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 Co-chairs : Brad Thedens , CSFM and Adam Thoms , Ph . D .

Members : T . J . Brewer , CSFM ; Joe Churchill ; Charles Fontanier , Ph . D .; Eric Harshman ; Forrest Jammer ; Cody McKee ; Kieran O ’ Donnell ; Kelly Rensel , CSFM ; Eric Roberts , CSFM ; Chase Straw , Ph . D .; Adam Webb .

Regardless of what Punxsutawney Phil predicted , spring is on its way . Spring sports have begun or are starting soon , and we are experiencing longer days with more daylight and working longer hours . I ’ m even starting to see bulbs begin to bloom through the snow in the Denver area .

Springtime at the NAAC means preparing to host girls soccer , as well as boys and girls lacrosse , which begin the first week of March . As we are getting ready to host athletes , their families and our community this season , there is an underlying excitement about setting the stage for the memories to be made . This season might be a stepping stone to the next level for an athlete to play in college , or it might be the culmination of their playing days . Either way , we hope their experience this season is a great one . Beyond the games , graduation planning is already underway ! Before all the events start , our days are full of a checklist of “ extra duties as needed ,” such as cleaning bathrooms , locker rooms , press box windows and ticket booths ; setting up the stadium ; and all the other behind-the-scenes work that has nothing to do with preparing the actual playing surface .

The chorus of Bachman-Turner Overdrive ’ s classic rock song Takin ’ Care of Business plays often in my playlist while checking things off the preseason list : “ We been taking care of business ( it ’ s all mine ), taking care of business and working overtime .” Those two lines alone are a pretty good snapshot of a day in the life this time of year at the NAAC leading up to opening day .

Association-wise this time of year , the conference education planning for 2024 is already underway . The call for presentations is now open . If you have an idea for an educational session , I encourage you to submit . Our profession is great at sharing information to help each other succeed , and this has been how the education sessions have been built . Typically , topics cover sports field management , professional development , research and new technologies . Are there other issues you feel need to be covered that would benefit you and your peers ? If you ’ re like me , public speaking might be nerve wracking , but stepping out of your comfort zone is an opportunity to

help you grow professionally . If you ’ ve been on the fence about submitting an idea , please do !

March also brings the first quarter board meeting for the new SFMA Board of Directors . Tackling the strategic plan and setting it into motion is a major goal for this meeting and will set the road map for the association for years to come . I ’ m really looking forward to working with this group to begin taking care of SFMA business . SFM

Sun Roesslein , CSFM

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

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