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

In December , I had the pleasure of attending the 2023 American Sports Builders Association ( ASBA ) Technical Meeting and Trade Show in Houston , Texas .

ASBA represents builders , designers and suppliers for sports facilities , and its goal is to promote the highest standards of design , construction and maintenance .

It was my first time attending the event , and our colleagues at ASBA were gracious hosts . Special thanks to Mary Helen Sprecher , who has long contributed content to SportsField Management on behalf of ASBA , and who gave me plenty of great information on site at the technical meeting .

The welcome reception in the exhibit hall allowed me to network with a wide range of people from throughout the sports field and facilities design / construction markets . I was able to learn about products related to our industry and I was amazed at the proliferation of pickleball-related products . From track and field surfaces to pickleball and tennis courts , I was thoroughly educated about sports surfaces in those areas .

While at the technical meeting , I was able to attend the Fields Division meeting , as well as multiple education sessions in the Fields education track , including sessions on irrigation , drainage , ASTM and more .

I particularly enjoyed the session presented by Mike Boekholder of Boekholder & Associates , LLC . Boekholder detailed the impact of the Minor League Baseball PDL on field requirements . The PDL includes very specific design requirements teams must meet on new projects and renovations , especially with regard to field grading . According to Boekholder , at the same time , the PDL does not include specific technical drainage or other performance specifications , nor does it include technical performance requirements for baseball materials such as clays and infield mixes .

“ It is definitely going to make maintenance practices more difficult for people , and I think it can have an adverse effect on field performance in the long run ,” said Boekholder .

The ASBA also honored its Distinguished Sports Facilities winners during the technical meeting . The winners in the Fields division can be found on page 34 of this issue .

The 2024 ASBA Technical Meeting will be held December 2-6 , 2024 in Orlando . SFM

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SportsField Management | January 2024 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com