FIELD OF THE YEAR SCHOOLS AND PARKS SOFTBALL
Miller : This has become a passion of mine because I truly love the sports field management industry and the incredible professionals who are a part of it . With high school turfgrass management programs being built across the United States , we are bringing awareness to the youth , their families , and the communities in which they live .
There are so many different challenges when it comes to starting a high school program that might seem difficult , but through the support of other teachers and industry professionals , it can be created . I have many meetings with superintendents , principals , school board members and so many more about what is needed and how we can help get everything up and running . I have shared my entire curriculum with many different individuals who have gone on to start programs throughout the United States . The main hurdle is getting the school divisions to buy in and put some funding into developing these career and technical education programs .
What is great about turfgrass is that all schools have an athletic department managing or paying someone else to manage their sports fields . So , the majority of the funding is already at these schools . These programs then actually act as a service program where they are able to save schools thousands of dollars while providing a better product on the field . Once the school is behind the program and there is an instructor in place , the last major hurdle is the content of the course , which I send to anyone who needs help with the classroom aspect . It is incredible to see programs get their start after I have had those meetings and see them grow to the point where they have multiple teachers and students entering the industry .
A prime example of a program that I helped get started is the Corona Del Mar High School Turf program in Southern California . I received a message from the program director , Kevin McCaffery , about our program and what we did to get started . That conversation led to a phone call with the school administrators about how they could go about starting the program and what they might need . I received a phone call a few months later from Mr . McCaffery that he had gotten the green light to start the TurfKings Turf Program . His excitement speaks volumes of what he has accomplished in just three years there . He has grown to the point where he almost has five sections of the class ( he started with one ). What is also incredible about it is that he has now helped two other high schools in the area get turfgrass management programs up and running . From two
conversations and providing support , you can completely shift this industry into a future where people know who the sports field manager is . That is what it is all about ! The microscopic role I played in the grand scheme of things in helping get this program running could bring the next industry greats into this profession . You do not know the impact that one conversation can have on the future of this industry , and that is what I hope all industry professionals think about the next time they are asked to support others in the industry . Live for these moments and make it a goal to make more of them .
Over the past several years , we have seen exponential growth in high school turfgrass management programs across the country . These programs have shown and proven to bring students into the industry . I am not saying that every student in our classes is joining the industry , but even if it is one per year , we are looking at a huge influx of young industry professionals who are hungry for the incredible opportunities that are out there in this industry . I believe many industry professionals and college programs noticed a rise in college enrollment and young , skilled industry professionals that will shape the future of our field .
I will continue to help develop these programs as much as possible while developing more content for these educators to use in their classrooms . I hope that these programs continue to grow and thrive like they are . If we want to save the industry we all love , we have to take action , and I believe this is the best opportunity to do that . SFM
16 SportsField Management | October 2023 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com