. aureus survival somewhat. Exposures to UV light and higher temperature seem to be the most effective disinfectant under the conditions of this experiment."

Twelve references were cited in the report besides a regime of 10 indoor and outdoor treatments to include: Untreated control, Low rate S. aureus, High rate S. aureus, antimicrobial 1 hr prior, Surfactant 1 hr prior, Antimicrobial 25 days prior, A+S 25 days prior, Kentucky bluegrass, Detergent post, and Detergent 1.5 hr prior.

Labels: Product_Review, Services, Turf _Tips

Charles Ryan Associates received a Silver Award for their West Virginia Lottery Line Painter TV ad at the 2008 ADDY Awards featuring the Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker Model RS-500F out in front with mower deck field line striper.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=misAwRmII24&feature=player_embedded

http://www.charlesryan.com/

Tru Mark staff supported the video shoot on the West Virginia State University Football Field.

Labels: Product_Review, Services

Kansas State University horticulture department increases their Sport Turf Management focus in their curriculum.

“The growing field, increasing professionalism in the sports turf industry and the number of opportunities made us feel like it was an area where students needed to be prepared,” Steve Keeley said, professor specializing in Turfgrass Science.

Read more about the background that lead this land grant college to increase their focus in this growing profession.

http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/news/story/turf_management040909.aspx

Labels: Services, Trends, Turf _Tips

What are the true costs over a 10 year life cycle of traditional soil based field, sand based field, and turf field with infill?

SportTurf magazine of the SportsTurf Managers Association (STMA) March 2009 issue, article by Curt Harler, "Wetness and Wealth--Key Foes of Native Soil Fields", included a very informative sidebar with information from Dr. A.J. Powell, University of Kentucky. The figures below help explain the dichotomy in the question "Contractors Always Sell Grass First Really??"

• Even if a new grass field may only net $5,000 profit (versus $100,000 for synthetic turf)


• Knowing the risks of a grass Grow-In vs. an engineered system that can perform immediately--Surface performance unquestioned


• Surface performance identical to the elite competitors


• Few hidden costs with Engineered system


• Easy to minimize maintenance costs of synthetic Infills--some spend zero dollars


• Easy to exaggerate maintenance costs of grass--what the costs have been or should be

Comparing Sand vs. Infill
	Current-Sand Field	New Sand Field	New Infield (high end)
Initial Const.		$1,000,000	$1,000,000
Maint. 1st yr	$40,000	$40,000	$25,000
10 yr Maint.	$458,600	$458,000	$326,190
10 yr Total	$458,600	$1,458,600	$1,326,190
Avg Cost/yr	$45,860	$145,860	$132,619
Soil Based vs. Infill
	Soil Field Contract	Soil Field DIY	New Soil Field	New Infield
Initial Const.			$50,000	$600,000
Maint. 1st yr	$20,000	$7,000	$15,000	$3,500
10 yr Maint.	$229,358	$80,275	$172,018	$40,120
10 yr Total	$229,358	$80,275	$220,018	$640,120
Avg Cost/yr	$22,936	$8,028	$22,202	$64,012
Grass vs. Infill
	New Soil	Current Soil	New Sand	New Infield
Initial Const.	$50,000		$600,000	$800,000
Maint. 1st yr	$15,000	$15,000	$40,000	$25,000
10 yr Maint.	$172,018	$172,018	$458,600	$326,190
10 yr Total	$220,018	$172,018	$1,058,600	$1,126,190
Avg Cost/yr	$22,202	$17,202	$105,860	$112,619

Labels: Product_Review, Services, Turf _Tips

I've been using Twitter for about 3 months now and have found a few tools that add value to this social networking capability. One of the most convenient feature is the sharing of your Twitter tweets to your Facebook account. It is handy when I find something that I will refer to later and share with my growing list of friends that are connecting on-line.

There are several other tools that I like to use for tracking key words in tweets. This is one way to make connections with other with similar interests. The hashtag feature of Twitter is supporting the increase of more "groups".

Connect with me at the following free websites:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/hallmarkd

http://twitter.com/trumark

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=517061207

http://search.twitter.com/ similar to Google search but targeted on tweets

http://www.twitpic.com/ Adding pictures to Twitter

http://twitterfall.com/ Streaming Tweets based on key words you select

http://www.tweetlater.com/ Productivity Tools. One is a really great tool for key word searches with the results sent as a batch report via email to read at your leisure.

http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=2231777543 Adding your Twitter feed to your Facebook page

http://twitter.com/badges/blogger Add Twitter to your Blogger page

http://twittgroups.com/search.php
Searching for groups that have been established

http://dossy.org/twitter/karma/ helping to manage your Twitter followers

http://dossy.org/2007/12/need-help-managing-your-twitter-karma/

http://www.twellow.com/twellowhood/ Twitter Yellow Pages, a great location tool for finding fellow Twitters in your area

http://www.twittermeter.com/ Tool to graph key words used over a certain time period

http://wthashtag.com/wiki/Cmecon Dictionary of Twitter Hashtags e.g., #CMEcon stands for Creative Molecular Economy

http://www.hashtagdirectory.org/ Wiki of Twitter Hashtags , instructions on how to create a hashtag in the dictionary

http://bubbletweet.com/ a tool to add a short video to your Twitter page

http://www.sociableblog.com/2008/12/29/top-twitter-tools-2009/

http://www.briansolis.com/2008/10/twitter-tools-for-community-and.html

https://www.twittad.com/index.php

Labels: Services, Trends

The Weather Channel has become part of most golf superintendents and grounds keepers on-line tool kit. What other on-line and smartphone tools are you using to help with your turf operations?

Here's a recent article that sheds some background information on the Weather Channel.
http://www.greencastonline.com/FeatureArticle.aspx?Paid=94066

Many field marking operations have to plan for "make-up" days due to rain or irrigation conditions. The Weather Channel can help with planning for the "what-if" situations.

Labels: Services, Trends, Turf _Tips

There are a few products and parts that required price adjustments for the new year.

Products that had changes in pricing and shipping and handling charges included:

• Field Tarps and Protective Covers
• Aerosol Paint and Chalk and aerosol paint for synthetic turf
• Replacement Field Striper Parts
• Graco FieldLaser airless field striper
• Marking Whiskers for field layout operations
• Shurflo Electric Backpack Sprayer
  

In most cases the price increases represented a 5% or less increase.

More of the field tarps and protective covers now include shipping and handling charges in the overall price. This is also the situation on aerosol cans for natural turf paint, aerosol chalk, and aerosol removable paint for synthetic turf.

All the Tru Mark Athletic Field Markers and accessories have stayed with the same pricing since 2005, EZ-70, E-100, and the RS-500s (RS-500, RS-500F, and RS-500M). This also includes the versatile sand bags and both the heavy duty and light weight string winders

Labels: Product_Review, Services

STMA Regional Conference and Exhibition to be Held at Iowa State in June 24-25; Second Regional Conference Coming to the Northeast

STMA, in partnership with eight chapters from the Midwest, will be bringing national level education and a trade show to Ames, Iowa, June 24-25, 2009. Topics will include weather fundamentals for Sports Turf Managers, fertilizers, communicating with user groups, project management and operations management, and environmental stewardship. Attendees will be afforded an intimate look at the Iowa State University athletic facilities, as well as an in-depth view of some of Dr. Dave Minner’s sports turf specific research plots. STMA encourages attendance by Sports Turf Managers and crew alike, and will be providing education for all levels of experience.

Registration costs for the two-day Midwest Regional event will be $75 for an STMA Member (National or Chapter Only) and $95 for a non-member and will include meals. STMA has also negotiated significantly reduced hotel rates. Exhibition space will be $195 per 200 square feet for an STMA Member and $295 for a non-member and will include an 8’ table for a tabletop display and two full conference registrations. Additional space and a product demonstration area will be available for a fee.

Additionally, there will be a second STMA Regional Conference on a date and a location to be determined in the Northeastern U.S. Back by popular demand, STMA and six chapters are partnering to bring the second consecutive Regional Conference to the Northeast, after last year’s extremely successful event in Philadelphia, Penn. at Lincoln Financial Field and Citizen’s Bank Park.

According to Dr. Mike Goatley, STMA Conference Education Chairman, You will not find a better sports turf specific educational experience outside of the STMA Conference and Exposition held every January,” than these two Regional Conferences.

Put June 24-25 on your schedule and start talking to your employer about making sure that you are able to attend this incredible educational opportunity if it is in your area of the country. Also, keep checking back at STMA.org and your inbox for updates on the second Regional Conference in the Northeast. If you have any questions, please contact STMA at 1-800-323-3875 or STMAInfo@STMA.org.

Labels: Services, Sports, Turf _Tips

We are always looking for firms that we can refer local organizations to, especially when it comes to field layout and field striping operations.

Here's our first to make a growing list.

Frazier’s Field Repair
http://www.fraziersfieldrepair.com
Sports field construction, renovation, and maintenance, serving Ohio. Fine grading, infield mix dirt, and pitching mound construction, infield lip removal, and much more.
Troy Frazier, located in the Ohio region.

Labels: Services, Turf _Tips

Purdue University has developed a simple yet informative fertilizer application calculator that just about anyone can understand and apply.

They recommend fertilization rates in pounds of nitrogen per thousand square feet or lbs N/1000 sq ft.
You can use our fertilizer calculator at
http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/fertcalc/Fertilization%20calc.html or you can use the handy instructions below.

If you chose to calculate it yourself, use the following two steps:
Step 1. Calculating the amount of fertilizer/1000 sq ft:
Desired rate in lbs N / 1000 sq ft ÷ % nutrient = Total fertilizer needed / 1000 sq ft

Step 2. Calculating the amount of fertilizer to treat the entire turf area:
Total fertilizer needed / 1000 sq ft X Area to be treated in sq ft = lbs fertilizer needed to treat the area

For example, how much fertilizer do you need to apply a 16-8-8 fertilizer at 0.75 lbs N/1000 sq ft to an 8000 sq ft lawn?
Step 1. Calculating the amount of 16-8-8/1000 sq ft:
0.75 lbs N / 1000 sq ft ÷ .16 N = 4.69 lbs 16-8-8 / 1000 sq ft

Step 2. Calculating the amount of 16-8-8 to treat the entire 8000 sq ft turf area:
4.69 lbs 16-8-8 / 1000 sq ft X 8000 sq ft = 37 lbs 16-8-8 needed to treat an 8000 sq ft lawn

You’ll need 37 pounds of 16-8-8 to treat the 8000 sq ft lawn at 0.75 lbs N/1000 sq ft. More information of choosing fertilizers, fertilization schedules, calibrating spreaders, and more can be found in AY-22: Fertilizing Established Lawns.

Labels: Services, Turf _Tips

Besides helping save school students, help provide live saving tools and training for your staff, sports event spectators, field and facility operations through the Scholastic AED Program.

The Josh Miller HEARTS Act will establish a grant program through the Department of Education that will provide schools with funds for lifesaving AEDs and AED/CPR training.

"AEDs are the single most effective treatment for those suffering a sudden cardiac arrest. By ensuring that schools have access to these lifesaving devices, we can prevent needless deaths in communities across the country."

As a recipient of the Cintas Scholastic grant program, you will receive access to the nation's most comprehensive AED program. Each grant recipient school with receive a ReviveR™ AED at no cost- a $1495 value. In addition, Cintas will also perform a free site assessment that will help you identify optimum locations for your AED, as well as provide information from which you can develop an effective Emergency Response Plan (ERP). Once you are ready to begin your program, your AED will be delivered, expertly installed and tested by a Cintas First Aid & Safety representative.

Labels: Product_Review, Services

Over the last year we've seen the price of commercial parts increase as well as raw materials used in the manufacturing of finished goods.

Graco posted new prices for their product lines effective January 1, 2009. The line striping equipments line experienced approximately a 8.5% increase from last year. Graco has published an approximate 5% discount on suggested retail prices for the first three months of the year.

Tru Mark has added several Graco FieldLazer common replacement parts and accessories to the web site. Check out the 30 inch spray tip extension for those custom turf painting operations such as custom stencils and sideline numbers. Also, the following items are being offered spray guard, intake screen, easy out filter, throat seal, and RAC 5 spray tips.

Labels: Product_Review, Services

Over the past 5 years more community colleges and university systems as well as professional associations have increased their educational, certification, and training offerings in turf grass and landscaping management.

For example, Rutgers University has the following course listings:
Two Year Golf Course Turf Management Certificate Program
Three-Week Golf Course Turf Management Short Course

The Henry Indyk Annual Three-Day Athletic Field Construction & Maintenance

Athletic Field Special Topics: Understanding Synthetic Fields

Athletic Field Special Topics: Baseball/Softball Infield Skin Construction & Management

Pesticide classes

Sports Turf Manager Association (STMA) is offer a professional certification program to enhance their member benefits and their associated employers' value in a critical resources. The Certified Sports Field Manager (CSFM) program has a growing list of CSFM professionals. All turf managers should have the CSFM reading list available and many of these books on their shelf with many paper-clipped and marked up pages.

Labels: Services, Trends, Turf _Tips

How do you prepare a 12-volt diaphragm pump system to survive winter storage requirements?

Labels: Services, Turf _Tips

What does it take to convert a Toro mower chassis into a self-propelled riding line striper? Well with some Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker parts and some ingenuity by Brad Foster of the Vancouver School District, Vancouver, WA a new line striper was born.

The school district purchased some Tru Mark and commercial parts to outfit a new line painter. The total cost of the parts (Tru Mark) were less than $2,000, to include two 20-gallon tanks, pumps (Shurflo 12-volt 3.3 GPM no flow control), switches, tank and pump connectors, brackets and hoses, spray assembly parts for the line striper assembly. Brian spent several hours creating and installing mounting brackets on the Toro chassis and configuring on the parts, connections, and hoses. He also added a line guide to the front of the unit to add more "guidance" for the operator. Check out more of pictures of the converted Toro mower to a field marking line striper.

We continue to receive interesting requests from current and prospective customers. We would be interested in learning about your project and how we can help.

Labels: Demos, Services, Sports, Turf _Tips

Tru Mark Equipment Used in West Virginia Lottery TV Commercial, October 17, 2008

Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker was selected on short notice to provide a riding self-propelled field marker and technical support. Mark Hall, General Manger for Tru Mark supported the Image Associates L.L.C, Charleston, WV, filming project in production of a 30 second TV commercial for the West Virginia Lottery.

Bill Hogan, President, Image Associates L.L.C. had two weeks to get setup and execute the filming for six 30 second commercials. Tru Mark responded in a timely fashion with appropriate technical and pricing options for this unique commercial that was filmed on location at West Virginia State University football stadium.

Tru Mark delivered the model RS-500M Self-propelled Rider field marking unit on October 7th with a 2 day official notice for a commitment to perform. In additional the existing WVSU Division II Yellow Jackets football field was striped in preparation for the filming sequences. Bob Hogan was very appreciative for Tru Mark extending their stay for the filming operations due to wet weather conditions earlier in the week delaying filming operations.

Filming was completed on October 17, 2008

http://www.imageassociatesllc.com/construction.cfm

http://www.wvlottery.com/

Labels: Demos, Services, Testimonials

We continue to receive a fair number of emails asking what size is a youth soccer field should be depending on the age as well as the corresponding penalty and goalie boxes.

Here's a typical question, "We have been using the Soccer Field layout Tool (not the next generation). But when we do some of the smaller fields U12 or U10, should we maintain the same size Goal Box and Penalty Box even though the field is smaller. Or should we scale back the Penalty and Goal box? If we scale it back, how do we decide how far to scale it back?"

We searched through many different references and have not found any "hard and fast" rules to help answer the question.

Labels: Services, Turf _Tips

Once in a while we get a question concening a marking application that is not directly related to sports field marking yet may be solved by using field marking products.

Brian posted the following situation, "I am looking for a paint I can apply in a non-sports application. It is for an outdoor trail that is a combination of gravel and asphalt. The trail will
be used for 6 hours. After use, I would prefer something that will wash away over time via foot traffic and weather without having to wash it off.

Also, I'd like something I can apply with a paint roller or traditional
paint sprayer. We will not be painting straight lines but rather patterns.

Any suggestions?"

Here's a couple options that we offered to Brian that may help solve his requirement.

You can purchase our aerosol chalk product that is a temporary application. With the T-tip nozzle you can free hand the chalk application. Each can will cover approximately 200 linear feet
of striping. This product performs like typical dry chalk that is applied to sports fields. Once it dries it can be removed by foot abrasion or water.

If you have access to a pump-up sprayer that is used for pesticide applications you can apply diluted external flat latex house paint. I would dilute the paint at least 1 gallon of paint to 1 gallon of water. You can achieve about 100 square feet per diluted gallons or about 300 linear feet.

Just ensure you mix the paint well before mixing in water. I would use a paint paddle with a cordless or electric drill to ensure good mixing. We would be glad to sell you some field marking paint however you'll get about the same performance for external flat latex house paint (Tru Mark's SwitchBack Cheat Seats) for your non-sports surface.

Even in a diluted formulation you should have good success with a paint roller. The
paint will dissipate quicker due to weather and traffic when it is diluted.

I hope this helps.

Labels: Services, Turf _Tips

Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker's home town, Norfolk, NE 68701, hosted the 2008 Nebraska American Legion Class A American Division Baseball Tournament, August 1st - 5th. A few image highlights can be found in a Snapfish Album.

Tru Mark supplied wind weight tarps for the pitcher's mound and home plate to protect these high traffic areas from nightly irrigation operations. A photo album shows images of the packaging and shipping of the tarps and their applications to the field of play.

Tru Mark's General Manager Mark Hall assisted field staff for the duration of tournament play. Duties included striping all foul lines, coaches boxes, base path, and the home plate area using the SwitchBack Ground Boss paint. The field was painted on July 31st and again for the championship series August 5th.

Additional field operation tasks included cleaning the bases with TrailBlazer Solar Wash twice for the two sets of bases and rinsing with water and cleaning with a wire brush between each game. Solar Trail did an excellent job of removing the dirt build-up and restoring the new look for the bases. The pitcher's mound, plate and bases were sprayed with aerosol white chalk between games to further enhance that professional field appearance. Six cans of aerosol chalk were used for the tournament.

Tru Mark provided and applied Diamond Pro Mound and Home Plate Clay between each game. The clay was mixed with a small amount of water between games which provided a superb packing material to speed up field turnover. Four 50 pound bags were used for the 15 games played. As the games progress fewer amounts of clay applications were needed. The mound had originally been prepared in the spring with clay bricks so there was an excellent base to work with.

During the turnover of each game the field was dragged with a motorized unit and hand dragged with brooms around the edges and along the baselines. Home plate and first base line were chalked for each game and third base ever other game. The field was briefly watered with an inground sprinkler system and by hand for the pitcher's mound, home plate and base paths.

A team of 4-5 were used to prepare the field for play in under 20 minutes, typically in under 18 minutes. A Kubota RTV 900 was provided by Dinkel Implement for the duration of the tournament which hauled all the rakes, brooms, tamp, bases, chalker, chalk, 5-gallon pails of clay, aerosol chalk, and string line. This unit was a real time saver and minimized compaction on the field.

Labels: Demos, Services, Turf _Tips

We've received several emails over the last six months concerning adding temporary marking lines to existing synthetic turf fields.

For example here's the question from Scott, "One question I have about synthetic fields. Say you have a football-lined synthetic field and you want to run three youth soccer fields cross-ways once a week. Is there any way to mark the field quickly (some type of tape, chalk, paint) and on a temporary basis (play football the next day)?"

I could offer several options to help him, yet he gave me some very performance oriented statements, "mark quickly", "temporary basis", and "next day".

The "next day" requirement is critical to the solution set as well as how much manpower and equipment you have on hand to do the removal process.

Here's what Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker suggests as a course of action.

Given your requirements my proposed solution would be to use aerosol chalk. It goes down line aerosol paint but after it dries it performs like traditional powdered chalk (marble dust or calcium carbonate). You can use a typical floor and sidewalk brush to remove the line. You may want to spray it down with water, especially if you are doing this every week over a season.

You can use the bulk or aerosol removable/temporary paint but this requires more manual labor and/or mechanical equipment along with a cleaning solution to remove the the painted
temporary line. TrailBlazer Rally Day would be the bulk latex paint solution we would recommend. While the StripeX would be the aerosol removable paint solution along with their respective removal agents (TrailBlazer Trail Wash and StripeX Removal Agent).

Another possibility is using a temporary, reusable field lining system such as Port-a-Field by CS Platinum Sport Products and Tru Mark's Sand Bag product line for anchoring the corners.

We hope this helps.

Labels: Services, Turf _Tips

We continue to receive positive feedback on our rugby field layout tool.

The original tool was built using the MS Excel spreadsheet formulas and focused on starting with a centerline through the center of the two goals and the center of the field.

Please send us an email at TruMarkAthletic@gmail.com and we'll gladly send a link so you can download this latest upgraded rugby field layout tool to your desktop (we will not share your email address!).

Learn more about rugby field dimensions at International Rugby Board, Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker Links and Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker FAQ.

Labels: Services, Turf _Tips

We continue to receive positive feedback on our Tru Mark lacrosse field layout tool.

The original tool was built using the MS Excel spreadsheet formulas and focused on starting with a centerline through the center of the two goals and the center of the field.

Please send us an email at TruMarkAthletic@gmail.com and we'll gladly send a link so you can download this latest upgraded lacrosse field layout tool to your desktop (we will not share your email address!).

Learn more about lacrosse field dimensions, NCAA Men’s Lacrosse sanctioning body and US Lacrosse Women’s sanctioning body at Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker Links and Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker FAQ.

Labels: Services, Turf _Tips

Looking for some great entertainment and seeing in person the up and coming stand-up comedians. Come help commemorate one of the greatest comedians, Johnny Carson, in his home town for a week long event, June 16-22, 2008. Norfolk, Nebraska is proud to Present: The Great American Comedy Festival!

Also included in the week long event is the Great American Comedy Youth Camp, June 15 - 21, 2008.

Read what the Norfolk Daily News reported, 'Brightest minds in comedy' chosen for festival, Plenty to see, do during festival, A look at who'll be in Norfolk, 'Phenomenal' lineup for comedy festival, Some of the nation's top comedians coming to Norfolk on this spectacular event.

Learn about other exciting activities and changes taking place in Northeast Nebraska by visiting the Norfolk Area Recruiters, Visioning 2026 Project, NorthFork River Development Project, and the Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce.

Labels: Services, Trends

Please post your field marking services through the comment section of this blog. We will introduce your posting to our Links web page.

We have had numerous web site visitors call or email requesting contact information on field marking services in their area.

Please add your appropriate contact information to include name, address, telephone numbers, FAX, email, and web site address.

Are you considering adding field marking operations to your business operations? We can help with how to prepare for a bidding process when it comes to amount of time to stake a field, string, and then paint a sports field, as well as the equipment and paint supplies needed. Send us an email: trumarkafm@eselling4u.com.

Please post your guidelines and tips how to save time and supplies for field marking operations.

Labels: Services