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/82015
STMA in action Be in the First STMA Academy Class! STMA IS OFFERING A NEW LEARNING OPPOR- TUNITY at the national conference: an Acad- emy. The STMA Academy brings in-depth educational workshops that build on knowl- edge in core areas each year. This year a 400 se- ries is offered; in 2013 a 500 series will be presented, etc. The workshops will be con- ducted Tuesday and Friday afternoons. There is no additional fee to attend these workshops; they are included in the full confer- ence registration package, which is unchanged from last year at $375. However, pre-registra- tion for an Academy class is required. A certifi- cate of completion will be provided for the successful completion of each class. This is sep- arate from the conference certificate of com- pletion and is intended to confirm your commitment to a higher level of learning. At- tendees who participate on Tuesday and on Fri- day will receive two certificates. This education is structured to enhance your career and substantiate to your employer the value that he or she receives by you attend- ing the STMA national conference. Watch for your conference brochure and the opening of on-line registration; both will be ready in early October. TUES., JAN. 15, 2:30 - 5 p.m. (choose one) STMA 400 - Hire the Best... But Know How to Fire Them Just in Case Speaker: Patrick D. McGuiness This workshop will cover how to hire the best employees for your facility as well as how to handle problem employees. From job post- ings to on-boarding, learn how to effectively and legally set up a hiring process that will bring the best and brightest job applicants to your operation. In addition, learn how to use employee handbooks for documentation pur- poses. This seminar will feature audience inter- action and participation to cover a wide range of topics, including: job postings, applications, interviews, Form I-9, Form W-4, pre-employ- ment physicals, drug testing, training, trial pe- riods, employee discipline and motivation, and termination techniques. STMA 401 - Performance Quality Stan- dards - How good is your playing surface? Speaker: Ian Lacy This presentation will allow the sports field manager to be able to measure the quality of the playing surface using a set of objective cri- teria. The assessment evaluates structural, play- ing, and presentation standards using the following criteria: soil type, particle size distri- bution, pH, grass type, infiltration rate, hard- ness of surface, traction, ball bounce or roll 42 SportsTurf | September 2012 where applicable. The sports field manager can utilize PQS to identify the current quality of the playing surface, allowing a more dedicated approach to maintenance, and more efficient and effective use of resources and budgets. STMA 402 - Meteorology: Understanding Weather and Climate Speaker: Brad Jakubowski Weather is a critical component of a turf manager's daily responsibilities. Turf managers can make better management decisions and provide consistent field conditions by better understanding weather patterns and concepts. This interactive seminar introduces fundamen- tal weather concepts and provides turf man- agers with the tools to interpret daily weather reports, maps, and forecasts. Trends in weather and our changing climate will also be ad- dressed. FRIDAY, JAN. 18, 2:45 - 5 p.m. (choose one) STMA 403 - Breeding, Development, and Production of Cool-Season Turfgrasses Speaker: Leah A. Brilman, Ph.D. Development of cultivars is a long term process. This presentation will discuss the process of breeding different species and spe- cific development strategies for varieties adapted to athletic surfaces. The session will also cover how to understand trial data, selec- tion of cultivars that will meet specific needs, and how to read seed tags to ensure you are getting the desired product. STMA 404 - Common Diseases of Sports Turf Speaker: Mike Fidanza, Ph.D. The presentation will cover guidelines and methods to identify common diseases of sports turf, as well as current strategies to manage turfgrass diseases. Attendees will be able to identify the symptoms and signs of common diseases of sports turf; understand the relation- ship between weather/environment and turf disease severity and develop cultural practices and strategies to manage turfgrass diseases in sports turf. STMA 405 - Best Management Practices to Increase Tolerance to Pests and Stress Speaker: Mary Owen Sports field managers are challenged to pro- vide safe, quality playing surfaces while dealing with limited budgets and restrictions on the use of pesticides, particularly on school and municipal properties. This presentation will address the use of Best Management Practices (BMPs) as a means of preventing and targeting specific cool season turfgrass insect, weed, and disease pests as well as abiotic stressors such as traffic, wear, and drought. In addition to re- ducing the need for pesticides, BMPs are in- tended to result in water conservation and environmental enhancement. STMA 406 - Turf Equipment Care and Maintenance Speaker: Carl Osterhaus, CSM This presentation will cover the many im- portant aspects of Turf Equipment Care and Maintenance, which technicians can use to en- sure that their equipment provides them with the longest and most productive service life. In- formation covered will include the importance of maintenance, general maintenance guide- lines, and information to make maintaining equipment quick and efficient. Machine sys- tems covered include, engines, hydraulics, elec- trical systems, and cutting units. STMA 407 - Strengths-Based Leadership and Followership Speakers: Eric K. Kaufman Ph.D., Richard J. Rateau, Ph.D. Research reports that the most effective leaders are always investing in their strengths, surround themselves with the right people and then maximize their team, and understand their followers' needs. This interactive work- shop will help participants identify their per- sonal areas of talent and develop a plan for transforming those talents into strengths. In addition, participants will explore the four do- mains of leadership strength (executing, influ- encing, relationship building, and strategic thinking) as well as the four basic needs of fol- lowers (trust, compassion, stability, and hope). Participants will leave the workshop with spe- cific ideas for promoting strengths-based lead- ership and followership in the workplace and other professional settings to help increase pro- ductivity. STMA 408 - Managing Turfgrass Soil Phys- ical Properties Speaker: Andrew S. McNitt, Ph.D. This presentation will explore the difference in management practices and approaches when managing a native soil sports field versus a high-sand sports field rootzone. Practices for both rootzones will be discussed. Often, the biggest mistakes are made when a sports field manager takes a practice designed for one type of rootzone and applies it to the other. A re- view of common misapplication of techniques will be discussed in detail. This workshop should be attended by any sports turf manager who is working to improve the air/water rela- tionship in their rootzone. Common misappli- cation of drainage concepts as it relates to soil physical properties will also be covered. ■ www.sportsturfonline.com