FIELD OF THE YEAR COLLEGE SOFTBALL
the Orioles . Dan was a huge help in my development of field renovation knowledge and procedures . Dan didn ’ t have to help me as much as he did , so I ’ m forever grateful for our time working together . Lastly , Wayne Ward , formerly with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , hired me part-time to help on weekends painting logos and flipping the field from college football to NFL . I learned so much about the football side from Wayne and how a professional football surface is prepped for a game — invaluable experience for a “ baseball guy .” There have been so many more along the way , and I try my best to help those on their way up the ladder .
The best piece of advice I was given was when you look at your field and everything seems perfect , it ’ s time to mess it up ; meaning don ’ t relax when your field looks great — keep your foot on the gas and prepare for what needs to come next .
SFM : What were the biggest challenges you have faced with the winning field , and how have you approached those challenges ? Thomas : Several challenges immediately presented themselves to me upon accepting the head grounds
role for the Illini : the lack of a dedicated grounds crew , no known budget , limited equipment resources and the unpredictable northern climate . Identifying what is being done well and not so well are the first steps in beginning a new responsibility . I quickly found that out and began formulating our strategy . While the athletic fields at the University of Illinois weren ’ t the worst fields I ’ d ever been around , they definitely needed attention . But without the proper resources , it would be a futile attempt . Working with administration , I started with getting equipment . We worked creatively to either lease or purchase new equipment on a small budget . This allowed me to create a basic program for routine maintenance without depending on third-party contractors . Next , we put a lot of time into developing a dedicated staff of grounds workers . When I first started at the University of Illinois , the staff that took care of the fields were also the same people that did all of the inside facility cleaning ; so , we did not have anyone working 100 % on the fields . Through a larger reorganization of our overall staffing , I was able to establish a team of six full-time staff that were specifically under my supervision . In the last year we ’ ve been able to
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