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/49194
From the Sidelines Eric Schroder Editor eschroder@m2media360.com 717-805-4197 STMA membership is smart investment N EXT MONTH when I join members of the Sports Turf Managers Association Long Beach, CA for their Conference and Exhibition it will be my 11th such meeting. One thing from all those events that sticks out for me is the knowl- edge passing hands informally in hallways or during lunch, and yes, at the bars. Sure the formal education sessions and programs constructed by STMA committees comprise the best package available anywhere for sports turf management. The conversa- tions I refer to are icing on the cake and I believe a major reason people join STMA and, es- pecially, come to the annual meeting. Many successful turf professionals at all levels have advanced their careers through STMA education opportunities as well as capitalized on con- nections made at these meetings. STMA moves their conferences around the country so I realize it can be tough to make every one but as a national member you have access to just about all the information pre- sented at them anyway. Members also can use the Turfgrass Information File at Michigan State as well numerous reports and studies from STMA committees and task forces. An- other member benefit is a job listing/recruitment tool for potential employees and interns. And of course there is this magazine, the STMA e-newsletter, distance-learning dis- counts, available scholarships, CSFM certification, and the award programs including in members' benefits. I've heard that Field of the Year winners suddenly find themselves much more appreciated when the boss proudly displays the cover from SportsTurf featuring their field. A final observation: there is a direct correlation between professional success and serving in the leadership of STMA. I don't know which one drives the other. The presidents and board members I've spoken with over the years share a passion for improving the profession and help infuse that commitment into the younger leaders now populating the board. It's a great time to get involved in leading the STMA. UnHappy Valley Long-time readers of this space may recall my flying the Penn State flag on several occa- sions, mostly about the great turfgrass program they run up Route 322 about 80 miles from my house. But one column, written in January 2002, while still under the ironic "The Front Office" banner, was titled "Joe Paterno, my hero." In it I wrote, "An honest man doesn't be- lieve in excuses" referring to the coach's saying his team wasn't very good. Unfortunately now no greater example exists of doing 10,000 things right but being known for one thing you got wrong than the revelations and allegations that have severely tarnished Coach Paterno's legacy. For many years legions of we Penn Staters pointed with pride to our university's athletic reputation for more degrees with fewer shenanigans. That high ground has been perma- nently leveled. I feel Coach Paterno and others let us down. But my trust remains high in the collective will of the university's faculty, students, and alumni to never forget the victims or the lessons they have taught us. SportsTurfTu 1030 W. Higgins Road Suite 230 Park Ridge, IL 60068 Phone 847-720-5600 Fax 847-720-5601 The Official Publication Of The Sports Turf Managers Association PRESIDENT: Troy Smith, CSFM IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT: Chris Calcaterra, M.Ed., CSFM, CPRP PRESIDENT-ELECT: James Michael Goatley, Jr., PhD SECRETARY/TREASURER: Martin Kaufman, CSFM VICE PRESIDENT-COMMERCIAL: Chad Price, CSFM PROFESSIONAL FACILITIES: Allen Johnson, CSFM HIGHER EDUCATION: Ron Hostick, CSFM K-12: Mike Tarantino PARKS & RECREATION: David Pinsonneault, CSFM, CPRP ACADEMIC: Pamela Sherratt COMMERCIAL: Rene Asprion AT LARGE: Jeff Fowler, AT LARGE: Jeff Salmond, CSFM CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Kim Heck STMA Office 805 New Hampshire Suite E Lawrence, Ks 66044 Phone 800-323-3875 Fax 800-366-0391 Email STMAinfo@STMA.org www.STMA.org Editorial EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Charles Forman EDITOR Eric Schroder TECHNICAL EDITOR Dr. James Brosnan ART DIRECTOR Brian Snook PRODUCTION MANAGER Karen Kalinyak EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Richard Brandes STMA Editorial Communications Committee Jim Cornelius, CSFM, Jason Henderson, PhD, Paul Hollis, Clayton Hubbs, Joshua McPherson, CSFM, Brad Park, David Schlotthauer, & Grant Spear SportsTurf (ISSN 1061-687X) (USPS 000-292) (Reg. U.S. Pat. & T.M. Off.) is published monthly by m2media360, a Bev-Al Communications company at 1030 W. Higgins Road, Suite 230, Park Ridge, IL 60068. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sportsturf, PO Box 4290, Port Jervis, NY 12771. For subscription information and re- quests, call Subscription Services at (845) 856-2229. Sub- scription rates: 1 year, $40 US & Poss.; 2 years, $65 US & Poss.; 1 year, $65 Canada/Foreign Surface, 1 year, $130 Air- mail. All subscriptions are payable in advance in US funds. Send payments to Sportsturf, PO Box 4290, Port Jervis, NY 12771. Phone: (845) 856-2229. Fax: (845) 856-5822. Single copies or back issues, $8 each US/Canada; $12 For- eign. Periodicals postage paid at Park Ridge, IL and addi- tional mailing offices. COPYRIGHT 2011, SportsTurf. Material may not be reproduced or photocopied in any form without the written permission of the publisher. Member of BPA Worldwide. 6 SportsTurf | December 2011 www.sportsturfonline.com