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The snow blanketing the outdoor tournament fields at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds is melting, but not fast enough.

Water from the thaw has created a lot of mud, and concerns for some of the turf, said SoccerPlex Sports Turf Manager Jerad Minnick.

"We do have some turf I will be concerned about soon," Minnick said. "Grass under snow for two to three weeks isn't good."

The SoccerPlex is celebrating 10 years of operation while observing the less celebratory milestone of being closed for a week for the first time because of heavy snow. Most events scheduled Feb. 5 through Feb. 11 were rescheduled, said Executive Director Trish Heffelfinger. Heffelfinger said she won't know how much money the center lost until the end of winter.

Since word got out Feb. 16 that one of the all-weather fields was open, the phones have been ringing nonstop with rental requests, said Keith Lenert, director of operations. More than 30 groups, he said, have scheduled events on the all-weather fields.

Minnick chuckled and shook his head as he gazed out a window at the stadium and some of the tournament fields last week. They are covered in snow and aren't receiving enough sunlight for photosynthesis to get the grass growing.

As the snow melts, Minnick said the ground will get a small amount of heat. Work crews started moving the snow off a tarp Tuesday that covered the grassy turf at the stadium.

"The guys are probably going to put in 50-hour weeks just on snow removal," Minnick said of his six-man crew of maintenance workers. "The stadium is a higher profile to get done, but everything has to be done by March 27."

The three all-weather fields at the SoccerPlex aren't having the same issues. The mostly rubber based fields can be used all year and are easy to clear, Heffelfinger said.

Surrounded by massive, eight-feet tall walls of snow, the three fields were cleared last week by small plowing machines. Heffelfinger said strips of plastic were put along the bottom of the plows to prevent the three $2.5 million synthetic turf fields from being damaged.

It didn't take long for youth sport groups and colleges to come calling. At $150 an hour to rent an entire field, Marymount University in Arlington, Va., didn't have a choice but to book one.

Jaime Reynolds, head coach of the women's team, said heavy snow left their practice and game fields out of commission. The field the teams host their games on is owned by Arlington County and will not be cleared for some time, she said.

Both men's and women's teams opened their lacrosse season at the SoccerPlex with a loss Saturday. The women will host games at the SoccerPlex March 10 and 17 and April 7.

"Our play has suffered because we don't have a lot of space to practice at school," Reynolds said. "We've been practicing in the student recreation center and there isn't much room in their. Our practice field isn't regulation size for games and plus, it still has a lot of snow on it."

Heffelfinger said she is glad the SoccerPlex was able to keep Marymount from canceling games.

"The folks that come here are excited to be here," she said. "Even though it's a wall of snow around the fields, they're still glad to be here."