Summer 2016 sidelines

Texas Sports Turf Managers Association Txstma.org

Providing education and training for safer and healthier sports turf facilities

Dan Bergstrom, CSFM

Summer 2016

Craig Potts, CSFM

Congratulations to TXSTMA’s latest professionals to achieve the status of Certified Sports Field Manager. STMA created the certification designation to recognize the importance of fostering and improving professionalism within the sports turf industry.

Dan Bergstrom CSFM and Craig Potts CSFM join a prestigious list of professionals who have achieved the qualifications and passed the rigorous requirements to achieve the status of Certified Sports Field Manager. Great work!

Extra Duties!

TXSTMA Chapter Executive Carol Cloud gladly took on extra duties recently to help out President Kevin Lebanik who was playing “Mr. Mom” and brought his precious daughter Amelia to a planning meeting.

Carol was glad to practice for when her first grandson who will arrive this summer.

In this Issue: 

Field day Wrap Ups



STMA Environmental Facility Certification



Leo Goertz Student Internship Grant Recipients



A Call for Leadership, STMA nominations for 2017 Board of Directors

Keep sharing, keep asking, and keep growing As we all know, the most certain part of our industry is the weather. We can always be certain it won’t cooperate, won’t be predictable, and absolutely certain it will not allow us to get things done when we need to. For Houston to have rain 24 of 31 days in May certainly makes it a challenge. We know the weather will never be what we want it to be, when we need it to be. As Willard Scott said “everyone complains about the weather, but nobody ever seems to do anything about it.” As the Professionals, we know that no matter what the situation, we must carry on. I have seen and heard some amazing examples of this perseverance from many TXSTMA members. I will say, some of the best turf grass managers are in the great state of Texas.

We had the privilege and honor of having 3 of these world class turgrass managers open up their facilities for Field Days this spring. We have the 4th scheduled for the end of July at the University of Texas- Austin. We kicked things off with RS3 hosting TXSTMA at Dell Diamond in Round Rock. In spite of the threat of rain, we had a great turn out. Great education tracks from some amazing speakers and Garret Reddehase giving us the behind the scenes tour of Dell Diamond, topped off with a great Express game that evening. Nolan Ryan stopping in to say “Hello” didn’t hurt things either.

Not to be out done was David Yarbrough at TCU. He took advantage of the beautiful weather and large turnout of members to give a full access tour of ALL the TCU facilities. He showed us around the entire campus from baseball, to soccer, to his shop, to the indoor football and capped off with an on the field ball field talk from TCU Head Coach Gary Patterson. Another amazing field day hosted by anther amazing turf manager.

We figured with all the rain in Houston, we better go indoors. Dan Bergstrom and the Houston Astros Grounds Crew opened up the roof (one of the very few recent sunny days in H-Town) and put on a great show. On the field, we had terrific hands on presentations of pitching mound maintenance, home plate care and proper care of infield lips. What a knowledgeable crew! The best part is that the entire staff were so willing to share their knowledge. Dan has set the example of helping his crew grow and allowing them to help other turf grass managers become better.

For Texas to have such knowledgeable Turfgrass Managers and Academia’s is fantastic. The blessing is that they all our so willing to share what they know with anyone that is willing to listen, anyone willing to reach out and all who ask the questions. Keep sharing, keep asking and keep growing.

Sincerely Kevin Lebanik 817-659-9111 cell

July 27— Field Day, University of Texas Austin September 21 — Field Day and Bird Hunt, Bladerunner Farms, Poteet

TXSTMA will be hosting other events in Regions I (DFW) and III (Houston) this fall.

Keep your eyes open to the website and emails.

Thank you to our 2016 Star Sponsors. Your generous support is greatly appreciated. 2016 Sponsorships are still available CLICK HERE FOR 2016 SPONSOR PROGRAM

The TXSTMA Spring Field Day season kicked off in style at Dell Diamond home of the Round Rock Express. Garrett Reddehase of Ryan Sanders Sports Turf Services was our host and went above and beyond to provide attendees a great day of education, demonstrations, and tours. RS3 And to top it all off, he even delivered the Ryan Express himself who welcomed attendees to Dell Diamond.

That’s right, Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan was part of our event! You never know who you are going to meet at a TXSTMA event!

Mother Nature provided just enough of a break from one of the rainiest Aprils in recent history in the Austin area and gave us a great opportunity to tour the Dell Diamond facilities, the grounds maintenance facility, the Round Rock Express pitching and batting practice facility and of course the highlight of the day, on the playing field. A little too wet to run the bases but we got a player’s view from center field, home plate and the dugouts. The entire facility was very impressive and it is easy to see why Dell Diamond is considered one of the premier minor league facilities in the country.

During our educational program, Casey Reynolds Ph.D., State Extension Turfgrass Specialist provided a very informative talk on sport field management focusing on cultural and aerification processes. Tom Burns, of Ewing provided a timely talk on pitching mound maintenance based on his experience as a former MLB Groundkeeper. All affiliate members were asked to introduce themselves and give brief reviews of the products and services they provide.

Speaking of our affiliate members, we couldn’t visit places like Dell Diamond if it wasn’t for the financial support they provide all year long. We had two terrific Gold Sponsors for this event. Thank you

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Horizon and Harrell’s. Please take a minute to look at our great list of sponsors for this event and help us show our appreciation with a quick thank you. Thanks to their support, we were able to have several drawings for door prizes of TXSTMA and Round Rock Express merchandise. And thanks to affiliate members who brought equipment to demonstrate. Jeff and Rick Kadlec of GLK provided a good demonstration of the Air2G2 Aereation equipment on the field. Also on display was equipment from C&M Equipment and Horizon.

Following all of the great “official” activities of the day, several TXSTMA members stayed to watch a great ballgame from the Party Patio at Dell Diamond. Once again RS3 rolled out the red carpet and we had a great time even though the game didn’t quite go our way.

Thanks again to all who attended this terrific event, thanks to our sponsors, and thanks to Garrett Reddehase and Ryan Sanders Sports for being such great hosts! We’d love to come back soon!

Event Sponsors GOLD SPONSORS Horizon Harrells SILVER SPONSORS GLK Turf Solutions Pioneer Athletics Rainbird Dow Ewing C&M LUNCH SPONSOR RS3 Turfgrass - Sponsoring Lunch and Continental Breakfast. Awesome, Thank You RS3 Turf!

Our Host Garrett Reddehase

Sponsors

MENU – 2016 Fall Sponsorships Field Day Sponsorship - 3 Events (price is per event) Gold Sponsorship

$

500

Silver Sponsorship

$

250

Bronze Sponsorship

$

100

Lunch Sponsorship

$

200

Clay Shoot Sponsorship - 3 Events (price is per event) Gold Sponsorship

$

1,000

Silver Sponsorship

$

750

Bronze Sponsorship

$

400

Lunch Sponsorship

$

200

$

200

Annual Meeting Lunch Sponsorship held at TTA Conference

Last Minute Reminders Texas Tech University

Department of Plant & Soil Science

We are gearing up for our summer and fall events. Just like our spring events we want to make these events extra special and we can't do it without YOU! These events will be action packed and will include vendor displays of products, equipment and services. We are going to work hard to make sure you get the recognition you deserve during the meeting portion and walking tours. Please review the levels of sponsorship and let us know how you would like to participate.

Please contact Carol Cloud at txstmainfo@yahoo.com or 817-736-0727.

TEXAS TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION

Turf Grass Field Day

SUMMER CONFERENCE & EQUIPMENT RODEO

July 11th 7:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.

Quaker Research Farm 2nd St. and Quaker Ave.

HYATT LOST PINES RESORT (BASTROP) JULY17-19, 2016

Click Here for Flyer

Congratulations Leo Goertz Student Internship Grant Recipients Corey Diaz is a senior at Texas A & M University. He has served on the Aggie Turf Club and is currently a student officer. He is also a big event volunteer. Corey will be interning with the Milwaukee Brewers baseball club.

He has interned in the past for the Washington Nationals baseball club and the Texas A&M athletics field staff.

Russell Rafter is also a senior at Texas A & M University. He is a student officer of the Aggie Turf Club. Russell will be interning with the Washington Nationals grounds crew from May through August.

The Leo Goertz Student Internship Grant was designed to honor Leo Goertz’s legacy of serving as a mentor to countless students by providing hands-on learning experiences in the sports turf industry. This grant will be awarded to a student enrolled in an accredited college or university who is performing an internship under the guidance of a sports field manager at a professional, collegiate, or recreational athletic facility. This award is intended to help students with moving and/or living expenses associated with performing an internship and to make this experience more accessible to students interested in sports turf management.

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Are You Connected with TXSTMA? We hope you are enjoying all of the new communication vehicles we are using to reach our members! Please make sure your email address is current so you don’t miss out.

Let us know at txstmainfo@yahoo.com You can also “Like” us on Facebook and “Follow” us on Twitter!

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@TXSTM

Registration Open!

Join us for this special Field Day on the campus of the University of Texas - Austin.

Once again there will be tours of the UT sports complexes, education, food, trade show and most important peer to peer comraderies.

Like all TXSTMA events, this special day is FREE to all current members. Plenty of time to become a member and join us in Austin.

Help us grow this association by renewing your membership and asking a colleague to join too. Texas is the 2nd largest state in the US. We should have the largest STMA membership.

Help us to achieve this goal.

Currently we have 303 members. That is only 11 more members than last year, but we still have the summer and fall season to make that number GROW. TXSTMA is here to serve its members by providing quality education, career enhancement opportunities and enjoyment through meetings, peer-to-peer contact and exposure to the industry. If you haven’t joined or renewed this year please consider signing up today.

Dell Diamond was followed by TCU in Fort Worth. We can’t say enough about the hospitality we were shown by David Yarbrough. David went above and beyond the call of duty. He lead the tour starting at the baseball field and then on to the soccer complex. Along the way the members were treated to equipment displays from some of the sponsors. From there he took the group to his maintenance area to show off some of the equipment he uses at TCU. David couldn’t wait to show everyone the indoor practice facility….it was very impressive.

It was finally time to eat and have a little education, sponsor introductions and trade show in the basketball arena complex. Several of the sponsors set up booths so the attendees could check out the latest offerings.

We wrapped up the day with a trip to the football stadium. Once again the guys were treated to equipment demonstrations. The highlight of the day was a surprise visit from Gary Patterson the head football coach of TCU. The guys of course asked a lot of questions about the football team and the prospects for next season.

Oh yea….the top door prize was an autographed football by TCU’s own Andy Dalton, quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Event Sponsors GOLD SPONSORS Professional Turf Products Turface Athletics Texas Sports Sands Horizon Harrells

SILVER SPONSORS Pioneer Athletics Ewing BRONZE SPONSOR World Class Athletic Surfaces LUNCH SPONSOR Tri-Tex Grass Dow AgroScience BWI Companies

STMA Environmental Facility Certification Now Available!

STMA has rolled out its certification program for facilities.

TMA is officially launching its Environmental Facility Certification Program, and we invite you to participate. There is no cost to complete the assessment. It was developed to help document the environmental stewardship of STMA members and is awarded to the facility. The program involves an electronic assessment, which you can take from any computer or smart device, find the link below.

After you have completed the assessment, STMA will score it. If you have achieved 80 percent compliance on each of the 10 sections, you will be notified that you passed. The next step is to engage an attester who can do a walk-through of the facility with you to validate your environmental practices. STMA will provide an electronic assessment form to the attester. If the attester verifies your practices, the facility will be designated an STMA Certified Facility for Environmentally Responsible Management. You can choose recognition for your facility through a plaque or a banner. A $100 fee will be charged once your facility achieves certification, which includes the recognition materials.

If you do not achieve the 80 percent passing score, you have one year to re-assess the sections that you did not pass. Certification is valid for three years; after that the process will need to be repeated.

If a sports turf manager leaves a facility, the facility still maintains its certification until the end of the three-year period.

Certification instructions and guidelines are listed below. You can also view the assessment tool, click here. Please call STMA Headquarters with questions, 800-323-3875. Good luck! in assessing the environmental management practices for a complex of natural grass sports Congratulations on joining the ranks of sports fields and facilities. It can also be used to provide field management professionals who are validatstrategic suggestions on how to improve upon ing their environmental stewardship! Sports field current environmental operations in use at fields managers have long been known within the and facilities. However, for some members, it turfgrass industry as dedicated to field and facility may be more practical and within their control to management practices that minimize impacts on assess a natural grass field or recreation space the environment. Now, as a participant in this individually. STMA will award certification to a program, you can create and provide documentasingle field in this case. STMA defines a complex tion of your stewardship for presentation to the of sports fields and/or facilities as being conoutside world, including your employer and local tained by fencing or some sort of perimeter community. boundary with the fields contiguous within this Overview space.

This electronic evaluation tool is designed for use Although there is a $100 initial fee for this pro-

Certification Instructions

gram, you will not be charged to participate, and have your results reviewed. If your results meet the criteria to qualify, you will then be assessed the fee, and have the opportunity to receive your facility’s preferred recognition through a plaque or banner, and your facility will have use of the special certification logo. STMA will also issue a press release promoting your certification. Certification is valid for three years. At the conclusion of three years, in order to remain certified, the process will need to be repeated, and the $100 fee will again be charged.

Assessment Ratings The Part I of the assessment captures information specific to your facility. Please be as detailed as necessary to provide a solid overview of your facility and any environmental challenges you manage.

Part II is divided into 10 sections. Please read each statement carefully in each section and place a check-mark in the box provided that most closely describes your progress in meeting that objective. Choices are: Yes, No, Addressing, and N/A. If the criteria do not apply to you and N/A is selected, you must include the reason why it does not apply to your facility.

To Qualify for Certification Facilities/fields applying for environmental certification must achieve an 80% complying/YES answers in each of the 10 sections. The Composting section will not be counted. Composting is a very important practice, however it may not be applicable to all facilities. If it is not applicable to your facility, please include the reason ‘why’ in the rationale.

One very important component of this certification process is to have another person validate your responses by doing a walk-through of your facility.

You are free to choose your attester as long as he/she is not employed at your facility and he/she meets one of the following requirements: An STMA certified member (CSFM). The CSFM will receive Industry Service Points toward recertification; An academic or extension agent; or A

member of an environmental group in your area. If you cannot find someone to be the attester, please contact STMA headquarters at ph. 800-323 -3875.

The Process 1. Fill out your Environmental Facility Certification Report Card Parts I & II electronically and submit as one document when you are finished. (Paper forms will not be accepted).

2. STMA will send you a copy of your answers in two PDFs. 3. Forward Part I PDF to your attester and also direct him/her to download the Attester Form from STMA.org, Knowledge Center Tab, Environmental Stewardship, to an electronic device, such as a smart phone, tablet or laptop computer.

4. Schedule a day and time with your attester to walk through your complex/field covering the 10 areas outlined in the Report Card. He/she will electronically fill out the attester form during the walk-through. Good dialogue between the applicant and attester is encouraged so that there is complete understanding of the rating given for each environmental practice.

5. When the walk-through is completed, the Attester will electronically submit the form.

6. STMA will notify you within two weeks of the status of certification.

Renewal Process The certification is valid for a three-year period. At that time the Report Card and attesting process will need to be repeated. The same fee applies.

The TXSTMA is very excited about this great program and hopes our members will participate to demonstrate the great environmental work that is being done at TX facilities. Please let us know how we can help by providing support and resources. We look forward to great participation!

The spring season wrapped up with a field day at Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros.

What a fun one this was. The morning started with an educational tour of the baseball field. Groups were rotated to four different stations to learn about how Dan and his staff prepare for a baseball game. The highlight was “Willie” the mound man. He is as I recall 70 years old and been with the Astros for 45 or so years. He is responsible for getting the mound perfect. He was quite a character and everyone really enjoyed listening to him.

The field tour was followed by a tour of Dan’s shop which was massive and of the stadium on our way back to a delicious hotdog/hamburger lunch.

Following lunch it was Dr. Casey Reynold’s education session on Sports Field Management in South Texas. The vendors then had their opportunity to speak to the attendees about their companies and products. The vendors also had booths set up around the room so everyone had a chance to check out the latest products. We really appreciate all the support from our affiliate members.

The day wrapped up with a handful of us attending the Astros game. It was a ton of fun and the Astros won.

“Willie”

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On the field education and tour

The trade show and sponsors

Event Sponsors GOLD SPONSORS Turface Athletics Texas Sports Sands Harrells Horizon

The education

SILVER SPONSORS Pioneer Athletics Ewing GLK Turf Solutions LUNCH SPONSOR Dow AgroScience All Seasons Turf Grass Turf Technologies Rainbird

Certified Sports Field Manager Program Information Having recognized the importance of fostering and improving professionalism within the sports turf industry, STMA has developed a certification program for sports turf managers.

Attaining the Certified Sports Field Manager status means you will be looked upon as a leader in the industry. It will give you a sense of pride and accomplishment and it can even improve your current or future employment prospects.

Becoming a CSFM is meant to challenge your knowledge of managing sports fields and to draw upon all aspects of your background in education and experience to prove that you are one of the best in the industry. Meeting the challenge can contribute to your professional advancement in sports field management.

Benefits For You

Benefits For Your Employer

A valuable learning experience

Increased professionalism

Recognition of achievement

Commitment to excellence

Increased earnings potential

Acknowledged accountability

Commitment to excellence

Dedication to cost effective facility management

Increased educational opportunities

Commitment to field safety

SAFE Produces Safety Videos The SAFE Foundation has produced three educational videos about field safety. Sports and Recreation Fields - Safety First is an educational outreach program directed to parents, volunteers, coaches - anyone who comes in contact with athletic fields or oversees outdoor sporting events.

Available Videos: Baseball and Softball Field Inspection Natural Grass Field Safety Synthetic Field Safety Sports Facility & Equipment Safety Also available are our Safety Checklists: Sports Field Safety Football/Soccer Safety and Maintenance Checklist Baseball/Softball Safety and Maintenance Checklist

SAFE Scholarship Program In 2000, the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) formed the Foundation for Safer Athletic Field Environments (SAFE). An initial endowment of $100,000 by STMA has enabled SAFE to live its mission: To enrich communities through championing safe, sustainable sports and recreation fields for all athletes.

SAFE annually awards scholarships to students who are planning a career in the sports turf industry. Since its inception, the SAFE Foundation has presented more than $225,000 in scholarships and travel to the STMA Conference and Exhibition to more than 120 students.

Each year, SAFE awards three named scholarships: the Dr. James Watson Graduate Scholarship, the Dr. James Watson Undergraduate Scholarship, and the Dr. Fred Grau Scholarship.

The Watson Scholarships are named in honor of long-time green industry researcher and consultant Dr. James Watson, are funded by the Toro Giving Program, and are presented to the top graduate and undergraduate scholarship recipients. The top recipient from a two-year program receives the Dr. Fred Grau scholarship, which is named in honor of the first turfgrass extension specialist in the United States. There is not a separate application for these named scholarships; they are awarded to the top graduate and undergraduate applicants.

Students are strongly encouraged to apply for the scholarships. Simply print and complete the application and return it to the SAFE Scholarship Committee. It is also available in aWord document for easy word processing. The applicants are judged on academic preparation, cumulative grade point average, experience in sports turf management, and references provided by student advisers and previous or current employers. They are also evaluated on their contributions to their school, department, and organizations to which they belong, as well as their career objectives.

Click Here for more information and application procedures.

A Call for Leadership STMA's nominations for the 2017 Board of Directors election is now open. STMA is seeking interest from voting members from all categories of membership. Director positions that are open include: 

Director representing Professional Facilities



Director representing K-12



Commercial Director



At-Large Elected Director (representing any category of membership)

More Information

Plan now to attend STMA’s 2017 Conference!

Jan. 24-27, 2017 Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Lake Buena Vista, FL

Region II Fall Field Day (full details will be sent at a later date)

Executive Directors: President: Kevin Lebanik—Harrell's, Klebanik@harrells.com Past President: Rusty Walker, CSFM—City of Grapevine, rwalker@grapevinetexas.gov President - Elect: Brian Piper - City of Austin, Brian.piper@austintexas.gov 1st Commercial Vice Pres: Darin Eberly—Pioneer Manuf. Co., deberly@pioneerathletics.com 2nd Commercial Vice Pres: John Kearns—Professional Turf Products, kearnsj@proturf.com Treasurer:

Nick McKenna, CSFM— Texas A&M University, nmckenna@athletics.tamu.edu

Committee Directors: Advertising: Will Dutton - Professional Turf Products, duttonw@proturf.com Communication Committee: Dan Bergstrom—Houston Astros, dbergstrom@astros.com Region I (DFW): Allen Reed, CSFM, FC Dallas, areed@fcdallas.net Region II (Austin/San Antonio): Michael Piñon, San Antonio ISD, michaelpinon@yahoo.com Region III (Houston): Kevin Hansen, Houston Texans Membership: Brant Williams, CSFM Scholarship: Chris Pitts, Clear Creek ISD, chpitts@ccisd.net Chapter Executive: Carol Cloud, Carolcloud@txstma.org, (817) 736-0727

Texas Sports Turf Managers Association Providing education and training for safer and healthier sports turf facilities Txstma.org txstmainfo@ yahoo.com (817) 736-0727 5552 Plata Lane Benbrook, TX 76126

Spring 2016 Issue

Wrap up and pictures coming soon.

July 11 - Field Day