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Guidelines for Field
Marking
Most important point: Don't invite an
engineer to help you lay out the field. He/She will want to "square up" every
corner using a 3-4-5 triangle. If you invite more than one engineer to help
you, bring a lunch.
 * Mark the fields on Friday
afternoon/evening or Saturday morning before 9:00. Belmont, for example, cuts its field on
Fridays, so if you mark earlier in the week, the lines get mown off.
* Don't leave the marking till Sunday, because SAYSO teams playing on
Saturday won't have any lines.
* It isn't possible to come up with a marking schedule that allows you to
mark the field only when you are the first team on the field. Every team
will need to send someone on Friday before the games.
* You can swap assignments with another team as long as both teams agree and
the work gets done! (It would be nice to let SAYSO know.)
* It takes 30-45 minutes to paint over existing lines. It takes 3-4
man-hours to reconstruct the field once the lines are lost. So, if you can't
mark the field your week, DO find someone to trade with so that your week
isn't just skipped.
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Where are the paint marker (paint
sprayer, paint
buggy, painting machine), and paint? |
|
Central |
Barrett |
Ralston |
| Field box
at Central. The combination is 1949. |
Field box
at Barrett. Get a key from the office for this box. |
Field box
at Ralston. The combinations are both 1961. |
|
Extra paint is stacked up on the porch
of the soccer nest. Read the color of the
paint on the label.
Use
WHITE, not
orange or
blue. |
 * Sometimes, the hole in the "finger" on the marking machine (the finger is
that part that moves up when you squeeze the handle) gets clogged with
accumulated paint. You can open the hole by sticking a twig or nail through
the hole. You can use your finger, also, if you don't mind having a white
finger.
* You never know until you go and look at the field how much and where the
painting is needed. If you stand on the side and YOU can't see the sideline,
then the players and referees also won't be able to see the sideline. If the
lines are really good (as in, when AYSO has already marked Ralston), then
you may not have to go over them. However, ask yourself, "Will these lines
last for another week?" "Would I want to have my team play with these
lines?"
* If the line is too faint to follow, try approaching from the opposite
direction. Lines often are visible if you reverse direction.
* If you make a mistake by painting something that should not be painted,
just leave the mistake and paint the correct line. Don't try to erase or
hide the mistake.
* Each can costs $4.50. It takes about 7 cans to do all of Central; 8 cans
to do Ralston. You can just walk along pushing the sprayer at normal speed.
You don't need to go like a snail; you don't need to gallop. However, if you
go too fast, the unevenness of the turf will cause the machine to jump and
the lines will be very wavy.
* The paint is water-based latex. If you get some on your fingers, it will
wash off with water. When it is dry, it will scrub off your hands. Shoes and
clothing are another story, however. Don't wear your suit or fancy dress
shoes, just in case. For some reason, I usually get a spray or drop on the
toe of my right shoe. Don't ask me how.
* You can paint right over the plastic whiskers that are at the corners.
* Don't forget to mark the center circle as your final test of eye-hand-foot
coordination.
* If you end up with a partially-used can of paint, hold the can upright (nozzle at
the top) and spray for a second or two until nothing but "air" comes out.
This will get the paint out of the nozzle so that the can can be used next
week.
* Clean up after yourself. Put empty cans and cardboard boxes out at the
recycling/garbage enclosure in FRONT of Central, not in the garbage can next
to the baseball diamond.
* If you used any cones, stakes, nails, or string, replace them in the box along
with the sprayer and remaining pain. Be sure to lock the box properly.
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