46 SportsTurf | July 2014 www.sportsturfonline.com
Field of the Year
Category of Submission: Schools/Parks
Football
Sports Turf Manager: Jason Bowers,
CSFM, and Joe Barr
Editor's note: Jason Bowers is now with Vir-
ginia Tech University. Some of the information
below refers to him.
Title: Athletic Field Technician
Education: Associate's degree in turf and
landscaping
Experience: With my associates in
Landscape and Turf Management from Virginia
Teach, I was the Sports Turf Manager at Tech
from 2004-2009. I received my CSFM in 2007
and won the STMA College Football Field of
the Year award in 2008. In 2010, I became the
Sports Turf Manager at the new Philadelphia
Union Major League Soccer stadium in Phila-
delphia, PA. Then in 2011, I started work at the
Milton Hershey School in Hershey, PA at the
Catherine Hall middle division athletic facilities.
Joe Barr assisted with the outdoor athletic
fields for 7 years at the Milton Hershey School
before I became the Athletic Field Technician
and his supervisor. It was my intention to
groom Joe to eventually take over as the
head Athletic Field Technician for the MHS
Catherine Hall facilities. I mentored Joe and
taught him how to calibrate spraying equip-
ment and fertilizing equipment and tried to
help him understand new and easier layout
plans and paint designs.
Full-time staff: Jason Bowers, CSFM, Joe
Barr, and Caleb Nippert
Original construction: 2008
Rootzone: Native soil
Turfgrass variety: Turf-type tall fescue,
Kentucky bluegrass, and some perennial
ryegrass
Overseed: Kentucky bluegrass and peren-
nial ryegrass mix (90% to 10%, respectively)
Drainage: Herringbone pattern
MilTon
HerSHeY
ScHool (PA)
Middle Division Football Field
About Milton Hershey School
Milton Hershey School is a cost-free, private, coeducational home and school for children from families of low income. The school
is funded by a trust established by Milton S. Hershey and his wife Catherine. Milton Hershey School offers a positive, structured home
life year-round and an excellent pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade education. Our vision focuses on building character and providing
children with the skills necessary to be successful in all aspects of life.
