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/517437
www.stma.org June 2015 | SportsTurf 43 I mention that is because I think it speaks volumes as to WHY we do it. There is a passion that is shared every year, with every team to be the best. That is the goal every year. Lynda Wightman is right: there are no losers in the Student Challenge. However, there is something special about hold- ing a trophy, knowing at that moment your efforts paid off and you are the best at what you do. We sometimes tend to minimize the importance of that because we don't want to appear to place too much importance on winning. But everyone who has ever felt that feeling knows it holds a spe- cial place in their life. ST: How has social media impacted your work? SCOTT: I can't get students to pay attention in class. They are always on social media! Just kidding, sort of. It has probably had more of an impact than I can think of but the main impact is the ability to communicate with stu- dents and observe them communicating with each other. It is wonderful to be able to see what students all over the country are doing just by checking social media sights. The networking opportunities are multiplied exponentially. The downside is that students sometimes expect me to be avail- able 24/7! From a professional standpoint, I am able to keep in constant contact with those who are instrumental in my professional development and in giving students job oppor- tunities. ST: How do you think the profession and industry will change in the next 10 years? SCOTT: Well we have already seen some of it in California and other places. Many more organic products and meth- ods will be used. Rainwater harvesting and water recycling at facilities will play a major role. Every structure will have solar panels to supply part or all of the power. Turf managers are going to have to be astute in all of these systems as I am sure it will be part of their responsibility to maintain these systems. Battery-operated equipment may become the stan- dard. The demand for quality fields will increase. I am not sure the budgets and resources will ever keep up with that. It will become more important for students to acquire the ability to interact with supervisors, peers and subordinates. These skills are difficult to teach. To sum it up, in the past we were able to focus on a particular field or facility. Going forward we are learning to think about how every decision we makes impacts not only our facility, but the environment around it as well as the footprint that is going to left for future generations. ST: What are your passions and interests outside of work? SCOTT: My family is my first passion. I have been married for almost 25 years to my amazing wife. If I include the time we spent dating, we have been together for 30 years. She has been nothing but supporting and encouraging to me. My daughters are 19 and 16 and are incredible young women. I am a blessed man. Because I have two beautiful daughters I have taken a keen interest in shotguns and target practice! All kidding aside, we are a family who likes their firearms. I believed my girls should learn to handle a weapon, and they do a great job. I love to water ski, wakeboard and pull family and friends up and down the Colorado River all summer long! I also love to fish and camp. I like to golf, although I am a mediocre player at best. Within the past 3 years I have made a commit- ment to increasing my physical fitness. As a result, I have run several half-marathons, completed three Tough Mudders, some 5k runs and even a Triathlon Express. I also love attending concerts ranging from AC/DC to Blake Shelton. ST: Who would be included at the table if you could dine with anyone, living or dead? SCOTT: This is a tough one. I am a social creature. I first thought of so many people, but I narrowed it down to one. I would choose to have one more dinner with my grandpa, Billy Jo Scott, who passed away in 2010 after living for 7 years as a stroke victim. I would want it to be just the two of us, like old times before his stroke. You see, my grandpa was my hero. He did not have a college education. He did not even finish high school. Yet somehow he taught me about the value of being educated. He was one of the best teachers I have ever known. He taught me how to weld. He taught me how to hunt. He taught me how to mold lead bullets for his black powder guns. He taught me the value of family and friends, and how to nurture those relationships. He taught me how to disci- pline (or be disciplined) but show love at the same time. He taught me about how to deeply love my wife, as he and my grandma were married for more than 60 years. He taught me how to look for the positive qualities in everyone, and see them for what they can be, but love them for who they are. He taught me how to forgive, and how not to hold a grudge. I know this is where I developed my passion for teaching, by watching my grandpa give so much of himself to others every day. I could go on for pages about this man whom I love so much, and miss so terribly. There was not a day that went by in my childhood that I did not want spend time with my grandpa. And growing up living next door to him, it made it easy to visit. We did not always have long, deep conversations. We just kind of hung out and experienced life together. And that is what I would like to do one more time. Greet him with a hug, break bread together, have a few laughs, shed a few tears, and just hang out, one last time. This time, I won't say goodbye. I will just say see you later. ■ ST Continued from page 21