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/69161
Facility&Operations THE "GOOD TO GO" GAMES The 2012 London Games' quest for sustainability will deliver an in- triguing blend of permanent legacy and temporary structures that aims to create memorable venues within the context of historic and iconic backdrops and settings. Temporary structures, the "overlay" are vital for the Games organis- ers to deliver this key vision and Tom Jones, Associate Principal at Populous, the official architectural and overlay design services provider to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, has lived and breathed them for several years now. Given that the Games will provide no fewer than 275,000 tempo- rary seats – part of an overlay that also include 165,000 m2 of tents, 2,500 cabins, 140 kms of fencing and 250 kms of crowd barriers, this aspect of provision will prove crucial to the spectator experience. "We're trying to move away from the standard scaffold and seat arrangement," says Tom, "and provide plenty of seat width and leg room to ensure levels of comfort." Moving along the sustainability timeline, what's to become of the London Games' temporary structures after the medals have been won? The 2014 Commonwealth Games is one obvious application for some of them, he says. "It's an easy move. The Rugby World Cup will be staged here in 2015 too, but some structures may well find new uses abroad." and trades. I understand that the Stadium build involved over 240 busi- nesses and more than 5,250 operatives over the past three years, and it goes without saying there were never any compromises on health and safety. Hewitt Sportsturf 's involvement with the Stadium does not end, however, now that the pitch and inner bowl is complete. "We are com- missioned to maintain the pitch until after the Games," he says, "and as part of that contract we are employing a full-time groundsman." 43-YEAR GROUNDS VETERAN PREPARES FOR OLYMPIC ARCHERY ON HIS CRICKET PITCHES Colin Hoskins how he will cope with Olympic archery in a busy summer schedule of events at the "home of cricket." Mick Hunt's pragmatism has earned him a reputation as being one of Mick Hunt, head groundsman at Lord's Cricket Ground, explains to the country's top groundsmen. Now enjoying his 43rd year at Lord's, Mick consistently produces flawless top-class wickets at the "home of cricket" and all without a day's formal training in pitch maintenance and management, but rather by applying his natural ability and his knack of knowing what needs to be done to the pitch and when. "Every day is different [because] you never know what Mother Nature is going to dish out, so, you have to be ready and able to instantly adapt to the weather conditions in relation to what's happening on the pitch," he says. Each ground is unique; here it is the slope of the square, the high sand content on the outfield and our heavy usage; sometimes we have to use the same pitch for three games! "We therefore have to adapt to the demands on a >> MICK HUNT, 43-year veteran groundsman at Lord's Cricket Ground, will see the Olympic archery compe- tition on his turf. arrow is fired we'll have just 10 days to get the pitch ready for a Test with South Africa." "We topdressed and seeded in September, as usual with a Rigby Tay- along," behind that sentiment is an obvious wealth of knowledge and experience that is revered by cricket groundsmen the world over. Why else, indeed, would Australian groundsmen every year spend a 6-month "sabbatical" as part of Mick's team? "They get a good view of another side of [cricket pitch] life," Mick quips, "especially in terms of the number of games we have to accommodate in a typical season." Those demands seem to increase year-on-year, he re- flects, with Lord's facing a relentless schedule of Test matches and County, Pro 40 and Twenty20 games, as well as corporate events. And this year, Mick also has the Olympic archery competition to contend with. "We'll be shut for cricket for 6 weeks, and after the last daily, even hourly basis. Whether that involves cutting, rolling the square, watering or using the covers (some- times we're constantly pulling these on and off on daily), it is governed by the circumstances of the day." Even though Mick says he "has learned as I've gone >> LORD'S CRICKET GROUND is hallowed territory for the game. The earliest known match played on the current ground was in June 1814. 22 SportsTurf | June 2012 lor dwarf ryegrass R 9 mixture," he continues, "and, of course, we've had a relatively mild winter." Typically, Mick adds that "in many ways, the quality of the pitch is arrived at "on a wing and a prayer," depending on the weather," but his tongue-in-cheek comment doesn't hide the fact that there is obviously much, much more to his pitch preparation. "Of course," he continues, "rolling will consolidate the pitch, but you need to ensure it is irrigated, to a sufficient depth, to accommodate this and to create a consistency of "plasticity" to achieve maximum consolida- tion and a clean surface, while the sun effectively bakes and hardens the surface. While the recent weather (very hot for the time of year and lit- www.sportsturfonline.com