Facility&Operations
Working with your distributor
Little League World Series groundskeeper appreciates advice
S
ETH WHITEHILL, head
grounds-keeper for the Little
League World Series (LLWS)
complex in South Williamsport,
PA, for several years has been
working with distributor's rep Phil Easton
of Direct Solutions, a division of Agrium
Advanced Technologies. The complex holds
more than 75-80 games in the 3-week tour-
28 SportsTurf | December 2013
nament; there are six fields on 80 acres including two stadiums. Whitehill takes care
of the fields on his own during the spring
and fall, but during the weeks leading up to
and the during the World Series, volunteers
(organized by the Keystone Athletic Field
Managers Organization, the state's STMA
chapter) come in from all over to help with
the fields' maintenance.
"We didn't have a consistent growth rate
throughout this year, and 2012 was hell,"
Whitehill said. "Clay is the native soil at the
LLWS complex and there are sand slit drains
cut through the fields. Wetting agents are
crucial so you don't look and see the dry spots
across the entire field. This year we had a
large amount of rain during the beginning of
the summer months, following a hot spell."
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