INDUSTRY OUTLOOK who will advocate for you and the rest of our industry . They will talk with their students and share the opportunities that this industry can provide – a future career path where their office is a sports field , and they can spend their days in the great outdoors . Making connections with local athletic directors and offering a helping hand with guidance or labor , you now have another leader in your community who can advocate to student-athletes the opportunities to continue with the passion for their favorite sport in a different way . There are hundreds of thousands of kids out there who aspire to make it as a professional athlete someday . But it is doubtful that many these young individuals will even have the opportunity to play in college . We want the young men and women who have that passion channel it into producing professional and safe playing surfaces .
Sports field managers and STMA members can also coordinate with high school teachers and college professors to host field trips or even virtual field trips at their facilities to put sports field management in front of these impressionable young men and women . Sports field managers could work with teachers and professors to host hands-on living labs where students can experientially learn that sports field management is an art and a science . We can create and demonstrate the various STEM-related activities that a sports field manager utilizes on an everyday basis . Sports field managers can also provide guest lectures emphasizing the importance of students broadening their horizons to discover more about other topics , such as weather and climate , horticulture and soils , and business , human resources and finance – all critically important topics to the sports field manager ( and courses commonly offered across the collegiate landscape ). Creating different encounters such as these can significantly change the outlook of our industry .
There are also ways to make a lasting impact on the industry for years to come by developing a high school specialty program tailor made to develop high school students as turfgrass managers . In the Brentsville Turfgrass Management Program , our students have the opportunity to learn firsthand , through hands-on learning , the different options the turfgrass industry as a whole has to offer . When we first started our program , we had approximately 75 students . We have seen exponential growth in three years to the point where we are projected to have more than 250 students in the program at the start of the 2021- 2022 school year ( beginning August 2021 ).
We have seen not only the development of our program , but have also seen these students explore the industry and become industry professionals or further their education in 2-year and 4-year turfgrass science programs throughout the country .
There are different opportunities to get involved with programs like this , whether it is through support or by making connections with the young individuals through your work . A prime example of this is when Orioles Head Groundskeeper Nicole Sherry , at the height of COVID-19 , took time out of her day to give a virtual tour of Camden Yards to our students . This led to our first female graduate attending a college turfgrass program with aspirations to become the first female head groundskeeper in the National Football League . Small actions such as these can have a lasting impact on the outlook of our industry .
If you are interested in starting a high school program , it is essential to approach your local school board with the support of your community and the high school ’ s administrative team . You would then propose the plan of developing your turfgrass management program in that high school . They would then vote on whether or not they will develop this program . If they approve the program , there is national funding for all career and technical education programs in all school districts throughout the country to support equipment and materials . It is also critical to work with your athletic director , as he or she is the individual in charge of the athletic facilities you will be maintaining with your students . The athletic director funds your annual budget for materials such as paint and fuel , and without his or her support , the program will fail . These programs can change our industry ’ s outlook by having a long-lasting influence on teenagers becoming passionate about the maintenance of sports fields .
The final way you can create a positive impact on our industry ’ s outlook is to get involved with your high school and collegiate programs by connecting their students to the industry and the overall possibilities of their future . Please get involved by supporting their education , whether it is discussing your experiences or hosting them in a professional setting . Get involved with your local STMA chapters and present at the university field days and symposiums where college students can meet and network with you – the industry professional .
There are so many great students out there who have made that significant step to becoming the next generation of industry leaders . And they have the need and desire for your guidance on how to become the best turfgrass managers they can . SFM
Drew Miller is director of the Brentsville Turfgrass Management Program , located in Nokesville , Va . Miller is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a bachelor ’ s degree in Crops and Soil Sciences , focusing in Turfgrass Management , and a master ’ s degree in Career and Technical Education with a focus in Ag Education . Miller has spent the last four years developing a high school program and curriculum that prepares students for jobs in all areas of the turfgrass industry . Prior to that , he spent the majority of his career in professional baseball , football and collegiate athletics . sportsfieldmanagementonline . com February 2021 | SportsField Management
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