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/753045
STMA IN ACTION News from the Sports Turf Managers Association 40 SportsTurf | December 2016 www.sportsturfonline.com TOOLS & EQUIPMENT I N N OVAT I O N S Novel use of infield conditioner adds flavor to Little League Softball World Series To go home with the championship trophy, teams in the Little League Softball World Series have to win seven games over 8 days against the world's toughest competitors from Canada, Latin America, Asia, Africa, Europe, and all 50 US states. Mike Hebrard, owner of Oregon- based Athletic Field Design (AFD), knows that nothing about the field preparation for this annual worldwide event can be ordinary. "The girls competing in this series deserve the best field we can provide. What's more, it's broadcast to a global network cable audience," said Hebrard. "It's one of our biggest challenges in terms of quality, creativity and performance." Every year, Hebrard and his prep team descend on Alpenrose Stadium in Portland, OR to prepare it for the series. After removing the infield grass, the team skins and manicures the surface, then follows with applications of Turface Athletics' Pro League infield conditioner. Pro League's calcined clay particles provide a uniform surface that minimizes the potential for injury from sliding and diving as well as bad hops. It also absorbs moisture exceptionally well to reduce rainouts. "Our goal is to make the diamond really special for the players, the fans, and the TV cameras, so we make use of Pro League colors. We use Pro League Champion Brown outside the baselines and Pro League Red in the batter's box, pitcher's mound and on-deck circles, which shows up well on television," he notes. "Of course it's the infield that gets the most attention." To give the infield visual interest, the AFD team echoes the cross-hatched pattern mowed into the outfield grass by applying a combination of two other Pro League colors, Natural and Heritage Red, inside the baselines, in a subtle cross-hatch. The result is a fes- tive and highly attractive diamond that also performs at the level the players, coaches, umpires and sponsors expect. "I've been using this product for more than 20 years. Its consistent color, particle size, and moisture absorbency are the best in the busi- ness," said Hebrard. "During the Series, four games a day are played at Alpenrose. We have to have a product we can depend on." Because of the heavy competition sched- ule—games are played at 10 AM, 1 PM, 4 PM, and 7 PM—there are times when AFD has only minutes to fix the field between games. "One time we had just 12 minutes," Hebrard recalled. "We know as soon as we detail the overall design and wet down the infield, it will be packed and ready to play again." Jeff Langner, business manager for the sports, golf and landscape division of Profile Products, Turface Athletics' parent company, says Athletic Field Design is an innovator in the use of materials to add interest and a festive atmosphere at athletic fields of all types. "What Mike Hebrard and his staff are do- ing is unique. No one else creates this kind of infield design work. The visual 'pop' is excep- tional and it offers a singular backdrop to the action," Langner states. "The time and effort Athletic Field Design puts in, produces results that are very special. It's a big reason why the Little League World Series organization looks forward to coming to this facility each year for its most important softball tournament." The work of the AFD team has helped to spread the hottest trend in athletic field preparation—using materials to create distinctive, proprietary and attention- getting field designs. As Hebrard points out, the pursuit of creativity is a way for groundskeepers to add value, and to keep customers coming back. "To us there is no such thing as a 'perfect' field. We're very detailed in our approach and we're always looking for something new," said Hebrard. "We're never satisfied and I guess that's a good thing." Editor's note: This article was supplied by Turface Athletics. New university research shows product means water savings and more New research from the University of Illinois proves Hydretain significantly reduces water use while enhancing plant quality, says Ecologel Solutions, LLC. In some cases, Hydretain benefits may be far greater than they initially appear. Such was the case for this University of Illinois research study. Initially, the researcher noted water savings of 33%, 30% and 13% for Hydretain treated versus untreated peppers, tomatoes and turfgrass respectively. Upon further observation the researcher noted that the Hydretain treated plants were substantially superior in size and quality than the untreated controls. When comparing the reduction in water use to relative plant mass, Hydretain treated plants significantly outperformed their untreated counterparts. Hydretain treated turfgrass, irrespective of formulation, used 52-65% less water than controls per gram of dry matter produced. Hydretain treated turfgrass exhibited significantly greener color and turf quality than untreated controls. At no time were any negative effects of Hydretain observed on treated plants. "Taken together the measurements of dry matter yield and water use, there was a clear advantage to the use of Hydretain in enhancing plant growth while using much less water than control plants to generate plant tissue," said Shelby Henning, research specialist in agriculture, University of Illinois Department of Crop Science.