PROFILE
Photo credit : Chris Gannon - ISU photographer
According to Thoms , coming from an academic background provides a different perspective of what needs to be accomplished at the association level .
“ I have the ability to travel the nation a little bit more , giving talks at regional turf conferences , so I hear a little more about what is going on nationally ,” he said . “ If you ’ re a practitioner and you don ’ t really get to travel , you might not hear as much nationwide .
“ So much has changed in the way associations exist from when I got on the board in 2020 ,” Thoms added . “ Covid really knocked things back . People don ’ t necessarily realize how much has changed with the association . I ’ m excited about the challenges ahead for the next year .”
Thoms hopes to drive forward many SFMA initiatives — especially with regard to industry education .
“ I ’ m an academic ,” he said . “ We ’ ve spent a lot of time creating modules for online learning . We ’ ve got a new system now online and it ’ s super easy to access . We have a lot of great material and quizzes that have been developed .”
In the years to come , Thoms would like to see SFMA develop even more online events , webinars and online learning modules .
“ We are going to have to get members who haven ’ t gone the traditional four-year college or two-year college route ,” he said . “ We are going to have to self-educate .”
MIDWESTERN ROOTS Thoms grew up in the relatively small Midwestern town of Waverly , Iowa . He worked with cows and sheep on his uncle ’ s farm and became involved with 4-H and FFA , which gave him the opportunity to work with plants as well .
Initial thoughts of becoming a veterinarian were dismissed when he realized that he was not fond of the sight of blood . Playing football , however , sparked an interest in sports field management .
“ We played a game in the rain , and it tore up the field ,” he said . “ I came to school the next day and the custodian who took care of the field for us was out there fixing divots . I didn ’ t realize people could take care of the field . I talked to my teacher about it , and he told me Iowa State teaches people how to do that . That was the ‘ aha ’ moment for me .”
Thoms attended Iowa State University ( ISU ) with the intention of becoming a sports field manager . While at ISU , he worked for Mike Andresen on the ISU athletic fields as part of the student grounds crew ; and during his junior year , he competed at the inaugural STMA Student Challenge . It was then that Andresen urged Thoms to pursue an advanced degree . Andresen was friends with Bobby Campbell , the field manager at the University of Tennessee ( UT ), who arranged for Thoms to meet UT ’ s John Sorochan , Ph . D . sportsfieldmanagementonline . com February 2025 | SportsField Management
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