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/43432
F.O.Y. | COBB STADIUM with the coaches and trainers is needed to allow everyone to get their jobs done with- out major conflicts." SPORTSTURF: What changes did you make to your maintenance plan for 2011, if any? DENSON:We didn't make many changes in our program this year. Our nu- trition program seems to fit pretty well so we have left that alone. With the GN-1 turf and some iron deficiencies, we have added a few extra applications of just iron to help out our color. We have also added some extra silicone applications to help us out for additional events and wear areas. This year we have had real dry weather in the dry sea- son and real wet when the rainy season came so our insect and weed pressure has been a little higher than normal. We just added a few extra spot treatments to help control this. We have also done a few extra spot applications of sand and aerification in a few areas to help recovery from additional events on the field. ST: What's the best piece of turf man- agement advice you have ever received? DENSON: I really can't isolate one par- ticular piece of turf advice that has been given to me over the years. I have been re- ally fortunate to work for or with some of the best groundskeepers in the country. I don't think they really realize what kind of impact just talking about their challenges has had on my career and how I am able to handle certain situations. I think I have learned more from small comments and stories just standing back listening to how the situations have played out or how they would have dealt with particular issues. There are so many aspects in grounds management; I think you have to take ad- vice from all aspects and put it together. There are some that have showed me ma- chinery, to budget work, to even getting a field ready when it is under water a hour before the game, to dealing with people from coaches to contractors, and just some that have been a phone call away just to vent or tell a story how they dealt with the same situation a few years back. I think putting all these little daily pieces of advice together are part of the reason I have been able to learn so much about the grounds industry. I know there are some- times that you have to speak up, but there 40 SportsTurf | October 2011 are also a lot of times when just listening is priceless. The knowledge of a grounds man- ager that has worked his way to the top or has been in the industry for several decades goes a long way in experience and knowl- edge with dealing with certain situations that can come up. Just being able to rely on a valuable resource like the STMA has helped tremendously through the years. I know I will always have room to grow and learn as a grounds keeper and a manager and I will always try to stay open to taking advice from all aspects of the grounds in- dustry. ST: How do you balance your work and personal time? DENSON: I don't think it is as much me balancing it as the people around me. First, I have a great wife that understands the demands of the University and a part time position at Sun Life Stadium (he works there as an event staff supervisor). It has made some unique situations finishing a project at the University and going straight to the stadium to help the crew all night turn a football field into a baseball field. I know that without her support, it would make everything all together very difficult. She understands that I love the work I do and for her support and under- standing, I have to say thank you. Having a crew to depend on is essential to being able to have some personal time and trusting things will still get done. We try to communicate about events going on with each other so we can rotate and get the personal time everyone needs. We have ob- ligations at work but all of us also have per- sonal obligations we deserve to be able meet. A good staff in the offices and great coaches are real important for that balance too. The staff at the University is very sup- portive and understanding about how im- portant family is. They support and help us anyway they can and that is essential in finding that balance. ST: What's your most valued piece of equipment and why? DENSON: I would have to say my crew is more important than any piece of equip- ment we have. I can't say enough about the work the guys do here, especially my fore- man Geovani DeArmas. The guys take pride in what they do and I think that is the difference maker. These guys are the ones working in the heat of the day, through afternoon rain storms, and putting in extra time away from their families to get the fields ready for events, practices, and games. When our equipment goes down, the crew is still making things happen here. I can't say enough about how hard these guys work and the pride they put into their work. You can always find a replacement piece of equipment, but you can't always find a group of guys that care about the quality of work as they do. ST: Are you yet involved in "sustainable" management practices? If so, what are you doing? DENSON:We are trying every year to be involved in more 'sustainable' practices. We are trying to improve our recycling practices each year. We are now recycling all rubber, batteries, and used oil and filters from our equipment. We also recycle our cardboard and plastic/metal products. We have also implemented an electric utility cart in the fleet. We are looking to add more electric and fuel friendly equipment as we have to update our fleet. We are also trying to reduce the amount of pesticides we apply not just for the environmental factors, but the cost reduction too. All our fields are spot treated for insects and weeds as they reach a threshold. Com- pared to a broadcast, this has reduced the amount spent on these products by thou- sands of dollars a year and has been a dras- tic reduction in the amount of chemical put into the environment. We have tried to control any pathogen attack through cul- tural practices and nutrition management. It has been 7 years since we have had to apply a fungicide on any of our fields. Other than one aggressive round of cul- tural practices per year, all other cultural practices have been reduced to spot treat- ments; trying to only alleviate specific com- pacted areas, nutrient deficient or wear areas, isolated pest problems, etc. This has reduced labor hours, abuse on equipment and down time on the fields. We also apply a mixture of beneficial bacteria daily. This has helped use nutrient applications and soil management reducing the amount of irrigation and fertilizers needed to maintain a healthy turf. We try to be as environmen- tally conscious with all aspects of our opera- tion and we are always for better ways to have a sustainable turf program. ■ www.sportsturfonline.com