Officers

President : Sun Roesslein , CSFM

President Elect : Adam Thoms , Ph . D .

Secretary-Treasurer : Alpha Jones , CSFM

Vice President Commercial : Erin Boyd Wilder

Directors

Academic : Chase Straw , Ph . D .

At-Large ( elected ): Kyle Patterson

At-Large ( appointed ): Lee Van Meeteren

Commercial : Warren Gorrowitz

Higher Education : Casey Carrick , CSFM

Parks and Recreation : Zack Holm , CSFM

Professional Facilities : Dan Farnes

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 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 .

Editor ’ s note : Throughout 2024 , members of the SFMA Board of Directors will be providing editorial content in lieu of the President ’ s Message by Sun Roesslein , CSFM . These diverse perspectives will offer additional and unique insight into SFMA and industry initiatives . This month ’ s column was written by SFMA President-Elect , Adam Thoms , Ph . D ., associate professor of commercial turfgrass and Extension specialist in the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University .

The spring athletic season is in full swing now for the entire country , as is the push to figure out seasonal staffing . It is also this time of year that we need to pause and think about being good leaders and role models for those seasonal workers .

Many of you will hire high school- or college-age students to help fill out your crews for the season , and that is an opportunity to help spark an interest in athletic field maintenance and care with those individuals . Many of those individuals already have an interest in being around sports , and find this as an opportunity to do that professionally . In my travels , I am frustrated by the high prevalence of people who don ’ t know that careers in sports field management exist . A summer of working around a crew could help change that .

In an industry that desperately needs more bodies working in it , you could help be part of the solution . These workers can help us solve some of the staffing dilemmas we are facing for more than just this upcoming season .

In my visits with young people , they often cite they are looking for more than just money when selecting a career ; but that doesn ’ t mean we can continue to pay what we have been . To make it a more attractive workplace , try to allow them a few nights / weekends off when you can , offer some meals as part of work , or get them some team clothing . It is the little things that stick in their minds .

When students report back in the fall on what they liked best about their summer internships it is often that they felt like their supervisor cared about them and wanted to see them succeed . Spend some time getting to know your crew , ask them if they want to learn anything , and try to make that happen . The highlights for students often include mowing the field before a game , getting to water the infield ( even if it is just for batting practice ), learning about your fertility or disease management program , or getting to help paint before a game .

If possible , keep a positive attitude — which I know can be hard during

the grind of the season . Young people don ’ t want to go into a career where people are not excited to be at work . Also , when those workers make a mistake — and they will as they are learning — please try to help them learn from it so they don ’ t make the same mistake again .

Those in the industry also greatly benefit from you sharing any management skills you can pass along , as you are a great ambassador for the industry ; these are skills that are hard to teach in the classroom . Good luck on your season . SFM

Adam Thoms , Ph . D . SFMA President-Elect athoms @ iastate . edu sportsfieldmanagementonline . com May 2024 | SportsField Management

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