SportsTurf

December 2014

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.

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44 SportsTurf | December 2014 www.sportsturfonline.com STMA in Action News from the Sports Turf Managers Association For more on the latest news, please visit www.sportsturfonline.com and www.stma.org. I t's time to begin planning your trip to the Annual STMA Conference. This year, STMA will be in Denver from January 13-16, 2015. How can you convince your employer to send you? Continuing education and industry connections are crucial to your success and the success of your sports facility. Here are some suggestions to help your employer understand how your attendance at the Annual STMA Conference and Exhibition can add value to the overall operation of the facility. At the end of the article is a 1-page document you can present to your employer that outlines the costs and benefits of your attendance. Educate yourself on the Conference and Exhibition • Provide an overview of the size and scope of the Conference. It may be helpful to give your employer a copy of the conference brochure. There is an online version also available at stma.org. • Pinpoint specific sessions you plan to attend, and tie their relevance to your sports facility. • Highlight the trade show hours you plan to attend. • Cite the suppliers and equipment manufacturers you plan to meet. • Discuss the networking opportunities you will have with peers who share challenges similar to the ones you have. • Detail the CEUs you will receive toward recertification. •Explain how innovations in products, new research, and cut- ting edge management techniques continually change, and why it is important to stay abreast of those changes. • Reinforce how the success of your sports fields ultimately depends upon the continued professional development of you and your staff. Know the Cost • Make a case for efficient and effective use of your facility's train- ing dollars. By attending the STMA Conference and Exhibition, you will be exposed to the most relevant education and technology available in one place, making it the most effective use of training dollars. • Show how the conference registration fee includes almost all your meals. •Research airfares and drive times. Denver has low airfare costs from almost anywhere in the US. You may be able to beat the cost of airfare while spending a reasonable amount of time in the car. Have an Action Plan • Develop a plan for how operations will continue in your absence. Make sure you are accessible by phone or by email to address any concerns that might arise in your absence. • Promise to prepare and present a report on the information you learned and how you plan to put it into practice at your facility. • Demonstrate how you will share the technical information learned with your staff for their continuing educational develop- ment. ■ How to convince your employer to send you to the STMA conference S ince 2004, STMA and MiLB have honored members who manage fields in Triple-A, Double-A, Single-A and Rookie divisions. Three of the four honorees are multi-year winners, showing continued excellence and loyalty to top-notch professional baseball facilities. Award winners include: • Triple-A - Joey Stevenson, Indianapolis Indians (Indianapolis, IN) • Double-A - Brock Phipps, Springfield Cardinals (Springfield, MO) • Single-A - Keith Winter, Ft. Wayne Tincaps (Fort Wayne, IN) • Short Season or Rookie - David Yearout, Spokane Indians (Spokane, WA) "The Minor League Baseball 'Sports Turf Manager of the Year' award is a dedication to our members who have an intense passion to provide the finest playing surfaces," says Kim Heck, CEO of STMA. "Each day, they face new challenges and these devoted individuals consistently create novel solutions to provide pristine and safe sports fields." Stevenson is being honored for the third time, also winning in 2011 and 2012. Last year, he won this magazine's first annual "Mowing Patterns" contest. ■ STMA, MiLB announce 2014 Sports Turf Manager of the Year Awards

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