FIELD OF THE YEAR SCHOOLS AND PARKS BASEBALL
SportsField Management ( SFM ): Congratulations on the Field of the Year win . What are you most proud of with this win , and / or what do you think stands out most about the winning field ? Keith Fisher : What I am most proud of with this win is the fact that I was able to come back to my own high school — where I graduated from and played high school baseball — and provide the student athletes with the best possible baseball field . I have always tried to give back to the school with my sports field knowledge . When Al Leiter , an alumnus , gave a donation to the district to rebuild the baseball field , they knew they had to hire someone to maintain it to the level they expected . I was approached , and the district created my position and really bought into my vision for the overall care of not only the baseball field but all athletic fields and grounds . Frank Burlew , Robert Lovenstein and Sal Guzzo deserve a lot of credit for the success of this field because they stepped up and followed my lead to improve what was already there . Also Dr . Parlipenedes and John Scran deserve credit for getting the field into my hands . The district has a proud baseball tradition , and I ’ m excited I can add to that . What stands out the most about this field is the way it allows me to show how proper field management can bring a professional-quality sports field to the high school level . That can be achieved at any school with the passion and drive to do a good job and create a safe field .
SFM : What attracted you to a career in sports field management , and what has been your career path through the industry ? Fisher : I played sports throughout my life , and I also had a passion for the fields I played on . I began my career in landscaping , but that quickly changed when my brother was working in Florida for the Vero Beach Dodgers and moved back to work for the Atlantic City Surf . He needed an assistant for the 1999 season and that ’ s where it all began . I loved being on the field and being a part of the process of getting a field ready for play . I spent another year in Atlantic City and then moved to the Jersey Shore BlueClaws and then back to Atlantic City until 2006 . I worked for two different landscape companies after I left Atlantic City , but still did baseball field work when I could . In 2014 , I was hired as an assistant groundskeeper with the New York Yankees . It was a dream come true to work in Major League Baseball . Unfortunately , I had to return closer to home for my family , so this led me to work at a school district in Toms River , then Middlesex County , where I won this award in 2020 . Now I ’ m lucky enough to have ended up at Central Regional School District where my children — Faith and Tommy — will play on the athletic fields that I maintain .
SFM : Who would say are your mentors in the industry , and / or what is the best piece of advice you have received ?
14 SportsField Management | September 2023 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com