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/391471
www.stma.org October 2014 | SportsTurf 7 President's Message David J. Pinsonneault, CSFM, CPRP dpinson@lexingtonma.gov Direct Mail List Sales MeritDirect, Jim Scova Phone: (914) 368-1012 jscova@MeritDirect.com Subscription Services Phone: (847) 763-9565 Fax: (847) 763-9569 Reprints Robin Cooper rcooper@specialtyim.com Group Publisher David Voll dvoll@epgmediallc.com Account Representatives: Chris Pelikan Senior Account Manager - East Phone: (954) 964-8676 cpelikan@epgmediallc.com Peggy Tupper Senior Account Manager - Mid-West Phone: (763) 383-4429 ptupper@epgmediallc.com Leslie Palmer Senior Account Manager - West Phone: (248) 731-7596 lpalmer@specialtyim.com Publisher's Notice: We Assume No Responsibility For The Validity Of Claims In Connection With Items Appearing In Sportsturf. Reader Service Numbers Are Given To Facilitate Further Inquiry. Mention Of A Commercial Product Does Not Imply Endorsement By Sportsturf Or Specialty Information Media, Or Preference Over Similar Products Not Mentioned. O ctober in New England is always a great time of year. The temperatures are comfortable, the grass performs well, the colors are beautiful, the fall sports are in full swing and Halloween is celebrated. The tricks and treats I want to talk about involve you as a professional and as a person. You should have all received your conference brochure. In it you will find educational sessions, net- working opportunities and trade show hours that will give you more tricks of the trade you can apply to your facilities. Some may be little tricks like mowing dif- ferent ways to get a striping affect or getting info to develop a field use policy. Some may be larger tricks like using drill and fill to help your compaction and drainage issues or using growth regulators in your line striping pro- gram. Your Board works diligently to provide these opportunities to you so you can succeed in delivering safe, playable and aesthetically pleasing fields. When I was younger I always wanted to dress like Batman or Spiderman for Halloween. You have the opportunity to be the superhero for your facility and deliver a field that will make young and old, amateur and professional alike have memorable expe- riences. The trick is learning what will and won't work for your particular field. You also have the ability to pass tricks of the trade on to others. Take part in discussions, answer questions and show how you do things. Even if someone picks up one little trick you have done a great service to the profession. This is a great time of year to let others know about STMA and the many ways the organization can help them in their jobs. Being an STMA member is a pretty cool thing. Now for the treat part. Any sports season means long hours and all of our focus on work. Did the field get mowed and at what height? Did the paint arrive in time to do a great logo? Do I have time to squeeze in overseeding? When can I irrigate? Where is that weather forecast? All of these things and many more are important to getting the job done right. In the middle of this do not forget to treat yourself so you don't burnout or develop the wrong attitude. It may be tough but once in a while just go for a walk and enjoy the surroundings. Go grab an ice cream and sit down to enjoy it. Share a pizza with your crew. Break away to watch your child's soccer game. These are the treats we need to give ourselves so we can come back and give our all to having the best fields we can. Another reason to go to conference is to learn some of the tricks to balance your pro- fessional and personal sides. Take advantage of your opportunities, learn new tricks and treat yourself right. ■ Tricks and treats This is a great time of year to let others know about STMA and the many ways the organization can help them in their jobs.