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/575944
www.stma.org October 2015 | SportsTurf 41 Category of Submission: Schools/Parks Football Sports Turf Manager: Will Rogers Title: Sports Turf Manager Education: Sports Turf Management Certification Experience: 2 years at Clover Recreation Department: Athletic Fields Assistant Manager; 5 Years at City of York Recreation Department: Sports Turf Manager; 2 years at River Hills Golf Course: Fairway Turf Specialist; 16 years at Clover School District: Sports Turf Manager Full-time staff: Christi Clay, stadium manager, and (formerly) Don Frantz Original construction: 1948 Rootzone: Native soil, sandy loam; 80% sand Turfgrass variety: Kentucky Bluegrass- Barrari, Full Moon, Barduke, Moonlight SLT, Barvette, Everglade, and Regenerating Perennial Rye (RPR)- Barbeta RPR, Barlennium. Overseeding: We overseed multiple times a year. This year was a little different because of our regrading project. During the schools' spring break, we core aerated and overseeded lightly with regenerating perennial ryegrass. After our soccer field project, we seeded with RPR and HGT, followed by another rye overseed in early June and twice since the fall season started. Lightly topdress- ing follows each seeding. Turfgrass variety: Tifway 419 bermudagrass WHY STMA SHOULD CONSIDER YOUR FIELD A WINNER? Clover Memorial Stadium has been natural grass since 1948. For over half a century Clover Memorial Stadium has been the focal point of our "one high school" community. This past year has been tough for Clover Memorial Stadium. Part of the bond referendum vote in March 2014 included the renovation of Memorial Stadium. One of the changes for the 2015 football season will be the installation of synthetic turf. This year we have encountered three major challenges. The first major challenge at Clover Memorial Stadium was being asked to maintain a Division 1 quality field with less time and money being devoted to it. School district officials felt that there was no need to pump money into field improvements to a field that would be demolished at the end of the season. The second major challenge at Clover Memorial Stadium was the purchase of a new school district maintenance facility. Hours that are usually devoted to sports turf were spent moving equipment, renovating bathrooms, hanging sheet rock, and running wire. Many extra, unpaid hours were spent at Memorial Stadium do- ing things that were usually done during business hours. The third major challenge was the renovation of our practice facil- ity. The practice field at the high school was converted from a Bermuda surface to synthetic turf. The football team was forced to move their 7 on 7 passing league games to Clover Memorial Stadium. Each Wednesday, from June 11 to July 9, eight teams were at Memorial Stadium from 8 am until noon. This added traffic caused us to reschedule sodding jobs, aerification, spray- ing, and fertilization applications. Even with the challenges with which she was presented, Clover Memorial Stadium came through with flying colors. To be honest, we disagree with the changeover to synthetic turf. We believe in the great turf we have at Clover Memorial Stadium. Clover Memorial Stadium has been part of our com- munity since 1948. For 66 years, our sports teams have poured blood, sweat, and tears on our two sacred acres. Our team has a combined 44 years of service working on Clover Memorial Stadi- um. The change to synthetic turf has been a blow to us. It would have been easy to whine, pout, and throw in the towel, but we didn't. Clover Memorial Stadium never let us down, and in her final season, we were determined not to let her down. To say that we love Clover Memorial Stadium would be an understatement. She is what is right and good about our profession. She is a living creature, and when she goes away, a part of us will die with her. She has been a blessing to everyone who has played on her, and especially the ones of us who have been privileged to work on her. For the last time, for now, we submit the MVP of our team Clover Memorial Stadium for Field of the Year consideration. FIELD OF THE YEAR From L to R: Will Rogers, Jim Funderburk, Tony McCarter, Frank Falls and Lee Clinton accept their Field of the Year Award from former STMA President David Pinsonneault, CSFM, CPRP, at the 2015 STMA Awards ceremony in Denver.