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: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/101565
STMA in action KAFMO���s involvement with Little League STMA recognizes and thanks its 25 & 30 year members OVER THE PAST 15 YEARS the Pennsylvania Chapter of STMA, officially the Keystone Athletic Field Managers Organization (KAFMO), comes together at the end of summer as millions from around the world turn their eyes to South Williamsport, PA. Kids from all over the world play the game of baseball in hopes of playing in the Little League World Series. Sixteen teams of players 11 and 12 years old descend on the Little League complex in Lycoming County, PA in hopes of being crowned the only true sports ���World��� Champion. The Little League World Series has become a grand event. Television coverage of every game played during the series on the ABC/ESPN family of networks has turned up the exposure that the event has seen. In 2012 the television ratings were high with millions watching and attending. It is estimated that the event injects $20 million dollars into the economy of Lycoming County. With the players, coaches, managers and umpires on the field, announcers, scorekeepers, security, ushers, cameramen and television production crews in place everything is set to ���Play Ball!��� But wait, what about the field, is it ready? Is it safe for play? Will it look good on television? That portion of the series is left to members of KAFMO. ���The chapter has been honored to assist Little League Baseball with field preparation for 15 years,��� says Jeffrey T. Fowler, Penn State Cooperative Extension Turfgrass educator and Board member for the KAFMO chapter (and national STMA). ���We arrive before the series begins, we level the playing surface, edge the fields, resod any areas that are worn from summer play, all in preparation for the games that will be played and televised during the 10 days of the series. ���Our number one goal is providing a safe playing surface for the kids to play on,��� says Fowler. Fowler is quick to credit Seth Whitehill, groundskeeper at the complex, for his hard work and dedication throughout the year. ���Seth does a great job year round preparing the fields for the Series; he applies fertilizer, sprays and mows throughout the year when there are no television cameras around to see everything that is going on.��� Seth graduated from Penn State in 2008 with his bachelors d in Turfgrass Science. ���We have approximately 40 volunteers that are a part of the grounds crew. These volunteers are members of STMA or one of its chapters. People take vacation time from their own work schedules and leave family at home to come to the series to assist with field preparations. Some stay for the entire time (2 weeks), others help out for a few days,��� Fowler says. ���The crew that we assemble for the Little League World Series is second to none; not only do they have the fields at the forefront of their minds, but their professionalism is [supreme]. Having people realize that there is more to having a safe field than putting down lines and mowing grass is also a goal of our group. ���Every night we remove the lines, groom and water the infield, broom the edges of the grass, repair clay in the home plate circle and on the pitcher���s mound, and we tarp those areas as well; we groom the warning track and have the field ready for the next day.��� Thirty four televised games in 10 days take their toll of the fields in South Williamsport in mid-August. Yet every year the grounds crew manages to battle through whatever is thrown their way to pull off one of the greatest youth sporting events in the world. The grounds crew is proud of what they are able to help out with during the series. Many of the crew members have been attending for 15 years or more. Some have been bring their own children with them to help out. According to Fowler, ���That is the next generation of sports turf managers; I tell kids all the time, the fastest way to the major leagues is with a rake in your hand.��� STMA salutes its long-time members for their dedication and commitment to the association and the profession of sports turf management. They have supported STMA through the years in many ways beyond paying annual membership dues. These highly involved members have attended and presented at our conferences, participated in leadership roles in the association, and served as volunteers on committees and in their individual chapters. Their efforts have guided STMA to being a strong and vibrant association of professionals. Thank you! 46 SportsTurf | January 2013 Celebrated 30 YEARS in 2012 Harold Howard, Ph.D. Turfscience, Inc. Phoenix, AZ Paul C. Zwaska Technical Sales Support Beacon Athletics Middleton, WI John A. Fik, CSFM Grounds & Sports Field Consultant Sodexho Education Services Vermontville, NY Celebrating 30 YEARS in 2013 Mark Hodnick (Retired) City of Indio Beaumont, CA James R. Watson (Retired) VP Agronomist The Toro Company Littleton, CO Brian Petonic Turfgrass Supervisor M-NCPPC Maintenance & Development Upper Marlboro, MD Celebrated 25 YEARS in 2012 Rich Ericsson Head Groundskeeper Three Village Central School District E Setauket, NY Greg Petry Executive Director Waukegan Park District 2000 Belvidere St Waukegan, IL Celebrating 25 YEARS in 2013 Gil Landry, Jr. Retired Professor/Turfgrass Management University of Georgia - Griffin Campus Griffin, GA John Anderson Arthur Clesen, Inc. Naperville, IL Ted Thorn Director/Grounds University of Iowa Iowa City, IA C. Tom Rudberg, CSFM Athletic Turf Division Manager S & S Tree & Horticultural Specialists S St Paul, MN Jim Frelich Turf Consultant J R Frelich & Associates, LLC Salem, OR 97305 Timothy M. Burke Park Superintendent Town of Westport Westport, CT Ken Mrock Head Groundskeeper Chicago Bears Football Club Lake Forest, IL Stephen E. Horne Director of Field Operations Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees Moosic, PA Frank T. Bowyer Manager of Grounds Amphitheater Public Schools Tucson, AZ Leo A. Goertz Athletic Fields Maintenance Manager Texas A&M University College Station, TX Marc Van Landuyt President Van���s Enterprises, Ltd. Waukegan, IL David D. Minner, Ph.D. Professor Iowa State University Ames, IA www.sportsturfonline.com