PROFILE
and the job was about growing grass and maintaining the fields ,” he said . “ It was kind of a nice reset and recharge my battery .”
Outside of work , McKenna and his wife , Holly , are devoted to their dogs . They have three dogs – all rescues – but also foster pit pulls or pit bull mix breeds , and are passionate about advocating for the breed . During 2020 alone , the McKennas provided a foster home to 21 rescues .
“ It was refreshing to be able to spend weekends at home with my wife and the dogs . But I ’ m fortunate in that I was minimally impacted , and I didn ’ t have to worry about income loss or job loss .”
Aside from any COVID-related challenges , McKenna said the biggest challenges he and his crew face are the things they can ’ t control , namely weather and scheduling .
“ We are at the mercy of Mother Nature with what we do . We just have to be adaptive and responsive to it ,” he said . “ We have very little to no control of the scheduling
of what happens on our fields and in our facilities . As we are seeing the dynamic of college athletics trending more toward the professional model where you have these multi-million-dollar facilities that have to be used for more than just seven football games per year , you ’ re looking for ways to bring in additional revenue . So you don ’ t have control of the practice schedules , the game schedules , and then you combine that with what Mother Nature is going to do to you , there are so many things that are beyond your control .”
McKenna said he makes a conscious effort to control what he can control , and tries to make the best of every situation . He added that adaptability is one of the biggest keys to success as a sports field manager .
“ When you look at all the things we have to deal with , all the things that are beyond our control , and the challenges that we face , you have to be versatile , you have to be flexible , you have to be able to adapt and overcome different situations ,” he said . “ It ’ s a rewarding experience sportsfieldmanagementonline . com February 2021 | SportsField Management
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