FIELD OF THE YEAR
www.stma.org September 2016 | SportsTurf 45
and give them a radio so they can contact us if they need
assistance with any situation. We carry a second, emergency
radio that connects us directly to district security if we need an
ambulance, and our staff will help coordinate the paramedics
and fi re upon arrival.
Offi cials are another group we touch base with, mainly in
case of weather. Our district policy states that leading up to
the start of the game, stadium managers are responsible for
lightening safety. Once the game begins, that decision is up
to the offi cials on the fi eld. They are focused on the game at
that point, so we continue to inform the offi cials of weather
conditions and most of them rely upon our information to
make their call. In the case of inclement weather during the
day or overnight, we communicate about fi eld conditions with
the district AD who makes the offi cial cancellation decision.
He then contacts the schools' ADs scheduled to play that
evening, so all the offi cial communication originates from
one place. At this point, we do not use any social media to
communicate. However, the Athletics department did just
hire a communications specialist for Athletics and Activities
so that may be in our near future. Having all the information
originate from one place avoids most miscommunication, so it
is imperative. We do rent our stadiums to outside groups, and
require an in depth and on site meeting prior to the event. This
way we can learn exactly what the user group needs from us
and what we all can expect during the event.
