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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www.stma.org February 2015 | SportsTurf 31 attending industry trade shows and seminars, enrolling in courses whenever possible, and positioning themselves to attain certifica- tion in as many different areas of the industry as possible. This will ensure continual learning and growth, and result in a very well rounded professional who can ideally handle any challenge he or she faces on the job. Taking weekend courses to receive certificates in things like irrigation, becoming a licensed pesticide applicator, or completing short courses when available are all very attainable and highly beneficial steps to take. While it is not necessarily a requirement in all sports turf establishments, taking the steps to become IPM (Integrated Pest Management) certified is one goal sports turf managers, and their respective organizations, should aim for. Becoming IPM certified demonstrates to customers, peers, and the public that your pest management practices meet the very highest standards to guarantee effectiveness and reduce hazards to both people and the environment. It also ensures that you will continue to receive ongoing education, as to remain certi- fied you must obtain continuing education credits. Passing it along Not only is it important for sports turf managers ourselves to become educated, it is equally as important for us to use this as a tool to then educate the people around us. Firstly, turf manag- ers should be able to pass on pertinent knowledge and educate their staff. This allows the staff to better understand their roles and become more invested in what they are doing. This can ultimately result in less of a burden on the turf manager, as edu- cated staff can be trusted to also look at their work critically and contribute towards achieving more efficient and effective man- agement regimes, benefitting the organization as a whole. Secondly, turf managers should be able to educate and effec- tively communicate with upper management to put themselves in a better position to get priority work done. A turf manager must appear competent, and be able to effectively communicate to their superiors what work must take priority, what resources are needed to accomplish this work effectively, and why. If you can explain and give educated justification to your superiors, you will be in a better position to get the work that needs to be done completed in the most effective manner. Finally, and most importantly, a sports turf manager must be able to effectively educate and communicate with user groups. More often than not, the turf manager and user groups seem to be at odds, with the latter generally being unaware of how their actions, e.g., repeatedly running football drills over the same lines on a field, negatively impact the turf. If user groups can be educated on the reasons behind the management practices being performed on the fields, and informed on how they can work together with these practices, adjusting their usage to make con- ditions better for both themselves and the turf manager, many recurring problems that frequently arise could be avoided. It is clear that in order for sports turf managers to be successful in their profession and continue to improve and adapt when new challenges arise, there is a need for us to not only seek ongoing continued education, but also to be able to educate the individuals around us. Going through the motions to achieve "good enough" is not the path to being an effective turf manager. We must con- stantly be learning to assess our management practices critically, and strive for improvement wherever possible. Opportunities for continued education are abundantly available to all professionals in the turf industry, and it is important for turf managers to take advantage of these. These can result in continued growth and suc- cess to you in your profession, and ensure that you are keeping pace with the ever-changing industry. If we can also act as educa- tors to the people around us, the job of being a turf manager can become a lot easier, as it puts the whole ecosystem of staff, man- agement, and user groups on the same team, working together to achieve the same goals. Now, more than ever, education plays just as important a role in finding success in the turf industry as in any other industry. After all, there is much more to being a turf manager than just "growing and mowing grass." ■ ST Sidney Ryzebol is the recipient of the 2014 Robert W. Sheard Scholarship. Sidney is in his second year in the University of Guelph's Associate Diploma in Turfgrass Management Program, having completed his summer internship with the City of Guelph. This article was reprinted with permission from Sports Turf Manager, Vol 27, No 3, Autumn 2014.