As the longtime athletic trainer at South Portland High School, I am writing to urge South Portland voters to vote “yes” on the athletic complex project.

The artificial turf surfaces are much safer and more environmentally friendly than earlier iterations of artificial turf. Studies from the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine and American Journal of Sports Medicine have found the overall injury rates were significantly higher on natural grass than on artificial turf. Players were nine times more likely to sustain an ACL injury during practice on grass compared to practicing on artificial turf, overall rates of injury are similar between the two surfaces, and researchers also found only a .05 injuries per game difference between synthetic turf and natural grass when examining 2,174 in-game injuries.

Finally, researchers have stated that it is a misconception to say that natural grass is uniformly better than artificial surfaces for preventing injuries.

John Ryan, Ed.D., LAT, ATC, RAA
Cumberland Foreside

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