SportsField Management( SFM): Congratulations on the Field of the Year win. What are you most proud of with this win? BJ Thomas: I am most proud of my crew. They have really bought in to the standard and work ethic that is required to create a safe and aesthetically pleasing playing surface. These guys put in the work day and night to earn this recognition. In this field of work, there are always challenges that arise; because of our crew, we are able to tackle and conquer each one.
SFM: What were the biggest challenges you have faced with the winning field, and how have you approached those challenges? Thomas: Some of the bigger challenges we face aren’ t unique to us— they are challenges other sports field managers also face. We face the ever-changing weather, tournament season, and constant field usage. It’ s typical for us to host 10 games in three days followed by a mid-week game, in addition to practices. One of the main challenges we face is that the field takes such a beating with the amount of usage, which in turn means we have to work longer and harder to get the surface back to the highest level of playability. The team really only has one off day, which is our best opportunity to repair and reset everything for the following week of practices and games. The best way I have found to approach this is to maximize the time spent on the important tasks.
SFM: Can you share a little about your overall management approach to the winning field and what you feel have been the most important aspects to getting this field to an award-winning level? Thomas: From early on, applying for Field of the Year has been a goal of mine, and the crew was fully on board with it. I asked them to help make sure we document every single thing we did, big or small. I think documenting everything we were doing not only helped the application process, but is going to also help in years to come as a reference guide. We can look back and see what worked and what didn’ t work throughout the season. Doing the little things often and correctly is one of the most important aspects of getting the field to where it is. Sometimes we get so caught up in the time restraints of the small windows we are able to work on the field that we lose sight of the little things. Emphasizing the little things really helped set the standard; if you do the little
sportsfieldmanagementonline. com April 2025 | SportsField Management
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