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/621615
STMA IN ACTION 46 SportsTurf | January 2016 www.sportsturfonline.com News from the Sports Turf Managers Association Field of the Year Since 1992, STMA's Field of the Year Award is given to members who manage baseball, football, soccer, softball and other sport- ing grounds at the professional, collegiate or schools (K-12) and parks and recreation level. This year there were 11 winning fields. "The Field of the Year Award is a testament to the personal and professional contributions by a select group of sports turf industry leaders," says Kim Heck, CEO of STMA. "The process of selecting winners each year becomes more difficult as the candidate pool grows and the industry continues to progress with innovative technologies, state-of-the-art equipment and best practices." A panel of 15 judges independently scored entries based on play- ability, appearance of surfaces, utilization of innovative solutions, effective use of budget and implementation of a comprehensive agronomic program. Judges may not award a field in each category. The 2015 winners noted below will each be featured in a 2016 issue of SportsTurf. Professional. Baseball—Daniel Thomas, Baltimore Orioles, Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota, FL. Soccer—Weston Appelfeller, CSFM, Columbus Crew SC, MAPFRE Stadium Pitch, Columbus, OH College and University Sporting Grounds—Shane Hohlbein, CSFM, Kennesaw State University, 5/3 Bank Stadium, Kennesaw, GA Football—Brandon Hardin, Mississippi State University, David Wade Stadium, Scott Field, Starkville, MS Softball—Bruce Suddeth, University of South Carolina Upstate, Cyrill Softball Stadium, Spartanburg, SC Soccer—Jesse Pritchard, CSFM & Phil Bathalon, University of Virginia, Klockner Stadium, Charlottesville, VA Schools and Parks Baseball—David Presnell, CSFM, Gainesville City Schools, Ivey-Watson Field, Gainesville, GA Football—Sun Roesslein & Christie Clay, Jeffco Schools Athletics, North Area Athletic Complex, Golden, CO Softball—Will Rogers, CSFM, Clover School District, Blue Eagle Softball Complex, Clover, SC Soccer—Allison Moyer, Collegiate School, Varsity Soccer Field, Goochland, VA Spor ting Grounds—John Cogdil l, Pleasant View Championship Field, Boulder, CO The Field of the Year Awards program is made possible by the support of sponsors Carolina Green Corp., Ewing, Graff 's Turf, Hunter Industries, Pro's Choice and World Class Athletic Surfaces. Minor League Baseball Sports Turf Manager of the Year Since 2000, STMA and MiLB have honored members who man- age fields in Triple-A, Double-A, Single-A and Short Season or Rookie divisions. This year, three of the four honorees are multi- year winners, exemplifying a commitment to excellence and an unwavering dedication to maintaining world-class professional baseball playing surfaces. Winners are: Class AAA – John Stewart, Syracuse Chiefs, International League Class AA – Brock Phipps, Springfield Cardinals, Texas League Class A – Keith Winter, Fort Wayne TinCaps, Midwest League STMA'S 2015 Award Winners "The Field of the Year Award is a testament to the personal and professional contributions by a select group of sports turf industry leaders." — Kim Heck, CEO of STMA