· How did you get into field maintenance?
· I Initially started in Golf Course Maintenance, it was my first job out of High School and I fell in love with the Aesthetics focus of the job. That love has never faded, and eventually led me to working for Hopkinsville Parks and Recreation.
· What’s a typical day out here look like for you?
· My typical day has changed quite a bit in the last few years. Originally with Parks and Rec I was a grounds maintenance worker. That job consisted of tending to all grounds under parks and rec, from trash removal to maintaining sports fields via mowing, herbicide applications, painting, etc. Then for a few years I moved into the Labor Crew Lead position. In this role I lead the maintenance crew in doing daily task as previously mentioned. I met with administration about the turf plan for the year and made sure the plan was properly implemented. Now, I currently hold the Recreation Programs Coordinator position. In this role I Coordinate events for our department but I also am the one that Develops the Turf program for our athletic fields, along with ordering the various supplies needed to maintain said program.
· What part of the job do you enjoy the most?
· The part I’ve always enjoyed about turf is actually doing the work to make sure that the turf is taken care of properly. However, in my new role I find it much more difficult to be able to go out and actually work on the Turf. I now am starting to develop more enjoyment for the planning side of a turf management plan.
· What’s the toughest part about keeping this field in good shape?
· The environment is a consistent challenge every year, in any given season, and it changes every year! Keeping a crew motivated to implement the turf plan when the environment is actively working against you can be a challenge, but trying to motivate a team is all part of the fun!
· How do you decide what needs to get done on a busy day?
· The easiest way for me to make decisions on what needs to be done on any given day, is to make sure I have a priority list of all tasks. I start with the highest priority job and work my way down the list.
· What kind of equipment do you use the most?
· The equipment our department uses the most is mowers by far! Another piece of equipment we use most regularly would be our Rascal Pro field drag for our baseball/softball complex. We also use various painters quite regularly as well.
· Ever had any funny or unexpected things happen while working on the field?
· Working in Parks and Recreation we always seem to run into unique situations when it comes to our fields or parks. These situations have ranged from fixing divots on soccer fields because someone thought a soccer field was the best place to practice golf, to having an irrigation leak because someone put a bounce house on a soccer field and decided to stake it down in the middle of an irrigation line, or the classic fixing bare spots that appear on a soccer field because someone decided that it was a good place to practice donuts in their car, oh the joys of Parks and Recreation!
· How do you handle the field after bad weather?
· We do the best we can with what we have available. Sometimes its just a matter of canceling games to allow the fields to naturally dry, or other times its getting all staff into work at 5am on a Saturday to put down Drying agents/conditioner to dry out infields good enough to host the tournament that weekend.
· What’s something most people don’t realize goes into keeping a field looking good?
· Sometimes people underestimate the physical effort that goes into maintaining good fields. Also some might be aware of the physical aspect of the job but don’t realize the mental side of the turf world, specifically the math that goes into formulating the right ingredients to implement in a turf program.
· Which tasks take the longest or require the most patience?
· Currently for me the part that takes the most patience is the planning process for our turf plan, since it is a new role for me, some things I am still learning.
· How do you work around team practices or games?
· For our department the biggest thing we have to plan around is the numerous events we do throughout the year. I try to make any herbicide applications occur when we have no events, which can be a challenge when we have so many.
· What’s one thing players or coaches do that makes your job easier? Harder?
· They can make your job easier when they let you know of issues they see in a timely manner, and also approach it with an understanding that our staff is trying their best and don’t expect absolute perfection. They can make it harder when they don’t consider the effort maintaining fields take, and don’t treat the fields with any type of respect.
· Is there anything you wish people understood better about field maintenance?
· A lot of issues with turf can’t be fixed immediately, a lot of issues take time to correct.
· What’s your favorite season for field work? Least favorite?
· My personal favorite has always been Spring, it’s the start of a new year, and you get to start implementing the new turf plan for the year.
· If you could upgrade anything about the field or equipment, what would it be?
· At both of our facilities that have irrigation I would love to be able to get a fully upgraded system at both locations. When it all comes down to it, we all have the same issue, we would like to have more money!
