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/147380
ST: What are your specific job responsibilities? What do find most enjoyable? What task is your least favorite and why? Brusius: I oversee/manage the maintenance and day to day operations of the 90-acre Sports Complex. This includes all turf maintenance (mowing, irrigating, fertilizing, spraying, field painting, aerating, etc), staffing, ball diamond preps, restroom cleaning/maintenance, trash/recycle duties, and all other miscellaneous tasks. In addition our SportsPark staff, led by Tony Diaz, is responsible for the 12 athletic fields located in various parks throughout the city. I enjoy making a career out of something I really have a passion for. I enjoy working outdoors and being an integral, but mostly unnoticed, aspect to the sporting events we all take pleasure in. It is also gratifying at the end of a long week to look out at the fields and seeing the direct results of everybody's hard work. Also, I find satisfaction watching former employees and coworkers further and grow their own careers within this industry. The SportsPark is a first-class facility and is a source of community pride. The SportsPark/athletic field maintenance staff view ourselves as leaders within the industry and we strive to be the best. I thoroughly enjoy my job and the challenges it provides. However with multiple overlapping agendas and vastly different levels of expectations it becomes difficult to satisfy everyone at all times. My point of view is that we all have to give and take; it simply comes down to finding a happy medium. Seasonal staffing is also challenging. Many of the guys are college age and maybe only work 3 to 4 months, then return to school in the fall. The reality is that I need a consistent seasonal staff from April through November. We are rehiring and retraining a new group of staff members almost twice a year. This requires a time commitment to train on mowing, painting and field preps, as well as instilling an understanding of cultural practices. ST: How did you get started in turf management? Brusius: While going through college I worked summers for the Oshkosh (WI) Area School District, doing ball diamond preps and general athletic field maintenance. Upon graduation I realized I really enjoyed this type of work and wanted to make a career out of it. I then went back to school to receive a turf degree. Working for and with people like Connie Rudolph, Heather Nabozny, Mike Trigg, and so many others I truly feel blessed and look ahead to "paying it forward." ST: How do you balance your work and personal time? Brusius: It can be tough at times. It is probably one of the main reasons I am in my current position now working for a Park District. Having worked 6 years at the MLB and MiLB levels, I know all too well what kind of hours and stress you have to endure. Surround yourself with reliable and knowledgeable staff and take advantage of the off-season with family and friends. ST: What changes are you planning to make or have you made to your maintenance plan for 2013, if any? Brusius: We've tweaked our fertilizer schedule and increased our overseed practices to help keep up with the increased use the fields are seeing. Through field rotation and aggressive cultural practices, the turf conditions have improved throughout the entire site. I am hopeful to address our topdressing/soil amendment needs by fall. My strategy has always been to actively and aggressively address each maintenance issue as it arises. ST: Are you yet involved in "sustainable" management practices? If so, what are you doing? Brusius: Environmental sustainability was taken into consideration at every opportunity during the planning process of the SportsPark. To manage storm water, bioswales were incorporated into the parking areas. Water from the retention pond is recycled for use in the irrigation system. A rain garden catches storm water from the maintenance facility. An additional green initiative was planting of the 16-acre perimeter of the park with native prairie plantings and seed mix creating a no-mow zone. We also have instituted a co-mingled recycling collection throughout the season. I run the irrigation system using ET rates and we will budget for soil sensors to further enhance water usage when they become compatible with our central controller. ST: How do you see your job changing in the future? Brusius: I believe Jerad Minnick from the Maryland SoccerPlex said it best: "No longer are we just the people that mow the grass. This is the time that Sports Turf Managers illustrate their wide range of skills: as soil scientists, plant physiologists, and chemists working with grass and fertilizers; as personnel managers, team builders, and teachers working with their staffs; as a uniting leader, a communicator, and a member of the team on the field empowering coaches, athletes, and administrators." n www.stma.org SportsTurf 35