Source: Brock International
Boulder, Colorado - (January 7, 2014) – Recognizing that lowering G-max levels on sports fields can reduce the risk and severity of concussion, Brock International has announced an industry-first Field G-max guarantee of no greater than 120 g's for the life of a synthetic turf field. Brock PowerBase, the company's innovative shock pad and drainage layer used underneath synthetic turf fields, has helped NFL teams, major universities, schools and community parks nationwide maximize player safety and field performance.
"We are passionate about improving safety and reducing injuries in sports starting from the ground up," explained Dan Sawyer, CEO of Brock International. "After a decade in the market, fields with Brock PowerBase have proven to be safer and more durable in all weather conditions, mimicking the 100 g's levels of perfect natural turf. Athletes of all ages deserve and need that kind of surface to help address the nations' head injury crisis in sports. That's why we created this unique Field G-Max guarantee to optimize player safety and field firmness throughout the life of the turf."
An estimated 10% of concussions and brain injuries incurred during sports are caused by playing surface impacts. G-max, a measurement of acceleration that relates to the maximum force of a collision, gauges the hardness and shock absorption properties of a turf field. Higher G-max numbers mean a player will sustain more force upon impact, increasing the chance of concussive and subconcussive injuries. While pristine natural grass of less than 100 g's is the ideal playing surface, it is difficult to achieve when athletes practice and play multiple sports on a field for more than 20 hours a week. As a growing number of users turn to synthetic turf for its durability, installing Brock PowerBase underneath those fields ensures fields achieves the less than 120 g's optimum balance of player safety and field performance. As a point of comparison, ASTM International (formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials) deems any playing field with a G-max exceeding 200 to be unacceptable and is currently considering lowering that standard to 165 g's in recognition of greater safety benefits.
Brock PowerBase is currently installed underneath stadium and practice fields for the San Francisco 49ers, at the Gillette Stadium practice field, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots, the Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, the University of Maryland, University of Oregon, Boston College, Boise State, UCLA, Georgia Tech, Stanford and hundreds of high schools and middle schools nationwide. In 2012, the company launched Brock PowerBase Youth Safety Research (YSR), the first synthetic turf shock pad engineered specifically to the ideal footing requirements and safety of high school and middle school athletes.
Research firm BioMechanica, LLC studied the estimated risk of head injury on synthetic turf surfaces with Brock underlayment and found the product reduces G-max, which the lab tests indicated should reduce the risk and severity of concussion; provides the same playability as a pristine natural grass field and mitigates field hardening over time. In evaluating Head Injury Criteria (HIC), also known as critical fall height, Sports Labs LLC found that Brock PowerBase offered significant improvement in HIC when compared to a turf field that featured a stone base.
About Brock International
Brock International is the leader in performance base systems for synthetic turf. With over 28 million square feet of Brock Performance Base in play underneath athletic fields worldwide, the company engineers the best, safest and most sustainable playing surfaces in the world for athletes at all levels. Brock is an Official Education Partner of The Sports Legacy Institute, a Boston-based non-profit organization founded to advance the study, treatment, and prevention of brain trauma in athletes and other at-risk groups. In October 2011, Brock became the first company in the industry to have a Cradle to Cradle Certification CM for its combined drainage and shock pad product. Visit www.brock-international.com to learn more.
