ACCESSING THE ARCHIVES financial commitment necessary to build and maintain the facility . Overall , the piece examined design elements of older stadiums and alterations to accommodate the multi-use nature of “ modern sports .”
In the June issue , the cover story detailed how Giants stadium was testing a portable grass system to accommodate the needs of the New York / New Jersey MetroStars soccer club ( later rebranded as the New York Red Bull in 2006 ), to meet the natural grass requirements of Major League Soccer . The transportable natural field consisted of square , interlocking plastic modules containing a prescribed growing medium and turfgrass .
The transformation of Birmingham ’ s Legion Field to an international soccer venue was the highlight of the July 1997 issue . At the time , the field underwent a $ 1.2 million renovation project to replace artificial turf with a natural grass playing surface that FIFA heralded as “ one of the best in years .”
Iowa State University ’ s Jack Trice Stadium made the cover of the August issue . It , too , was converted from artificial turf to a sand-based natural grass surface prior to the 1996 football season . By the end of that year , the field had earned College Football Field of the Year honors . Athletic Turf Manager Mike Andresen was hired by Iowa State University ( ISU ) in 1996 ; and the awardwinning sports field manager was drawn to the position by the challenge of the multiple fields at ISU and the field conversion .
Jim Puhalla and Mike Goatley wrote about effective overseeding in the north and south for the September 1997 issue . “ Overseeding has different meanings in different areas ,” they wrote . “ In the south , overseeding means applying ryegrass seed to bermudagrass so the field will stay green during colder months when the
bermudagrass is dormant . In the north , overseeding means applying more seed to an existing field to thicken the turf . Wherever you live and work , overseeding has a common goal : turf enhancement .” The article took a detailed look at effective overseeding procedures .
Then-STMA-President , Mike Schiller , wrote the October cover story on “ Keeping Football Fields in Top Condition Through Fall Play .” He wrote , “ Unfortunately , while expectations of field quality have escalated among field users , facility owners and fans , field maintenance budgets too often have remained static or declined . So , doing more with less is the norm , and sports turf managers at all levels must tap every available resource to keep fields .”
In November 1997 , SportsTurf magazine looked at perception versus reality , and how spectator perception of your maintenance program ’ s success or failure is often based on field performance during the biggest games of the year . The article delved into proper communication with supervisors and user groups to keep them informed of processes , abreast of challenges and updated regarding field status .
1997 wrapped up with the December issue offering tips for how to analyze your records for what worked and what worked during the past year . “ Change always starts with analysis . Establishing and maintaining a comprehensive record-keeping program gives you the data to analyze ,” the article stated . “ Once your analysis is complete , not only will you know what worked and what didn ’ t , you ’ ll have the tools to minimize your failures and build on your successes , including a written summary report you ’ ve developed for future reference .”
All content for this section is pulled from the SportsTurf / SportsField Management archives , an ongoing cooperative project of EPG Media , SFMA and the Michigan State University Libraries . Public access to the archive from 1985 to the present ( less two months ) is available at https :// sturf . lib . msu . edu / index . html . SFM
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