Call 1 (800) 817-1889 use Fast Fax #1020300 and/or Circle 102 on Inquiry Card

®

............................PROGRAM·····················~VOLUME 16, NUMBER 3 MARCH 2000

Cover Story•.•..•.•..•..................................................•...............•14 Infield Maintenance and Grooming

Trevor Vance, head groundskeeper for the Kansas City Royals,hares tips about skinned area maintenance.

'JiJtorm Park, STMA's 1999 Diamondfessional CategoryPeter Webb and Brad Keith talk aboutin an award winning field.

31...Warning Track Construction and Maintenance.i"Pros aAd cons of natural VS. artificial warning track materials

www.sportsturtonline.com

On the Cover:

•~

~ Advertisers' Index 45

• Q&A 46Groundskeepers prepare theinfield at Kauffman Stadium,

Kansas City, Mo.

4 March 2000

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THE FRONT OFFICE

Play Ball!

Last month I began to hear a phrase on the tele-vision and radio, a phrase I had been waitingmonths to hear: Pitchers and catchers report-

the four sweetest words to a die-hard baseball fansuch as myself. More than suggesting the impendingopening of another baseball season, the phrase

reminds me that even though it's -snowy and cold in Chicago, spring isright around the corner. And even though my beloved Cubbies willprobably be out of the hunt by July, at least I can count on getting anice tan in the bleachers at Wrigley, watching the ivy grow green andthick over the bricks of the outfield wall.

While the crack of the bat and the pop of rawhide meeting leathermight draw the most public attention at Major League facilities thisspring, they represent only a tiny fraction of the number of baseballplayers in organized leagues who are gearing up for the start of theirseasons. Groundskeepers for thousands of parks across NorthAmerica-whether they are from parks and recreation departments,colleges or professional stadiums-must begin preparing their fieldsjust as hard as the players prepare themselves for the new season.

Hopefully this special baseball-theme issue of sports TURF willassist all groundskeepers who manage a baseball field with tips andadvice for making their fields as safe and attractive as possible. Nomatter who plays on your field-the 4-foot tall little league shortstopwith his or her comically oversized hat and glove; the 50-year oldpitcher for a park district league who can still baffle hitters with hisknuckle ball; the 17-year old A Ball rookie, playing his first game forwhich he'll be paid; or last year's Major League Most Valuable Player,stepping up to the plate for his first at bat of the season-all playersdeserve a safe, consistent field. Be sure to check out all the articles inthis issue for information you can apply to your field.

Certification UpdateThe year 2000 marks the introduction of the STMA Sports FieldManager Certification program. At the annual conference in St. Louisthis past January, Ross Kurcab was recognized at the awards banquetas the first applicant to successfully complete all the requirements tobecome a Certified Sports Field Manager (CSFM).

Since that time, four other STMA members have gone on to earn theCSFM status as well. Here is a list of the five current CSFMs:

Ross Kurcab- Turf Manager, Denver BroncosDale Getz-Athletic Facilities Manager, Notre Dame UniversityEric Adkins-Agronomist, Northwestern UniversityTed Baker-Superintendent of Parks, Highland Park Park District (Ill.)Mike Schiller-Superintendent of Parks, Rolling Meadows Park

District (Ill.)Congratulations are in order for these highly-qualified and moti-

vated individuals. Way to go!If you haven't received an applicant packet and would like one, or if

you have any questions about the certification process, contact STMAHeadquarters: phone (800) 323-3875; fax (712) 366-9119; or e-mailSportsTMgr@aol.com. Good luck!

~kFt40Michael SanFilippo

(847) 427-2083

6 March 2000

Contro~~Field Traftfcby Floyd Perry

Many school boards andmunicipalities are stretchedto the limit in daily field

care. Some parents say the mainte-nance staff just doesn't care abouttheir facilities. I find that statementsomewhat shallow because I knowthere is an honest attempt to preparethe fields properly. There's just toomuch extra traffic on the fields to getthem game ready.

continued on page 12

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March 6-9New England Regional Turf

Conference & Show (NERTCS),Rhode Island Convention Center,Providence, R.I. Pesticide re-certifi-cation credits available. ContactNERTCS: (401) 848-0004.

March 9NYSTA's Western

Conference, Radisson Hotel &Suites, Buffalo, N.Y. ContactNYSTA: (800) 873-8873 or (518)783-1229.

March 9-10Ohio State University Sports

Thrf/Athletic Field Short Course,Camp Cheerful, Cleveland, Ohio.Cost: $190. Contact BarbBloetscher: (614) 292-7457.

April 5NYSTA's Adirondack Regional

Conference, Hilton Lake PlacidResort, Lake Placid, N.Y. ContactNYSTA: (800) 873-8873 or (518)783-1229.

July 22-24Outdoor Power Equipment

Institute's (OPEl) 17th annualInternational Lawn, Garden &Power Equipment Expo (EXPO2000), Kentucky Exposition Center,Louisville, Ky. Contact SellersExpositions: (800) 558-8767 or (502)562-1962.

October 4-5Southern California Turfgrass

Council's (SCTC) TurfgrassLandscape and Equipment Expo,Orange County Fairgrounds, CostaMesa, Calif. Contact SCTC: (800)500-SCTC (7282) or (818) 764-5016,or expo@turfcouncil.org.

STMA MESSAGE~~Managers Association

www.sportsturfmanager.com

It Was The Greatest

The figures are in and it's no surprise to all those in- attendance that STMA's St. Louis Conference was

a record-breaker. We had the greatest number offull-conference registrants, the greatest number of exhibitors and the great-est number of attendees at the Awards Banquet, Annual Meeting and edu-cational sessions.

Review of attendee comments on those educational sessions show theywere the greatest, too. Comments included many more like these: "Theseguys really know their stuff. I've already paid for all my conference expens-es with the ideas I can put in practice back home." "Mike Veeck was such aninspiration. He put a new slant on how we do things, and why we do them.""The information from Tom Jadin's session is going to be the focus of ournext staff meeting." "The workshop session was excellent. Two hours of in-depth information really hit what I needed to know." "The three round tablegroups I shared in were great; so much information shared and lots of con-tacts for future sharing."

The Seminar on Wheels session also drew excellent comments from thethree busloads of participants, including this one: "There's so much to begained by seeing other facilities and being able to ask questions on site."The trade show also generated great responses from both exhibitors andattendees. One exhibitor noted, upon picking up his registration packet andgetting a copy of the attendee book for his company, "What a novel idea, thatexhibitors might want to know what's happening. It's great to be welcomeat all parts of the conference."

Maybe the greatest feature of our STMA Conferences is the fellowshipand the networking. To me, the one-on-one and small group sharing of infor-mation is a learning experience equal to all other aspects of the conference.

So mark your calendars now for the 2001 action-packed and information-filled STMA Conference. It will be held Jan. 17-21, 2001 at the TampaMarriott Waterside and the Tampa Convention Center, just across the streetfrom the hotel. That's the week before the Super Bowl in the Super Bowlcity. It's going to be super!

This year will be super for STMA as well. committee chairs have beenappointed and are in the process of formulating their committees and estab-lishing their goals. Check out the STMA Webpage for the list of chairs. Ifyou're interested in serving on a committee, contact either the committeechair or STMA headquarters.

And there's other super news: The STMA board has approved the fund-ing to start a foundation for research. Our technical standards committeehas started working on some detailed information that will be accessible forSTMA members. The strategic planning project is moving forward. The cer-tification program continues to generate interest and draw applicants. Lookfor the CSFM (Certified Sports Field Manager) designation behind thenames of those who have earned certification status.

STMA is hard at work producing the servicesyou want and need to be more productive and to ~ /1/ // "Jhelp you achieve the recognition you deserve. . nL !ttr""

Rich MoffittSTMA President

(314) 977-2956

7sports TURF • http://www.sporsturfonline.com

he 1999 STMNBeamClay/sportsTURF Diamondof the Year in theProfessional Category isJetform Park, home of the

Ottawa Lynx, Triple A affiliate of theMontreal Expos. The stadium is locat-ed in Ottawa, 240 miles northeast ofToronto and 120 miles northwest ofMontreal. The field is used six monthsof the year, from early April until lateSeptember.

The playing surface was installed atJetform Park in September of 1992.Play began in 1993. A weeping tile,gravity-based system, embedded ingravel, provides subsurface drainage.The infield and outfield soil and theskinned area mix are only three- tofour-inches deep. The soil profile is 60percent soil and 40 percent washedsand, yet the infield turf drains at a rateof 7-inches per hour. The skinned areacontains about 80 percent Beam Clay

8 March 2000

infield mix with sand and calcined clayadded at approximately 10 percenteach. The turf is composed primarily ofKentucky Bluegrass varieties withsome perennial ryegrass and turf-typetall fescue mixed in.

Peter Webb and Brad Keith are headgroundskeepers for the Lynx. Webbstarted working on the crew in the sum-mers while he was still in high school.He's worked on the field through itsseven full seasons. Keith has been withthe team for five full seasons. Initiallythe two worked under AI Dungey, nowfacility manager for Frontier Field,Rochester, N.Y., who was with the teamuntil June of 1996, and with JamieWhalen, now with the Carleton Golf &Yacht Club, who also was with the teamuntil 1996. They took over as headgroundskeepers four years ago.

Webb has a degree in kinesiologyfrom the University of West em Ontario.Keith started out in political science atCarleton University and is now in hissecond year of law. Both are taking cor-

respondence courses offered throughthe Horticulture program of theUniversity of Guelph and are currentlyworking on the turf managementcourse.

Webb says, ''When I first started, wehad a 14 person crew. But there havebeen tight times. The Lynx have beenlast in the League the past four yearsand the harsh spring weather makes ithard to draw great early-season crowds.We now have a grounds staff of four.Brad and I are full-time; Matt Horanand Steve Bennett are part-time. So ourmaintenance program has to be wellplanned and executed. Matt and Stevedo a great job and are dedicated toachieving field quality. Everyone knowswhat needs to be done and who will han-dle each assignment. We have just 4-112minutes after batting practice to get thefield ready for play and we have the drillsynchronized to the second."

With tight budgets, those part-timehours must be allocated carefully. For anight game, Horan generally comes in

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during the afternoon to help set up forbatting practice. Bennett comes inaround 5:30 p.m. One of them willleave after the fifth inning drag, keep-ing the hours in balance.

The field's in-ground automatic irri-gation system has 11 different zonesand a total of 44 sprinkler heads.They're set to miss the skinned area asmuch as possible. Quick coupler con-nections are located behind secondbase, about a foot into the grass, and infront of each of the dugouts.

Webb says, "We have our sprinklerheads perfectly level and so well hiddenthe coaches and players don't evenknow where they are. We have to markthe heads with straws when we aerateto keep from hitting them."

Coaxing SpringThe cold climate creates challenges.Winter moves in fast in the fall withsnows usually continuing to be frequentand plentiful. Field snow removalbegins in mid-March, and starts theprocess of coaxing spring's arrival.Webb says, "Our season opens any-where from April 6 to 11. All early sea-son games are in the afternoon; it's toocold to play or for anyone to watch us atnight. It can snow into April and wehave been snowed out on opening day."

Except for the bullpen mound covers,tarps are kept off the field all winter.They're moved from the parking lotstorage area into a covered bay for win-ter storage so the crew won't need to digand chop them out for spring use.

Microclimates within the stadiummay produce a snow-free right fieldwith 1-1/2-feet of snow standing in leftfield and a drift of snow along thescreens by the bullpen mounds. Thewarning track is crushed brick toppinggravel and snow lingers there as well.

Even with the snow removed, leftalone, the turf wouldn't show muchgreen until the end of April. Webbsays, "As soon as grass starts showingin April and it's dry enough to step onthe field, we hand rake the turf in twodirections with a fan rake to get someair on it and get any mold out of there.We use our old black and white infieldtarp, black side up, to keep a bit of heatin the turf and we hope for sun. Bymanipulating the tarps and turf wecan get green-up about two weeks ear-lier. We leave turf height at one andthree quarter-inches over the winterand obviously there's no growth tomow at this point. If conditions aredry enough, we roll in a pattern, cover-ing the field with the reel mower, with

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the reels disengaged to improve theaesthetics.

"After the first home stand, we'llapply an iron treatment to boost thegreen. The second week after the homestand, we dethatch, vacuum the debrisand hand rake with fan rakes again totease the turf into faster growth. Wehave turf to mow by the end ofApril andby mid-May we're usually mowingthree to four times a week."

Manipulating the infield dirt can

be even more delicate. Frost remainsdeep in the ground at the start of theseason and may not have disap-peared at the end of April. Keithsays, "As the sun warms the surface,moisture rises from the frost layerbelow. The bull pens and any spotsthat get spring shade retain the frostlonger. You can't put a tarp under theskin, so we have to monitor all theskinned areas very closely and playwith it a bit to hit the right moisture

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GROWERS AND INSTALLERS OFPREMIUM QUALITY SOD AND STOLONS

Call 1 (800) 817-1889 use Fast Fax #1040300 and/or Circle 104 on Inquiry Card

March 2000 9

content. We'll be working some areasheavily to speed drying at the sametime we're irrigating other spots."

Coping With Heavy SchedulingThe 1999 season included 72 OttawaLynx games; 51 Little League, JuniorLeague or high school games; a charitygame; a Junior Lynx Clinic for 200youth; a Little League Clinic for 500; aGirl's Clinic; and several Major Leaguetryout camps. Then there was theStardust Picnic, a multiple-band con-cert, which drew 10,000 people.Besides the stage extending over sec-ond base and the edge of the grass andthe sound stage set up over home plate,there were vending stands along theedge of the stadium wall. Webb andKeith put in almost 76 hours straightcovering that event.

In addition, the City of Ottawa,owner of the Stadium, can book anevent with only 24 hours notice as longas the event doesn't occur on previously

From left to right: Jamie LaFramboise, stadium staff; Matt Horan, part time crew member;Pete Webb, head groundskeeper; Lloyd Moseby, Syracuse coach; Steve Bennett, part time

crew member; Brad Keith, head groundskeeper.

scheduled game days. And there's theannual "Diamond Dig" team promotionthat not only brings fans onto the field,but also has them digging into it. Whileall this creates additional challenges for

the maintenance schedule, Keith andWebb understand the importance ofsuch money-making ventures and thepositive impact they have on the pub-lic's image of the Lynx.

10 March 2000 sports TURF·-http.!/www.sporsturfonline.com