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sportsTURfPROGRAM

~:i1iiManagers Association

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THESPORTS TURF MANAGERS ASSOCIATION

STMA OFFICERSPRESIDENT MIKE SCHILLERPAST PRESIDENT GREG PETRYPRESIDENT-ELECT STEPHEN GUISECOMMERCIAL VICE PRESIDENT HENRY INDYK, PH.D.SECRETARY EUGENE MAYERTREASURER RICH MOFFITTSTMA BOARD MEMBERS L. MURRAY COOK,BUCKY TROTTER, MARY OWEN, BOB PATT, BOB CURRYEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR STEVE TRUSTYSTMA OFFICE1375 ROLLING HILLS LOOP, COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA 51503

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sportsTURF Magazine (ISSN 1061-687X) is published monthly byAdams/Green Industry Publishing, Inc. Material in this publication maynot be reproduced or photocopied in any form without the written per-mission of the publisher.

Copyright © 1996. Member of theBusiness Publications Audit of Circulation, Inc.

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4 sports TURF • http://www.aip.com

VOLUME TWELVE, NUMBER TEN OCTOBER 1996

MAIN EVENTS

8 Gary Peterson Reaches Out with STMA's MissionIn Iowa, quality fields are popping out allover, thanks to the housecalls of turf doctor Gary Peterson, He's an STMAmember andcooperative extension horticulturist who "sells" his free outreach

program to facilities that want soft, safe turf for their athletes,

12 Protecting Turffrom Winter InjuryUniversity of New Hampshire turf specialist John Roberts provides, ina nutshell. today's best management practices for helping turf sur-vive the winter.

22 Fallis for Soccer?With its growing number of players, soccer faces escalatingdemands for field use - and for smart maintenance, An STMAbrain trust shows how pressured turf managers can squeeze theirfields through another season,

24 Test Your Knowledge of Pesticide SafetyIf you deal with pesticides either as an applicator or as a manager,test what you know about fundamental safety practices by takingthis quiz, What you learn may save your or a buddy's life.

LINE-UP

5 STMA Message6 Front Office6 Calendar

11 Chern Log14 STMA in Action

21 Happenings

28 Rookies

30 Classifieds

30 Ad Index

On the Cover: Preparing for winter, groundskeepers spread a turf coverover the field of North AmeriCare Park (formerly Pilot Field) in Buffalo, NY,

Photo courtesy: Bob Curry, Covermaster Inc,

STMA MESSAGEWe're All on the Same Team

By L. MurrayCook - baseballstadium manager,Walt Disney WorldSports, and STMAboard member,category 1.

During the past year, theSTMA has gone throughsome very positive changes.

The STMA is growing at a strongpace throughout the U.S., andthe association has begun tocorrelate information to benefit thesports turf industry.

The professional sector of theSTMA is a crucial part in establish-ing the backing needed to create pro-grams for proper turf management.Our contacts regarding turf spon-sors and equipment supplies can onlybenefit our profession.

The word "our" is a difficult wordfor some professional grounds-keepers to say, but the STMA is our

association for the professional sports turfmanager. The founders of our associationprovided a vision for our group to growand learn professionally, and we shouldall be a part of the future growth.

Although we have varying levels ofeducation and experience, the tough-est issue that we still must overcome isthe "mine's better than yours" philoso-phy in the industry. We must become ateam if we plan to compete for better bud-gets, better equipment, better staffing lev-els and higher salaries in our industry.

All STMA categories have their ownnames, reflecting the various levels ofplayand budgets. At future National STMAmeetings and in upcoming issues of oursportsTURF magazine, we plan to bringin speakers and select articles to meetthe needs of all categories - from thehighly technical for long-establishedprofessionals to the basics for novices.Verysimilar to a major league team'sorganization, we have the great playersand the learning players. From the

Sef:~Managers Association

minors to the majors, the consistent phi-losophy is that we are all on the sameteam. As professionals, we should neverforget our roots and why we are in theindustry: "To learn from othersand share information to improve ourprofessional image."

The rapidly advancing technologywithin the sports turf industry is reflect-ed by the improvements in playing facil-ities and the new field constructions.An athletic field that costs $200,000 fiveyears ago now costs $600,000 to build. It'sbasically the same field, serving thesame purpose, but always changing forthe better. These advancements and theever- increasing professionalism amongsports turf managers put the STMA onthe verge of earning a position of lead-ership and respect.

From that position,with the strong sup-port of those ofus at the professional level,the STMA will be better able to bringacknowledgment to the vital role sportsturf managers play in the world of sports.

October 1996 5

THE FRONT OFFICE'Y

OPINION PAGEDate to Remember

Don't forget that November 30 is the deadline forcompleting questionaires for the Field of theYear awards. You don't have to pay an entry fee

or be an STMA member to compete. Nor must you havea big budget - the winner of last year's Football FieldAward was not a pro or college facility, but a hard-working high school.

To obtain a questionaire, call STMA at (800) 323-3875and request an "Awards Program" packet, which contains

questionaires for baseball, softball, football and soccer fields. For the baseballawards, you can short-cut the process by answering PartaclBeam Clay's"Diamond of the Year" ad in this issue, which displays the types of questionsasked about the other fields as well.

Covering Your GrassSTMA member Scott Gaunky, groundskeeper of Mundelein High School in

northern Illinois, provides lessons for others in how to use a turf cover to pro-tect a field. '

First, you must get a turf cover - which is no small purchase for a high school.Gaunky finagled a cover through personal enterprise. On his own time, he wentout and solicited materials to build a good infield for Mundelein's ball diamond.When school administrators saw the showpiece, they felt obliged to protect "their"investment and purchased a turf cover for the infield.

Next, you must learn how to use the cover - otherwise, it'll harm ratherthan help your turf. For his education, Gaunky went to fellow STMA memberKen Mrock, groundskeeper for the Chicago Bears. Six years of healthy turflater,Gaunky is a cover master himself and shares the essentials of a program thateases his prized infield through the winter and promotes a quick, healthy green-up in spring.

(1) The program starts during the growing season when he puts down 14to 18 pounds of potash and two to three pounds of ammonium sulfate per 1,000square feet. This diet, especially the potash, strengthens cell walls, which helpsharden turf for winter.

(2) The next step is to get the cover up and down at the right times (neithertoo soon nor too late) to avoid heat damage. For Gaunky, that means layingthe cover down after the first heavy frost, usually early November, andpulling it up just before the baseball season, in mid-March. By that time, thanksto speedy spring transition, the grass is growing, healthy, and tougher thanportions of the diamond that go uncovered.

(3) Before covering the field, he applies a granular fungicide to the turf, pri-marily for snow mold.

(4) During the winter, he monitors the temperature under the cover, espe-cially during warm spells, to ensure the grass doesn't cook. Otherwise, he rarelychecks beneath it. Since the cover is air, light and moisture permeable, the grasssuffers little stress. Eve-nunder heavy, wet snow, the grass does not suffocate,largely because his infield is turtlebacked (crowned),which provides good drainage.

The efficient drainage allows snow to act as an insulating blanket, protectingdormant turf against many of the hazards of winter. In Gaunky's experience,the more snow, the better. One year when Mundelein's diamond receivedlittle snow the grass did not green up as well. The infield was slower torespond than usual, but the uncovered grass was even slower. Withouteither snow or a turf cover, the grass was more susceptible to wind burnand dessication.

6 sporfsTURF· http://www.aip.com

EVENTS'Y

CALENDAROctober

The First Step to Behavior-22-23 Based Safety. Two days of

training in behavioral methodsfor accident prevention. Offered byBehavioral Science Technology Inc.The Westin Galleria, Dallas, TX. Forinformation, call (800) 548-5781 or (805)646-0166; fax, (805) 646-0328; e-mail,bstoj ai@bscitech.com.

Third Annual Southeast TexasGrounds Maintenance

Conference. Conroe, TX. Contact: PattiJones, Montgomery County ExtensionOffice, (409) 539-7822.

24

27 29 CaliforniaFertilizer Association- Annual Meeting. Loews

Coronado Bay Resort, Coronado, CA.Contact: CFA, (916) 441-1584.

27 30 26th Annual National- Institute on Park and Grounds

Management Conference and Show.Minneapolis, MN. Contact: (414)733-2301.

OctoberlN ovember31-1 The First Step to Behavior-

Based Safety. The RadissonBarcelo, Orlando, FL. For more informa-tion, see first listing, above.

NovemberInternational Conference onEvapotranspiration and

Irrigation Scheduling, in conjunction withthe Irrigation Association EXPO, spon-sored by the American Society ofAgricultural Engineers. ConventionCenter, San Antonio, TX. Contact: ASAE,(616) 429-0300.

3-6

11 12 Golf Course Super-- intendents Association of

Northern California's EducationalShowcase, The Golf Course Institute.Coconut Grove, Santa Cruz, CA. Contact:GCSANC at (916) 626-0931.

Send announcements of yourevents two months in advance to:

Editor, sportsTURF, 68-860 PerezRoad, Suite J, Cathedral City, CA

92234. Fax: (619) 770-8019.

spBrtsTIJBfhttP"~ww.aiP.comT-----

Gary PetersonReaches Out WithSTMA's Mission

By Bob Tracinski

Every sports field could be a qualityfield, with enough outreach ineducation, training and creative

funding ideas.The mission statement of the national

Sports Turf Managers Association is "Tobe a leader in the sports turf industry,to enhance, promote and improveprofessionalism through excellence incommunication, training, research,education and services."

Gary Peterson, Iowa State Univer-sity CooperativeExtension commercialhor-ticulture specialist, began an outreach pro-gram in the summer of 1992 that focuseson this mission statement. He uses adirect offer of a free service to sportsfield managers to help improve fieldquality. The program was initially keyedto high school facilities.

Peterson says, "Many of the calls forhelp with sports fields came from smallschools, often in rural areas. Generally,the person responsible for field care alsowas in charge of all the grounds, includingthe walkways and parking, and maybe theexterior and interior of the buildings aswell. Many of these people tackle thewhole job themselves, with limited, part-time assistance, sometimes from stu-dents or volunteers.

"I'vebeen in extension for 30 years, anddeveloped a special interest in sportsturf. When my kids were in sports pro-grams played on an outdoor field, Iwanted to make sure it was a well-main-tained field with no visible or hiddenhazards. I'm sure every parent wantsthat same degree of safety for their kids.And every young athlete deserves thesame opportunity to play to the best oftheirability on a 'level playing field.' The

8 sporfsTURF· http://www.aip.com

program combines that need with therealities of today's tight budgets, lim-ited staffing and constant time demands."

While the program is keyed to schools,it's also offeredto parks and organizations,and Peterson will focus more attention onthe smaller town parks and recreation pro-grams in 1997.

For People Who CareA cover letter from Peterson is sent to

targeted schools, addressed to "DearSports Turf Manager." The letter reads:"Enclosed you will find a brochure thatexplains a free service that is available toyour school. Many schools have takenadvantage ofthis opportunity over the pastfive years. If you are interested, please fillout the form and return it to me. I lookfor-ward to working with you."The letter adds,"If you are not the individual who needsto see this information, please pass iton to the appropriate person."

The outer cover of the single-sheet, tri-fold brochure shows a line drawing of afootball field under the heading, "SportsTurf Management - important to thefuture of your facilities." The interior ofthe brochure starts off with a question,"Concerned about turf grass problems onathletic and recreational turf?" Thenstates the offer, "Let Iowa State Univer-sity Extension help. ISU Extension offersa free turfgrass consultation service toschools, parks and organizations by acommercial horticulture specialist. Thespecialist will: visit your site and developa management program for your facility."

To make contact as easy as possible,Peterson's direct phone number is listed.Also part of the brochure is a tear-offreturn form for supplying pertinent infor-mation, including check-off boxes to notethe turf areas to be evaluated.

The goal of Gary Peterson (left, in amaroon cap) is to help every sports turfmanager in Iowa produce a safe, qualityfield for every athlete. Photo courtesy:Steve and Suz Trusty.

Peterson says, "There are lots of mate-rials available on sports turf manage-ment and multiple resources provided bythe national STMA and regional chapters.Iowa has a strong chapter that continuesto grow even stronger. The main problemswith reaching all those we need to reachwith sports turf training and educationare time and money. It's tough for theindividuals at smaller facilities withmultiple responsibilities to fit in timefor reading the literature and attendingthe meetings."

Peterson notes that the individual incharge of fields may be pulled in manydirections, with the squeaky wheel oftengetting the most attention. Also, at manyschools, the playing fields are at the backof the property or across town on a sep-arate property and not as visible 'to thosein charge, or to the general public, as themain buildings. In some communities, espe-cially those feeling a financial pinch,there's that old perception to overcome -that anything green, includingweeds, covering the field is anokay playing surface.

"Our aim with the program is three-fold," says Peterson. "First, to analyze thesituation and get them started on ascomplete a maintenance program as theycan manage, given their specific cir-cumstances. Second, to establish con-tacts they can tap for further assistance.And third, to give them the informationthey need and the help, ifnecessary, to con-vince the appropriate entities of theimportance of adequate field mainte-nance from the players' standpoint andfrom the facility's liability standpoint."

Three commercial horticulture spe-cialists serve Iowa, basically dividingthe state in thirds geographically. Petersoncovers central Iowa, with Eldon Everhart

FOR PRODUCT INFO FAXED TO YOU NOW! DIAL: 1(800) 817-1889

taking the west third, and Pat O'Malleythe east. Though all three are equippedto handle all aspects of commercial hor-ticulture in their geographic areas,including the sports turf outreach program,for further efficiency,each has concentratedextra efforts in specific segments of theindustry. Peterson keys on turf, includingsports turf; Everhart on greenhouse andornamental producers and retailers; andO'Malley on fruit and vegetable growers.

Peterson notes that the need for ade-quate field care is getting easier to "sell."As the sports turf industry becomes morevisible,the extension serviceis getting morecalls from the people who care for thesesurfaces. Coaches, athletic directors andschool administrators are noticing schoolswith good field-care programs and arebecoming more concerned with estab-lishing similar programs at their ownfacilities. Administrators are growingever more aware of the liability factor andpossible litigation if a field does not meetsafety requirements. Increased recogni-tion of the sports turf industry is helpingshape the public's perception ofwhat differentiates a "good" field froma "bad" field.

Peterson knew the program was agood idea, but had no handle on what typeof participation to expect. The first year,he sent the letter to a targeted 15 schoolsystems within five counties and gotresponses from seven of them. Hebroadened the outreach each year, adding25 schools in 1993, 30 schools in both1994 and 1995, and 20 schools this year.The program now reaches all 34 countiesin central Iowa.

Getting PhysicalOnce Peterson receives a response

form or phone call, he explains theprogram in greater detail, again assuresthe contact person that there is no charge,and sets an appointment for an on-sitevisit. Ideally, the person in charge offield care and the school's athletic directoror administrator (or both) participate inthe on-site meeting.

Peterson says, "We walk the fieldstogether, discussing the current status,the goals and a rough idea ofwhat it's goingto take to get there. I always take a soilprobe so we can draw samples for testing.We also use the cores to examine andexplain the soil profile and turf rootdevelopment. The probe is a great tool toget across the extent of a compactionproblem. If the administrator or athleticdirector physically pulls a corefrom a little-used area and one from between the

A concise form for evaluating a field's program enables Peterson to identifykey problems and tailor solutions that will fit within a school's budget.

hash marks on the football field, or atthe soccer goal mouth, they can't missthe difference.

"I use the Evaluation of Athletic Fieldform for each field, noting the type ofplay, and the fertility, cultivation,herbicide,mowing, seeding and irrigation programscurrently in place. I also note the numberof games and practices held on the field,band use of the field, and specificproblemareas. Current suppliers are also listed."

He uses the on-site visit to answerquestions, determine budgeting param-eters and reinforce the multiple reasonsa quality field is needed. Because every-thing tends to translate to dollars,and the administrator, athletic directorand field manager each has his own per-spective, it helps to have an "innocentbystander" on hand to supply key detailsand approximate cost estimates, whileemphasizing the need factor.

Once all the information is gathered,Peterson prepares a list of key problemsto address and how to do so and a sug-gested maintenance plan, then sends itback to the field manager. He'll follow upwith a phone call a few days later tomake sure the information has beenreceived by the right person and to answerany additional questions that individual,or anyone else involved with the pro-gram, may have.

Each program is different, tailored tothe needs of the facility, its budget andstaffing levels, and its goals. For example,

some schools can only tackle improvingthe game field the first year, while othersshoot for a total field upgrade. Someschools prefer to use the services of alawn care company to handle materialsthat require certification or licensing,rather than having a staff person qualifyto do so. Some schoolsmay contract for spe-cific services, such as aeration or drillseeding, that require equipment they'drather not purchase, lease, rent or borrow.

Peterson continues to work with all theschools that have participated in theprogram. He says, "After the initial main-tenance program is in place, the firsttwo years are the most critical for theschool. As results become more apparentand the person caring for the fieldbecomes more comfortable with theprogram, the calls to my office becomeless frequent. By this point, we've helpedthe field manager establish a set ofcontacts with similar programs."

A Dream Coming TruePeterson's dream is to reach every

fieldcaretaker in the state. Obviously,giventhe limited staffing and budget levels ofstate extension programs, Peterson, Ever-hart and O'Malley can't do it all. Buthelp is available.

"Iowa STMA members do a great jobof welcoming newcomers and bringingthem into the informal networkingsystem," says Peterson. Meetings are

continued on page 10

October 1996 9

FOR PRODUCT INFO FAXED TO YOU NOW! DIAL: 1(800) 817·1889

Reaching Outcontinued from page 9

As in several other states, the var-ious segments of the Iowa turfgrassindustry work together to achieve commongoals. The annual Turfgrass Conferenceheld in January has comprehensive gen-eral sessions as well as separate "tracks"for the golfcourse superintendents, sportsturfmanagers, sod producers, and lawncare providers.

Peterson says, ''When those just estab-lishing a field maintenance programrealize they have a whole set of resource

held at different locations across thestate to allow more people to take part inthe educational sessions and hands-ontraining. The chapter has some verycapable,very activeindividuals -like MikeAndresen, Dale Roe, Bill Anton, MikeMcCaffrey and Kevin Vos- who also pro-vide outreach themselves."

10 sporfsTURF Circle 102 on Postage Free Card

people just a phone call away, they'remuch more confidentabout raising the levelof maintenance."

Quality sports fields take the coop-eration of everyone - the sports turfmanager, coaches, players, athleticdirector, trainer, parents, superinten-dent of schools, the school board and thegeneral public. Once the program getsunderway, the positive results draw inthese people as willing participants.

Still, funding is tight and every programhas it needs. Once a field managementprogram is in place, the sports turfmanager needs to set up an annual anda long-range budget, showing generalmaintenance needs and major purchases.The bigger purchases - such asequipment, irrigation systems, tarps,fencing, lights, maybe even fertilizer,weed control, pesticides and seed -could require "off-budget" assistance.

Peterson urges sports turf managers,"Tap all resources. Look at the school'sbooster clubs or parent organizations.These entities traditionally have helpedto supply player equipment. It's nottoo great a stretch for them to provideassistance with field care throughfunding and volunteer task forces totackle special projects.

''You'll create more excitement andcooperation by asking these groups tofocus on a specific goal, such as the pur-chase and installation of an automatic irri-gation system; a year's fertilization, turfseed or aeration funding; or financing aneeded piece of equipment. Obviously, themore you acknowledge their support andhelp them see the results it is producing,the better the ongoing relationship."

Small schools, parks and recreationsystems will never be able to afford thepremium college- and professional-levelsports fields seen on television, but withthe cooperation of the turfgrass industryin outreach programs such as the onein Iowa, every field can one day becomea quality field.

For more information on thisprogram, you may write to Gary Petersonat 619 South 6th Avenue West,Newton, IA 50208, or phone him at(515) 791-0765. 0

Bob Tracinski is manager of publicrelations for the John Deere Companyin Raleigh, NC, and public relationsco-chair for the national Sports TurfManagers Association.