Indoor Practice facilities

[PapaBear]

What schools have indoor "bubbles" and similar facilities for indoor practice during winter?

Maine's recently completed Mahaney dome is really a nice structure. Full 53 yards-plus in width, and a length of 50 yards plus endzone. Field turf.

Unfortunately, neither I nor UM's website have any decent photos.

If I promise to show you mine later, will you show me yours now?:smiley_wi

[Dane96]

Albany has had one for years....just got a new bubbletop.

The master plan calls for a new indoor facility, however.

[UAalum72]

http://www.albany.edu/sports/images/facilities/bubble.jpg

Albany's bubble got new fabric in 2003. It has a life expectancy of 8-12 years.

[dbackjon]

NAU has one - the Skydome ;)

[mainejeff]

You'd think that Maine would get some nice pictures up on their website considering what a boon it has been to recruiting for numerous sports :rolleyes:.

PapaBear........Not to hijack this thread, but what the heck is going on with Maine's 11th game......any possibilities or is it just going to be 10 for 2006?:confused:

[Pard4Life]

Lafayette might be getting one to go along with our new practice turf behind the visiting stands.. but I am not sure, and how it would fit.

[colgate13]

It's not dedicated just for football, but Colgate uses Sanford Fieldhouse to practice indoors.

http://www.gocolgateraiders.com/images/gen/2005/12/13/87e5df87.jpg

But let me share: we do not practice indoors often! This is mostly used by football for offseason training and the beginning of spring ball when it is light contact. If it gets crazy/muddy outside, we go to Tyler's field to practice on turf... sometimes.

http://www.gocolgateraiders.com/images/gen/2005/12/13/ba85b86e.gif

[PapaBear]

You'd think that Maine would get some nice pictures up on their website considering what a boon it has been to recruiting for numerous sports :rolleyes:.

PapaBear........Not to hijack this thread, but what the heck is going on with Maine's 11th game......any possibilities or is it just going to be 10 for 2006?:confused:

There'll be an 11th game. Very likely Sept 2, but an outside chance it'll be Sept 23. Coaching staff tossed around a few teams at the Spring Banquet but made people promise to keep it wrapped until they get contracts signed. Fair's fair. I'm as anxious as you are to get this thing behind us.

[mainejeff]

There'll be an 11th game. Very likely Sept 2, but an outside chance it'll be Sept 23. Coaching staff tossed around a few teams at the Spring Banquet but made people promise to keep it wrapped until they get contracts signed. Fair's fair. I'm as anxious as you are to get this thing behind us.

Can you at least offer a hint? I-A, I-AA, or II?

[colgate13]

Can you at least offer a hint? I-A, I-AA, or II?

NAIA.






:p

[mainejeff]

NAIA.






:p

You may be right. Afterall, we played William Tell......err William Penn last season.

Beggers can't be choosers at this point :(.

[PapaBear]

Can you at least offer a hint? I-A, I-AA, or II?

Well, at this point, I'd be lying. I just checked the proposed opponent's website, and their schedule shows a game on Sept 2, and it ain't against us.

Colgate13 may be right. We may be looking at another school named after an opera or something, at this point.:bang: :bang: :bang:

[PapaBear]

You'd think that Maine would get some nice pictures up on their website considering what a boon it has been to recruiting for numerous sports :rolleyes:

Well, yeah. On the other hand, you'd think either my wife or I woulda thunk to take a few pix of it, too, given the nearly 60 minutes we spent wandering around in it and the $X00 we spent on this fancy new digicam we bought for the big Spring Game weekend.xidiotx

[mainejeff]

Well, at this point, I'd be lying. I just checked the proposed opponent's website, and their schedule shows a game on Sept 2, and it ain't against us.

Colgate13 may be right. We may be looking at another school named after an opera or something, at this point.:bang: :bang: :bang:

Yeah, I've been working OT on the internet trying to find ANY info on this 11th game.....so far I've found zilch :(.

[PapaBear]

Yeah, I've been working OT on the internet trying to find ANY info on this 11th game.....so far I've found zilch :(.

Time for our new AD to earn his big raise;)

Hey MJ, will you be going to any games this year? Would like to get acquainted, if possible.

[mainejeff]

I'd like to.

Maybe BC or Youngstown.

[PapaBear]

I'd like to.

Maybe BC or Youngstown.

I'll be at both. Let me know...

[JoshUCA]

UCA has a brand new indoor practice facility, it too is used by other sports than just football.

http://www.ucafans.com/facilities/pepsi.php

[igo4uni]

Ok, I admit it........kind of a snotty question:

Why practice indoors if the majority of your games are outside??

When the Panthers are preparing for an outdoor away game, they practice outside.

If the weather's crappy, that's the way it goes.........it could be crappy on game day as well. :twocents:

[MplsBison]

Right...since practicing outdoors in Iowa is very conducive to the weather conditions in most places in the later months.

A simple practice philosophy gives simple results: you lose.

[colgate13]

Ok, I admit it........kind of a snotty question:

Why practice indoors if the majority of your games are outside??

When the Panthers are preparing for an outdoor away game, they practice outside.

If the weather's crappy, that's the way it goes.........it could be crappy on game day as well. :twocents:
You're not far off. Serious practicing inside doesn't happen often, at least where I'm from. I think the majority of use is for off-season conditioning, early spring ball, and 'light' days late in the season. Mostly it's good for cebreal days where you'll accomplish more if you don't have to stand in 40 degree rain or run around in the mud.

[ngineer]

Lehigh has Rauch Fieldhouse that is used for indoor track, and various court sports as well, but is large enough for 'light' workout for football--roughly one-half a football field, but no 'turf'--hence not able for a 'full contact' practice.

[TexasTerror]

Central Arkansas, one of the new I-AA members:


Pepsi Americas Center- The new $2 million indoor facility, completed in April, houses a 50 x 53 yard field with a regulation endzone and a 7-yard runoff on all sides. The playing surface is state-of-the-art 'Field-Turf' and the roof will peak at 50 feet. The addition of the Pepsi Center allows UCA's outdoor sports to practice during rainy or high-heat and humidity conditions. The Pepsi Center is located next to the parking lot on the west side of Estes Stadium.

http://www.ucafans.com/images/facilities/PracFull.jpg

http://www.ucafans.com/images/facilities/PracStadium.jpg

[JoshUCA]

Here is the link to Central Arkansas' Indoor Practice facility..I posted it on the 2nd page of this thread, but I thought I would post the link again.
http://www.ucafans.com/facilities/pepsi.php

[igo4uni]

Mostly it's good for cebreal days where you'll accomplish more if you don't have to stand in 40 degree rain or run around in the mud.

Yes, I agree with this, 13. It's hard for kids to pay attention if they're freezing cold. Never a problem in upstate NY, though, right??:rotateh: :rotateh: :rotateh: :rotateh: :rotateh: :rotateh: :rotateh: :rotateh: :rotateh: :rotateh: :rotateh:

[colgate13]

Yes, I agree with this, 13. It's hard for kids to pay attention if they're freezing cold. Never a problem in upstate NY, though, right??:rotateh: :rotateh: :rotateh: :rotateh: :rotateh: :rotateh: :rotateh: :rotateh: :rotateh: :rotateh: :rotateh:
Nothing but sunshine and warm temps up here all year long! :thumbsup:

http://www.hsnparch.com/images/imagesProjects/Colgate/dining/colgateDiningEXT1.jpg

[Proud Griz Man]

http://www.albany.edu/sports/images/facilities/bubble.jpg

Albany's bubble got new fabric in 2003. It has a life expectancy of 8-12 years.

I am just curious about these structures.
I have always wondered how indoor practice facilities are ventilated. Do you have some heating/AC air circulations system? How much weight/stress can a bubble roof withstand (i.e. foot of snow)?

[Granite]

How much weight/stress can a bubble roof withstand (i.e. foot of snow)?

I'm not sure what the standards are in terms of exactly how much snow they can accommodate, but I do know that they can collapse in extreme snow conditions. In fact, it happened to a small college here in New Hampshire (Franklin Pierce) a few years back when we had a particularly harsh winter, and it caused quite a bit of upheaval for their athletics/recreational sports programs that were using it.

[Go...gate]

Colgate 13 might be fibbing...JUST a little bit. :rotateh: xlolx

[MplsBison]

Griz,

I know for sure that Augsburg College in Mpls. has one. You're going to be hardpressed to find a rougher winter than that.

I think the air inside is heated. Wouldn't that melt the snow?

[UAalum72]

The Carrier Dome roof collapsed at least once, and I think Albany's may have once in 15 years. The proper shape can keep too much snow from accumulating, or distribute the weight, and the heating system melts some snow on contact.

An all-fabric structure like Albany's had more trouble with tears in the material as it aged, than it did with snow (averages 60 inches per year, has been over 110". Syracuse gets much more). I also don't recall any problems with episodes of 50-60 mph wind.

An air pump runs constantly, with or without heat. Even though the doors are airlocks, I'd guess air leaks thru the fabric slowly. The pumps only have to maintain air pressure to the weight of the material above the outside air pressure.

[ccd494]

Maine's bubble made it through the snowy winter just fine.

In addition to football, it's used by the other varsity athletic teams, the club football team, club lacrosse and rugby, and intramural sports.

I had a few IM soccer games in there, it's large enough for two full 7v7 soccer games at once.

And its not used as the main practice facility, its used to work out through the winter.

[AppMan]

ASU will have a new indoor facility by 2007.

http://goasu.com/index.php?page=131

[trojan5588]

lehigh does put down turf and practice in there sometimes...heres a pick of rauch fieldhouse...its for all sports