SportsTurf

February 2014

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.

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February 2014 | SportsTurf 43 WHY STMA SHOULD CONSIDER YOUR FIELD A WINNER? This softball field is home of the Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Owls and maintained by sports field management with a crew of four. Spring at FAU is a challenge with competing schedules of NCAA Division I baseball and softball programs. Located in south Florida, FAU is a premier location to host collegiate invitational tournaments including the 2012 Sunbelt Con- ference Championship tournament and upcoming 2014 Conference USA Championship tournament. With our conference games, invitational tour- naments, fall softball games and fall Lady Gator Softball Tournament the field hosts 80-100 games a year. In addition to FAU daily practices, the field is also used for two winter softball camps and as a practice facility for the Phoenix travel softball team. Before the 2013 season, the infield was considered hard and caused balls to bounce high. The hard infield was a result of brick dust topdressing as it www.stma.org Level of Submission: College Category of Submission: Softball Head Sports Turf Manager: Ken Czerniak Title: Sports Turf Manager Education: High School Experience: Worked 10 years at the Texas Rangers spring training facility in Port Charlotte, FL starting as a laborer and working to the assistant field supervisor. In 2003 became the head sports turf manager for sports field manage- ment taking over the supervision of 30 acres at Florida Atlantic University. Full-time staff: Phillip Bathalon, Casey Myers, and Micah Bennett Original construction: 1999 Turfgrass variety: Celebration bermudagrass Overseed: Double Eagle Blend perennial ryegrass seeded at 7 pounds per thousand with an extra 200 pounds to spot seed position spots and sidelines during the months of January and February.

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