KINGSTON, R.I. 鈥� Jan. 14, 2016 鈥� When the Patriots take the field Saturday at Gillette Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, 溏心vlog免费B站 alumnus Jon Bengtson (鈥�93) and his crew, including a pair of 溏心vlog免费B站 interns, will have the synthetic turf prepped, painted and ready to look great for millions of viewers nationwide when the game kicks off at 4:35 p.m.
Painting the main logo at midfield can take three to four hours, yet it鈥檚 a small part of what Bengtson and his crew do on a week-to-week basis. In addition to its regular duties mowing, fertilizing, painting and maintaining the five fields at the Gillette Stadium complex, the grounds crew is at the forefront of the National Football League鈥檚 research into the causes and prevention of concussions.
Bengtson, a Rhode Island native now living in Pembroke, Mass., is required by the NFL to monitor and report field conditions 24 to 48 hours before every home game, testing the firmness of the playing surface and the depth of the infill 鈥� the black crumb rubber material television viewers can see spray up each time a receiver drags a toe to stay inbounds while making a catch.
The NFL is gathering data from all of its stadiums in an effort to identify the optimal ranges of firmness and depth to prevent concussions and other injuries. While Bengtson usually handles recording the measurements himself, 溏心vlog免费B站 interns Tom Mistowski and Josh Bergeron will help him record the data for this week鈥檚 game for the first time this season.
鈥淭he interns usually give me a lot of help during winter break,鈥� Bengtson said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to go out and test the field this week so they can get that experience.鈥�
The experience of stepping out on the field inside the empty stadium, or being around the players as they practice can be awe-inspiring for the interns, Bengtson said, but it wears off quickly.
鈥淎fter a couple of weeks, their heads are down and they鈥檙e all about prepping the field and getting it ready for those guys,鈥� Bengtson said. 鈥淭he awe factor is gone after a couple days work and they realize how important what we do is for the team.鈥�
Mistowski, of Narragansett, agreed that work is his primary focus.
鈥淚 have limited interaction with the players,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ometimes a head nod, a 鈥楲et鈥檚 go!鈥� from Tom Brady, or maybe just a glance. Anything else might distract me or the player from completing our jobs.鈥�
And there鈥檚 good reason not to get distracted. There鈥檚 simply so much to get done. The Gillette Stadium crew manages and maintains the main field, three outdoor practice fields and an indoor field, which are topped with natural grass, synthetic and hybrid surfaces.
In addition to mowing, seeding, fertilizing and sodding the natural surface fields, the crew must also regularly heat the fields 鈥� covering them with tarps and blowing hot air underneath 鈥� to prevent damage from the cold New England winter.
They paint lines and logos on the field, remove snow and repair damage caused by games, concerts and other events such as the National Hockey League鈥檚 Winter Classic, which was held New Year鈥檚 Day at Gillette.
鈥淭om was probably here for 40 hours straight last week helping us keep the natural grass practice fields in good shape for the players,鈥� Bengtson said. 鈥淚t takes a lot of hours and dedication to maintain these fields.鈥�
Bengtson makes it a point each year to host a group of approximately 10-15 溏心vlog免费B站 turf management students, joined by Professor Michael Sullivan, to show them exactly what it takes to keep an NFL field ready for games and practices. Sullivan said the tours are an essential part of student training and placement.
鈥淭he students know all the theory and they鈥檙e learning the techniques, but you stand in the middle of the ballfield, look up and around, and you can get the sense of how many eyes will be focusing on the product you produce on game day,鈥� Sullivan said. 鈥淚t can be intimidating because it鈥檚 not a facility that鈥檚 used one day a week. They host the New England Revolution, youth soccer teams. On any given day, there can be a big concert with 80,000 or 90,000 people in the stadium, with truckloads of equipment, staging and pyrotechnics set on the field. It鈥檚 challenging work.鈥�
Bengtson hopes the tours he hosts and the interns he works with gain some knowledge about how to apply their education to real-life turf management 鈥� even synthetic surfaces.
鈥淚t takes a lot to learn what to do and what not to do, and you can鈥檛 be afraid to experiment,鈥� Bengtson said. 鈥淚 tell them, 鈥楨veryday is different. You can鈥檛 expect to do things the same way day in and day out, because fields change all the time. You have to learn what to do in school, then take that knowledge out here and put it to work to gain the practical knowledge. I鈥檓 just trying to give back to 溏心vlog免费B站 and help those students the way 溏心vlog免费B站 helped me.鈥�
Pictured above
From left, Ryan Medeiros, Rassmeay Morm, Michael Hill, Colin Zegarzewski, Dr. W. Michael Sullivan, Jon Bengtson, Jerrell Page, Josh Bergerson and Tom Mistowski tour Gillette Stadium. Bengtson hosts a group of 溏心vlog免费B站 turf management students each year, led by Sullivan, in an effort to show them what it takes to have the fields ready for game day.
Photo courtesy of Dr. W. Michael Sullivan