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
www.stma.org December 2016 | SportsTurf 45 Also, for the first time we used a growth regulator. This helped make the turf stronger, while limiting our mowing. We have topdressed and aerated more, making the turf stronger from the bottom up. 2015 has been a challenging time for us; however, we continue to challenge ourselves to be smarter, more sustainable groundskeepers. We serve our community, fans, team, and players by providing the safest, most consistent playing surface possible. We feel we have earned the 2015 Professional Soccer Field of the Year Award because though budgets, staff, event load, and management practices may change, our Pitch, which has won this award twice, has not. Thank you for taking the time to evaluate of application to be the first three-time winner of this award. SportsTurf: What attracted you to a career in sports turf management? Appelfeller: When I was in high school I had a love for two things, taking care of lawns and sports. When I found a career that combined both, my future was set. SportsTurf: What are your biggest challenges in providing excellent playing surfaces? And how do you approach those challenges? Appelfeller: Two things. First is extra events. Managing extra events while attempting to limit field wear can be rough. We have four times more extra events than Major League Soccer matches. We try to strategically schedule events so that we allow ourselves windows to do field work. The second challenge is the weather. It's uncontrollable. We try to prepare the field as much as possible to handle heavy rains or extreme heat/cold weather, but you can't control the severity. SportsTurf: Did you implement any changes to the field in 2016? Appelfeller: We are always reviewing what we have done in the past and trying to make improvements. This year we made a conscious effort to cut back on fungicides used. SportsTurf: What's the greatest pleasure you derive from your job? Appelfeller: Succeeding through the challenges. Being able to face issues, come up with a solution, implement it, and see the results makes coming to work each day enjoyable. SportsTurf: What's the biggest headache? Appelfeller: Weather. I hate looking at weather forecasts and making plans based on weather. SportsTurf: What's the best piece of turf management advice you have ever received? Appelfeller: Not necessarily turf advice, but how to deal with extra events and field requests. That advice was to "say yes to everything you can, and save the no's for when you absolutely need them." I think this has helped build our relationships with our front office and ultimately helped with our organization's success while limiting our potential damage. SportsTurf: Are you yet involved in "sustainable" management practices? If so, what are you doing? Appelfeller: One way we have helped our sustainability is with growth regulators. In using these we have been able to limit our mowing and build a healthier plant. Also, using some stronger cultivars in overseeding has helped with our disease pressure, which in return has helped us use fewer fungicides. SportsTurf: How are using social media at work? Appelfeller: We started a Twitter account last year to share our work. We are somewhat active. Please follow us @GroundsCrewSC. SportsTurf: How do you see the sports turf manager's job changing in the future? Appelfeller: I think it's clear that the industry is becoming more high tech, which is exciting. With new technologies comes new thinking and new ambitions. I think as sports turf managers becoming more intelligent toward the technologies, our industry is going to produce some great athletic surfaces in some of the hardest environments to grow grass. FIELD OF THE YEAR