John Kmitta Associate Publisher / Editorial Brand Director jkmitta @ epgacceleration . com 763-383-4405

Spring has sprung , and , more importantly , baseball season is back . Although I enjoyed the World Baseball Classic , there is nothing like Opening Day after a long offseason . The excitement , the clean slate , the hope and the nostalgia all rolled into one . Like spring itself , it is a fresh start – a new beginning .

For me , baseball season is about memories . It ’ s coming home from school to watch the Cubs with my grandma . It ’ s walking up to the park with my brothers and friends with our gloves and bats . It ’ s listening to games on the radio while I worked at the local lawn and garden center during high school . It ’ s stats and favorite players and a shared passion for America ’ s Pastime .

It ’ s sitting in the stands at Wrigley or Comiskey … or a Minor League Baseball game … or a high school game … or a Little League game . It ’ s about finally getting back outside after a cold winter and getting some fresh air ( despite the uncertain mixed bag of early-season weather ). And , of course , it ’ s about the field … the grass … the dirt .

Something Jimmy Simpson , CSFM , once told me continues to resonate with me . He said that the sports field management industry is about making memories for people .

“ If it is the person who walks into a stadium for the first time , and they smell that fresh-cut grass and they look at that field , you , as a sports field manager have an impact on that person for the rest of their lives ,” he said . “ You are making a memory that lasts with them forever .”

As sports field managers you face many challenges : Labor shortages and finding qualified help , balancing budgets , supply chain issues , scheduling , field traffic / use , dealing with the public , trying to get your voice heard , and , of course , the weather . And you still work long hours to manage beautiful , safe playing surfaces and plant the seed of those memories for players , coaches and fans young and old .

At SportsField Management , we continue to strive to help you reach your goals . And that goes beyond just producing the magazine and the website . That is why this spring is also a fresh start for us . After a bit of a hiatus , we are bringing back the SportsField Management Podcast ( https :// sportsfieldmanagementonline . com / podcast /). Our goal is to tackle the issues you face , share insightful conversations , and hopefully learn a thing or two along the way . And , ultimately , no matter what types of fields and facilities you manage , we want to help you make memories . SFM

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MANAG EMENT

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SportsField Management ( ISSN PENDING ) ( USPS 000-292 ) ( Reg . U . S . Pat . & T . M . Off .) is published monthly by EPG Brand Acceleration at PO Box 96 , Port Jervis , NY 12771 .

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Send payments to SportsField Management , PO Box 96 , Port Jervis , NY 12771-0096 . Phone : ( 763 ) 383-4492 . Fax : ( 763 ) 383-4499 . Single copies or back issues , $ 10 each US ; Canada ; $ 15 ; Foreign $ 18 . Periodicals postage paid at Port Jervis , NY and additional mailing offices . COPYRIGHT 2023 , SportsField Management . Material may not be reproduced or photocopied in any form without the written permission of the publisher .

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SportsField Management | April 2023 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com