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/40933
Here are some of John Watt's comments from his award entry: "I started out the year like every other, deep into planning try- ing to be proactive. Then the news came about budget cuts. Next came talk about lay-offs, contracting out services, and decrease in wages. How do you get the crew motivated for the upcoming sea- sons of play that we were about to endure, ran through my mind. [But] with our dedication that question quickly faded as the snow melted and warmer temperatures arrived. "The District Activities Complex (DAC) Softball field is played on in the fall by four high school girls' softball teams. It lies on the property of one high school, so they have taken ownership of it where the team conducts camps, practices and games. When fall practice begins in August till the end of the season in October, the field is used continuously by the teams. "This fall was the third season that the field has been in play. After reviews with coaches and players the number one complaint of the field is how hard the red shell infield becomes. Having a crew of three and taking care of 30 athletic fields over a 90 square mile area, hand watering the infield on a daily basis is not an op- tion. To try and eliminate the problem of "bad hops" and hard pan, we started incorporating calcined clay into the top 2 inches of red shell. In theory it would help reduce the compaction and retain moisture, as it does when amended into turf. The addition worked on firmness, but it brought up a new problem. There was foreign debris and large limestone that was This fall was the third season that the field has been in play. After reviews with coaches and players the number one complaint of the field is how hard the red shell infield becomes. mixed into the red shell from installation. This was solved by doing a "rock party cleanup," with some assistance by players during practice. "Spending the extra money on the infield caused a short fall in the budget, meaning less to spend on the turf. The field still re- ceived 3-4 lbs. of nitrogen and overseeding, but when the turf was invaded by dollar spot, there were no dollars for treatment. Instead some cultural maintenance was performed. Half rate of nitrogen was used in a month cycle and we reduced mowing and leaf wet- ness. Once the temperatures cooled down, solid tine aeration at four inch depth was completed. Before no time, there was a 98% turf recovery. "Through a limited budget and some unpredictable weather, my main goal of keeping a safe, playable field was met. This was accomplished due to creative practices and the hard work that was put forth by the crew and coaches." www.stma.org SportsTurf 37