Paint Test

PUT LACROSSE LINES ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD! Are you kidding me? Is probably what you will hear when you ask to line your field for lacrosse. Some have forgotten that the purpose of an artificial surface is that it can be used by other sports, but that is a discussion for another day.

BACKGROUND: I was required to use spray on chalk at another school a few years ago. The chalk went on clear, but when it dried, it was bright white. The only problem was that the lines were difficult to see in a game with rain and washed off with a heavy rain. If any of you have to put down girls lines will know, they are a real pain to do... over and over. I thought we needed something more permanent, yet removable.
(In defense of the chalk product I used in 2011, the chemistry may have changed since then, allowing it to last longer.)

As an experiment, the WVSLA purchased a case of Pioneer Athletics GAMELINE Aerosol Removable Field Marking Paint for Synthetic Turf Fields and a 5 gallon bucket of Pioneer's BLITZ Gameline Remover Solution. These folks are "Big Time". They did the lines for last year's Super Bowl. Check out their video for removing & applying paints. I was able to distribute several cans of the paint along with a spray bottle of the remover to several coaches during the season.

I am fortunate that Preston High School allowed me to line our creases with the field paint, but first I had to prove that the paint was removable.

1. Insert picture of field overall

2. Insert picture of paint test on field scrap

The lines below were applied on the morning of April 5, 2014. The temperature was about 40 degrees. The product used here is Pioneer Athletics GAMELINE Aerosol Removable Field Marking Paint for Synthetic Turf Fields. Four lacrosse games were played on the field that day. Pioneer's literature states that their product is good for one or two games, but four more games were played on the surface, plus five lacrosse practices per week, spring soccer practices, a soccer tournament, P.E. classes, and middle school conditioning with only one application. The lines were still visible and somewhat usable in June. June 11, 2014 - Started the process of removing the crease from the field about 1:30 PM with Pioneer's BLITZ Gameline Remover Solution. I forgot to bring a stiff brush or stiff broom to scrub the lines, as required by the manufacturer. I was able to find a regular broom in the track building to do some scrubbing.
3. Spray bottle with paint remover & water bottles	4. Overall view with bad picture download.
5. After first application of remover, a little scrubbing & rinsing	6. Overall view.
7. Done! Used only 14 ounces of the remover from a spray bottle. Water bottles moved to the center of the crease for reference. Note slight ghosting because I did not use the proper stiff brush..	*TO BE CONTINUED* I only removed the crease on the southern side of the field. I left the other crease, with permission, as an experiment to see how long the other crease would last. Now, with school starting, I will remove the crease on the north end of the field before the soccer season starts. I will update with more before and after pictures.