Sports field manager's Forum

How does new equipment technology make you more efficient and improve field conditions?

Dave Rulli • Manager of Stadium Operations • Jefferson County Public Schools • Lakewood, Colorado

This school district is made up of 18 high schools with more than 88,000 students. Rulli is in charge of four stadiums that host varsity only events including football and boys soccer in the fall, and track and field as well as girl’s soccer, lacrosse and field hockey in spring. A typical fall schedule is 30 football games in 10 weeks on one field and 60 soccer matches on another stadium field.

“Our challenge is heavy field use in a short time span and the short window of opportunity available to get ready for the next event,” Rulli says. “We need equipment that is reliable, dependable and multifunctional. Changing implements has to be quick and easy. Utility vehicles must have dump beds that can accommodate sprayers and spreaders as well as snowplows when the occasion arises. Mowers need to have simple and easy adjustments for procedures such as adjusting height of cut and back-lapping of reels. The more options available on the equipment, the better.

“We play football Thursday nights, Friday nights and Saturday afternoons,” he continues. “The fields have to look as good for the last game as they did for the first one. We’ve got 10 seconds to make a good impression when spectators walk into our stadiums, and the right equipment plays a big part in that. Expectations are high and we take pride in our fields. We want spectators to come in and say ‘wow.’”

 

Connie Rudolph • Head Groundskeeper • Midway Stadium • St. Paul, Minnesota

Midway Stadium is the home of minor league baseball’s St. Paul Saints. The field also hosts high school football and soccer. Rudolph has held the top job at the city-owned facility since 1991. With a staff of one full-time person and an intern, the right equipment is key to efficiency.

“It’s important that our field is safe,” she says. “We can’t have high lips or bad hops, and the pitcher’s mound has to have the right height and slope. We make sure areas around the bases and home plate are firm. A roller is critical to ensuring the infield skin is firm and true to the game.”

This season, Midway’s irrigation system will have a clock that can be activated by a pager.

“The system monitors evapo-transpiration rates,” Rudolph says. “We input our soil and grass types and the location of shaded areas. The system determines when to water and how much. This is cutting-edge technology; the system programs itself. Overwatering is one of the worst things we could do. We will save on resources, money and time, so we can concentrate on other things. And, the cost is very affordable. The clock is around $400 and the cost of the service is $5 a month. This system will make the field better and our staff more efficient.”