SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/126035
CHALLENGES The season opened this year on March 3, 2012. We had a fair amount of snow in February and one corner of our field remained frozen through January and February. We were hoping that the corner would thaw out enough to have a safe playing surface, however with 2 weeks until the season opener we were forced to come up with a different plan. We had to rent a heating system that they use to thaw the ground before they pour concrete. The system was very labor intensive and also expensive to rent. The thawing process took about a week to complete but we were able to get in the scheduled game and made sure the field was safe for play. On July 21 Newfield exploration rented the field and wanted to a host a "retro Carnival." The company requested that a Ferris wheel be built on the field the morning of the event. This was very challenging for our team because it meant that a semi had to pull onto the field and setup. In the entrance to the field there is a bridge that was designed to come on and off just for this type of occasion. The bridge had not ever been removed since its installation which left us with a lot of unknowns. However, the bridge came on and on well and the plywood road with inca mat held up well and no damage was done to the field. Rugby is a unique sport in that the game must go on. Games are played regardless of any limiting factors. There could be a foot of snow on the ground and they will still play. about my job. I enjoy looking at a field that is freshly mowed and painted and ready for game time. I also enjoy the challenge of my job hosting different events and trying to figure out how to make everything work. ST: What task is your least favorite and why? Harryman: My least favorite part of my job is the winter when the field is covered up. Mainly because this time is spent away from the pitch and really what I enjoy doing most. Another challenge that we had was Colorado State asked to host a spring scrimmage at Infinity Park to try and rally the Denver alumni. The field was already scheduled for rugby tournaments the following day so we had to figure out how to effectively and efficiently flip the field from football to rugby. We spoke directly with the CSU coaching staff and convinced them that since it was only a practice to leave the goal posts where they were. This made the field 10 yards shorter than a normal field but no one knew because we did not paint numbers on the yardage markers. The evening after the practice we painted the football lines green (big thanks to Bret Baird Dicks Sporting Good Park on green paint selection) and then restriped the field for the next day. Rugby is a unique sport in that the game must go on. Games are played regardless of any limiting factors. There could be a foot of snow on the ground and they will still play. The culture of rugby is that the players are tough and if there is an injury that is just part of the game. For example, during a rugby game if a player is hurt the play does not end until the ball is kicked out of play. SportsTurf: What are your specific job responsibilities? Harryman: My responsibilities at Infinity Park are to maintain a safe professional playing surface. We have one synthetic playing field and also sand-based natural grass field. Outside of taking care of these surfaces our department falls into public works so every day can be different from doing asphalt to water main breaks or taking care of one of our parks around the city. ST: What do find most enjoyable? Harryman: The finished product is what I find most enjoyable www.stma.org SportsTurf 35