ACCESSING THE ARCHIVES
George Toma and his son , Chip , were profiled in this issue , which highlighted their work at the Kansas City Chiefs ’ turfgrass training camp fields at William Jewell College in Liberty , Mo . ( Arrowhead Stadium had an artificial turf surface at the time ). Said Toma , “ During the regular season the players take enough of a beating on artificial turf . It ’ s our job to make sure that these natural fields are in excellent shape so that the players stay healthy and perform to their potential .”
The author of the article added , “ Although their employers have chosen artificial turf for Arrowhead , George and Chip Toma share the belief that a properly constructed and well-maintained grass athletic field provides more than just aesthetic pleasure . It can help prevent sports injuries and add to the athletes ’ enjoyment of the game .”
The Nov / Dec 1985 issue of SportsTurf also introduced the “ Rebound ” section ( letters from readers ). Most of the letters were about the debut issue of the magazine . For example : “ Congratulations on your first issue . I share your excitement and enthusiasm for this new publication . I ’ m proud to be one of your advisory board members and will do all I can to continue the pace set by your first issue . It ’ s just great !” — William B . Knoop , Extension Turf Specialist , Texas A & M University , Dallas , TX . SFM
All content for this section is pulled from the SportsTurf / SportsField Management archives , an ongoing cooperative project of EPG Brand Acceleration , SFMA and the Michigan State University Libraries ( https :// sturf . lib . msu . edu / index . html ).
If you have any personal stories / anecdotes about the early days of the magazine , please contact John Kmitta at jkmitta @ epgacceleration . com or 763-383-4405 . sportsfieldmanagementonline . com September 2023 | SportsField Management
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