West Texas school makes the switch to organic infill

Midland Christian School in West Texas has once again selected Hellas Construction, a sports construction contractor located in Austin, Texas, to install its new football field, but this time they’re switching things up.

This year, the school has selected the 100 percent organic Geo Plus Infill, Matrix Turf with Helix Technology and the Cushdrain Pad.

“We decided to look into moving to the organic infill for many reasons,” said Midland’s Head Coach Greg McClendon. “The biggest reason was the heat. It gets really hot in West Texas. We heard it would make the field 40 degrees cooler. After talking to other districts that had organic infill, even visiting a few of them, I was convinced it was the way to go. The coach at Jourdanton talked about his kids running around with bare feet on the turf in the heat of the summer. Cooler turf will make a huge difference for us.”

The organic Geo Plus infill is exclusive to Hellas Construction. It is made from coconut and cork fibers, is 100 percent recyclable and is UV resistant even at high temperatures. The infill retains moisture to cool the surface temperature of the field, similar to how sweat cools the skin. Geo Plus along with silica pea gravel make an infill that will have less “splash out,” optimal shock absorption and enhanced traction in all weather conditions.

“Hellas did a great job installing our field in 2007 and the turf lasted 10 years. They were there whenever we needed them,” said Head Coach Greg McClendon. “Other companies have come to us with their products, but when we compared the quality and actually went out on the fields, Hellas was always the better choice.”

The field is on track to be completed in February before spring training starts.

Photo: Hellas Construction