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/448298
www.stma.org February 2015 | SportsTurf 7 Allen Johnson, CSFM. johnsona@packers.com 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. A s a parent, one of the messages I try to instill in my son is that "Life is a competition." Almost daily you can witness acts of competition from something as small as jostling for a favorable position in a lunch buffet line (don't pretend that you haven't done that!) to something larger like seeking a promo- tion at work. All around us, competition lives in our daily lives. From the minute we are born we are competing for something against someone—whether it be with sib- lings for the attention and approval of our parents, competing for the affectionate eyes of someone you like, or fighting for finan- cial resources. The positive thing about this competition is that it forces us to strive and reach beyond what we would be inclined to do if it didn't exist. Natural law suggests that most of us only do what is necessary. It's why animals in the wild will pick out the weakest one in the herd to attack and while some are happy to dig through civil- ian garbage rather than go on a hunt. Within our own industry competition is alive and well. Not only are our athletes competing on the playing surfaces that we maintain, but the surfaces themselves are competing with one another. The profes- sionals who represent a singular type of surface are definitely in competition with each other. Who can blame them? It is a natural consequence. In this spirit of competition, there will be no shortage of outlandish claims for and against each type of surface with the goal of persuading consumers. However in the long term, the truth will always be revealed, and the con- sumers will ultimately choose what's best for their situation. Travel back a few decades to play- ing surfaces of yesteryear, and you will be amazed how those surfaces have improved, both natural grass fields and synthetic surfaces. The very existence of the other forces each group to improve and become better, and we have. Natural grass fields have improved cultivars, improved construction methods, and improved the process of midseason re- sodding. One only has to step on the synthetic surface of the past to realize the improvement of the new generation. Many of our members have just returned from our Annual Conference. It is here that we should embrace this com- petition like professionals. We should be discussing why one surface is better than the other, debating the drawbacks of each, and always asking ourselves how we can improve. We should not shy away from the competition because it forces us as an industry to keep improving. We should also practice our professionalism in these debates. As the caretakers of these surfaces, sports field managers also must commit themselves to improving their management techniques. I trust that many of you have been rejuvenated by going to Conference and have come back with fresh, new ideas to make you a better sports turf managers. "Life is a competition"; it's no different in our industry and it's a good thing. ■ ST PRESIDENT'S MESSagE Life iS A CoMPeTiTioN