OFFICERS

President : Adam Thoms , Ph . D .

Immediate Past President : Sun Roesslein , CSFM

President Elect : Alpha Jones , CSFM

Secretary-Treasurer : Casey Carrick , CSFM

Vice President Commercial : Erin Wilder

Directors

Academic : Chase Straw , Ph . D .

At-Large ( elected ): Weston Floyd , CSFM

At-Large ( appointed ): Lee Van Meeteren

Commercial : Matthew Duncan , CSFM

Higher Education : Jason DeMink , CSFM

Parks and Recreation : Zack Holm , CSFM

Professional Facilities : Dan Farnes

Schools K-12 : Jake Mays

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 Vice Chair : TJ Brewer , CSFM Board Liaison : Chase Straw , Ph . D . Members : Matthew Arms , CSFM ; Joe Churchill ; Cliff Driver , CSFM ; Kate Garassino ; Rebecca Knapp , CSFM ; and Tony Koski .

With the growing season just around the corner , planning is in full swing for many of you . This might range from reviewing soil tests and developing a fertility plan to creating a fungicide rotation for those pesky turfgrass diseases or even when you will be performing cultivation on the fields for the upcoming year .

Planning is key for anyone looking to have a successful year , but that plan is only as good as the communication for carrying it out . We must be able to explain a management plan to other people in a language that they can understand . They also need to understand why they can ’ t use the field for a few days , or that what we are doing will help make a stronger , more traffictolerant field .

Knowing to whom the plan should be communicated is also critical . Coaches , athletic directors , athletes and , in some cases , parents all deserve to know what is happening to their field . These communications can also help limit problems by simply asking them to move a drill .

The same goes for your staff . I often see young crew members left out of the loop regarding why something is being done . This is especially true if they are fertilizing or applying pesticides . While they should know what they are applying , it is critical for them to be able to explain how the application will treat a specific issue — especially if they get stopped by the public . Those younger crew members will also use that knowledge in the future as they develop and advance their careers .

Similarly , spending time in your boss ’ s office might not seem like an enjoyable experience , but laying out your plan for them will help them better understand the tools and time you need to make your job more successful . These steps should also help increase respect for what you do .

Finally , this time of year is a great time to plan for continuing education . Putting continuing education on the calendar now will increase your chances of actually attending those opportunities during the year . I encourage all of you to attend your local chapter events this year and make supporting those a priority — they often have great content . I also look forward to seeing you in Fort Worth next January for the annual SFMA Conference and Exhibition . Getting these events on your calendar and into the budget line now will remove the excuse later of how they snuck up on you . Spending a little time now filling out the calendar and planning will help you with success in the year to come . SFM

– Adam Thoms , Ph . D .

Adam Thoms , Ph . D . SFMA President athoms @ iastate . edu sportsfieldmanagementonline . com March 2025 | SportsField Management

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