GIFT OF CRUMB RUBBER HELPS KEEP DANA
VIKINGS HEALTHY
Bill Sapp's gift of the
field additive
has reduced injuries and improved field quality
Head Football Coach Bill Danenhauer calls a recent
gift to Dana as “one of the best things we have done for our
fields since I’ve been here.” Injuries on the team are
down and Viking Field has the thickest and greenest covering of
grass its had in a decade, drought or no.
And it’s all thanks to Nebraskan’s old tires and a gift
from Bill Sapp, CEO of Sapp Brothers Petroleum and a member of the
Dana College Board of Regents.
In early summer, a covering of crumb rubber was applied
to both Viking Field and the college’s practice field. These
fine particles of rubber are produced by freezing old tires and
then smashing them with a hammer mill. It’s a process pioneered
in Nebraska by EnTire Recycling Inc. of Nebraska City, the company
that sold the additive to Dana. Half of the project was paid for
by Sapp (with a portion from his brother, Lee Sapp of Lee Sapp Leasing),
and Dana hopes to recoup the rest of the cost through Nebraska grants
that support these types of recycling projects.
“I’m really happy with it,” Danenhauer
said. In his two years at Dana, the field was as hard as a rock,
causing injuries to players tackled on it. Now the field has more
durability and more “spring,” helping to cushion players
as they fall. The field is also able to hold onto more water, further
softening the field and giving the grass a better growing environment.
“It is sincerely a win-win situation,”
Sapp said. “Nebraska gets to get rid of its old tires and
Dana gets a safer field for its players. If it saves one young man
from hurting his knee — an injury that can last the rest of
his life — then it’s worth it.”
The crumb rubber will remain effective for 5-10 years,
depending on weather and field conditions. Then it will become a
part of the soil under the field. The additive is used on the University
of Nebraska fields, as well as several high schools in the state.
Dana College is a private, liberal arts institution
that currently enrolls approximately 600 students. The campus is
located on 150 acres overlooking the Missouri River Valley in Blair,
Neb. Dana grants bachelor’s degrees in more than 35 liberal
arts, business, education and pre-professional programs, with an
emphasis on personalized teaching from experienced and dedicated
faculty. Dana is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America, and its athletic teams compete in the Great Plains Athletic
Conference.
More information on Dana College can be found at www.dana.edu.
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For more information contact:
Sarah Cavanah
Communications Coordinator
Dana College
(402) 426-7216
scavanah@fs1.dana.edu
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