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CENTERVILLE, Ohio (AP) -- It's been raining on and off for three days but the locker room at Centerville High School is throbbing with rap music as the football team suits up for a full practice on their field.
Cleats would have torn up the soggy grass last year, turning it into a sea of mud that would dry into ruts and grooves.
But Centerville has joined the growing ranks of high schools around the nation that have replaced grass fields with a new generation of synthetic turf that sheds water, requires little maintenance and can be used around the clock by football, soccer and field hockey teams as well as bands and clubs.
Even though they're spending hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time when most school budgets are under pressure, schools from Ohio to California are putting in the new turf as a long-term investment. In many cases, they're getting help from boosters and other private donors.
Matt Miller, a 17-year-old defensive back at Centerville High who has played on both natural and artificial turf, said he gets better traction on the new synthetic turf.
"I play coverage a lot, so when they throw the ball I can jump a little bit higher. And I can cut on breaks and stuff," Miller said. "And it's a lot softer. When you hit the ground, it doesn't hurt as much."
Artificial turf has been around for decades, but the early versions such as AstroTurf were more like carpet than grass. The turf could be hard, giving knees and ankles a pounding and leaving players with ruglike burns.
High schools see synthetic turf -- used by colleges and pro teams, as well -- as a way to get more use out of their fields at a time of heavy student participation in sports and the growing popularity of team sports such as soccer. Natural grass often won't hold up under heavy traffic.
Researchers have indicated that the market for companies installing artificial turf doubled between 2003 and 2005 and is expected to double again by 2009, according to Wayne, Pa.-based Sprinturf. They estimate that the prep market accounts for 70 percent of the total market and is believed to be growing at least as fast as the overall market, said Elliot Levine, the company's president.
The number of artificial turf fields installed at high schools in the United States by Montreal-based FieldTurf Inc. increased from 35 in 2002 to 133 in 2005. The company has installed 128 so far this year, with contracts to install 13 more.
"I know it's up because we're working about 100 hours a week," said Brooke Beard, administrative manager at the FieldTurf USA plant in Dalton, Ga.
Co-Creation Sports Fields of Provo, Utah, installed its first artificial field in April at nearby Timpview High School, where the grass field wouldn't drain properly. Since then, four other Utah high schools have expressed interest in getting fields next spring.
"And we've had calls from Hawaii," said Paul Sagers, company vice president.
Crushed stone provides the base for the newest generation of artificial turf. Small porous mats, to which the grass-like fibers are attached, are laid out and sewn together. Sand and tiny rubber pellets designed to simulate soil are poured over the top and settle at the base of the fibers.
"I can't wait until the last week of October and the first week of November when we're going into the playoffs and we have a field to play on, not a mud bowl," said Brad Monks, assistant principal at Timpview.
Some schools turned to artificial turf to escape the costs of watering grass.
Valley High School in Las Vegas estimates its synthetic field is saving the school as much as $50,000 a year in maintenance, much of that coming from not having to water the field.
"It has reduced our watering schedule to almost zero," said Athletics Director Mark John. "We are being encouraged by the water district to save water in any way, shape or form that we can."
Proponents of natural grass say synthetic turf is expensive, lasts a limited number of years, produces higher field temperatures on sunny days and usually requires grooming. Chewing gum can stick to the fibers, and sunflower-seed shells need to be blown off the turf regularly or else they can get ground into the turf. However, usually the problem is confined to the sidelines.
Synthetic fields usually cost about $500,000 to buy and install. Companies say the fields will last eight to 15 years, depending on usage. With natural grass, high schools spend from $25,000 to $30,000 each year seeding, watering, fertilizing and mowing.
Fairmont High School in the Dayton suburb of Kettering paid $500,000 for its artificial turf field last year from a $102 million bond issue passed in 2002. Even though the school will save about $25,000 a year in maintenance costs, it doesn't expect the total cost of artificial turf to be cheaper than grass.
However, the school justified the expense because the new field will get much greater use. The football team will be able to practice on it, not just play games. And other sports teams and the marching band are welcome to it.
"We're using it every night," said Rick Robertson, athletics director.
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