Officers

President : Sun Roesslein , CSFM

Immediate Past President : James Bergdoll , CSFM , CPRP

President Elect : Nick McKenna , CSFM

Secretary-Treasurer : Adam Thoms , Ph . D .

Vice President Commercial : Paula Sliefert

Directors

Academic : Chase Straw , Ph . D .

At-Large ( elected ): Ryan DeMay , CSFM

At-Large ( appointed ): Zachary Holm , CSFM

Commercial : Erin Boyd Wilder

Higher Education : Jason DeMink , CSFM

Parks and Recreation : Jason Bowers , CSFM

Professional Facilities : Alpha Jones , CSFM

Schools K-12 : Jeremy Driscoll , CSFM

SFMA OFFICE P . O . Box 1673 Lawrence , KS 66044 Phone : 800-323-3875 Email : SFMAInfo @ SportsFieldManagement . org www . sportsfieldmanagement . org

SFMA EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Chair : Brad Thedens , CSFM Board Liaison : Chase Straw , Ph . D . Members : Matthew Arms , CSFM ; Philip Braselton ; TJ Brewer , CSFM ; Joe Churchill ; Forrest Jammer ; John Kmitta ; and David Schwandt .

July makes me think of Independence Day , fireworks ( I empathize with all the field managers who have to clean up after those shows ), hot days , ice cream , sweet corn , watermelon , baseball games , summer league softball , tournaments of all kinds , and the grit it takes to survive all of it ! I was just talking with a friend , and she described how life can feel like a grind sometimes . She is a hairdresser , so her days are filled with repetition and appointment after appointment . I ’ m always grateful that our days are hard but never the same two days in a row ; and the best part – outside ! However , I don ’ t think there is a month that is more of an epitome of that grind than July . As sports field managers , the tenacity required to continue producing top-notch playing surfaces seems to be in our DNA . It truly takes some special people to outshine the grind , and our membership is bright !

All of those events you are hosting are memory makers . Experiences that make a lasting impression on the players , families and spectators . Most of my summers were spent traveling to softball tournaments in the Phoenix area , and I always had fun with my team . I still remember feeling very appreciative if the infields got a quick drag and water between games . What you do every day – especially during the grind – makes an impact . One of my favorite movie quotes is from Jimmy Dugan in A League of Their Own , “ If it wasn ’ t hard , everyone would do it . The hard … is what makes it great .”

This time of year , my coworker and I are on equipment quite a bit . Whether fraze mowing our fields or mowing and other maintenance , music , podcasts and books are a constant soundtrack in our ears . The subject matter differs to include everything from classic rock to house , professional development to fiction , and best sellers to favorite authors . Podcasts both from within our profession and outside our expertise fill my library as well as , admittedly , some true crime . The motivational and professional development listens almost always include a piece of wisdom or tip that I want to write down to dive into again when I ’ m not fixing an irrigation head . I find that using the time spent doing a mundane task to listen in for an idea or motivation is a great way to get through the task , as

well as grow a little professionally . What are your go-to podcasts or authors ?

July also brings our summer quarterly SFMA Board of Directors meeting . We will be looking at ways to make our operations more efficient , continuing to build a stronger association , as well as reviewing committee progress and continuing to work toward a successful 2024 conference in Daytona Beach , Florida . That will be here before we know it !! SFM

Sun Roesslein , CSFM

Sun Roesslein , CSFM SFMA President Sun . Roesslein @ jeffco . k12 . co . us sportsfieldmanagementonline . com July 2023 | SportsField Management

7