STMA SEMINAR ON WHEELS TOURS
TPI members Evergreen Turf and West Coast Turf showcased their grasses during the two optional Seminar on Wheels (SOW) tours held as part of the Sports Turf Managers Association’s (STMA) Conference and Expo in Phoenix, Arizona. Te first SOW, held on Monday, January 22, 2018, visited State Farm Stadium, the Dodgers/White Sox Training Facility at Camelback Ranch, and Arizona State University’s (ASU) Sun Devil Stadium and football training facility. Te second SOW took place on Friday afternoon, January 25. Stops included Sloan Park, the MLB spring training home of the Chicago Cubs, and Riverview Park, on the eastern half of the property, which is operated by the City of Mesa and includes a 10-acre soccer complex grassed with Seashore Paspalum. Te Friday SOW also visited Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the MLB spring training home of the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks. Opened in 2011, it’s the first MLB spring training facility built on native American land. TPI member, Bush Sports Turf, sponsored the SOW tours.
Seven busloads of attendees took part in the Monday SOW. Te first stop was State Farm Stadium, in Glendale, the field used by the National Football League’s Arizona Cardinals, which also has been home to two Super Bowls, two NCAA National Championships and the annual Fiesta Bowl. Te field was outside where it usu- ally “lives.” Andy Levy, head turf manager for the Arizona Cardinals, reported “Te field can be moved indoors in approximately one hour, if ev- erything goes smoothly—and 90 percent of the time, it does.”
Gathered on the moveable field are (pictured from left to right): Andy Levy, head turf manager for the Arizona Cardinals; Steve Trusty, Turf News co-editor; Jimmy Fox, Evergreen Turf, the supplier of the Tifway 419 sod, custom-grown for the field; and Will Schnell, turf superinten- dent for the Rose Bowl. Levy shared the challenges and advantages of a moveable field, including how the maintenance practices have evolved over 13 seasons. Levy said, “Tere’s no guidebook for maintaining a nat- ural grass field that is outside in 115 degrees (Fahrenheit) and then inside for 3 days at 68 degrees (F) with no sunlight.”
During the tour of the shop at State Farm Stadium, as well as checking out the shop setup, supplies and equipment, some attendees spotted a familiar publication, Turf News, on Andy Levy’s desk.
Te last stop during Monday’s SOW was Arizona State University’s (ASU) $300 million newly renovated Sun Devil Stadium and football training facility. Brian Johnson, ASU’s manager of athletic grounds facilities, addressed field maintenance challenges and successes, then welcomed attendees to check out the grass while he answered questions one-on-one.
Te last stop on Friday’s SOW was Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the MLB spring training home of the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks. Attendees toured the complex, which includes a total of 12 practice fields, and the 11,000-seat capacity ballpark, pictured here.
34 TPI Turf News March/April 2019
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