INDUSTRY EDUCATION evened, and the group helped ensure the field was ready for football, down to the last detail.
“ The LA Coliseum provided our students with a VIP experience,” said Dave Gossman, Atwater High School’ s turf / field instructor.“ They weren’ t just watching on the sidelines— they were welcomed as part of the team and given hands-on opportunities to learn skills associated with the profession at the highest level.”
The LA Coliseum has played host to USC Football since its inception in 1923, and is the only stadium worldwide to host two Olympics( a third in 2028), two Super Bowls, and an MLB World Series.
“ This place is pretty cool, when you really think about it,” said Lupold.“ My favorite time and place in this stadium is the field early in the morning on a game day, when all is still quiet. There’ s just a feeling, an energy in here that’ s tough to describe or understand until you experience it.”
GROWING A NEW PATHWAY This collaboration with the LA Coliseum places strong emphasis on the growing role of turf and sports field management in high school agricultural education. Atwater High School launched its Turfgrass and Sports Field Management course after Gossman attended the annual Sports Field Management Association( SFMA) Conference in 2019. The idea quickly took root, and within three years, Golden Valley High School’ s instructor, Kevin Magill, expanded the program to his campus, which now offers two sections of the course.
Today, more than 100 students across the Merced Union High School District are enrolled in the program, which falls under the Agriculture sector’ s Ornamental Horticulture pathway in Career Technical Education( CTE).
“ Irrigation, soil, and turfgrass are core components of agriculture,” said Magill.“ But what’ s exciting is how this course has attracted students from non-agriculture backgrounds. Their love of sports creates a natural connection, and through this program they’ re discovering agriculture in a new way.”
sportsfieldmanagementonline. com October 2025 | SportsField Management
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