BUFFALO GROVE, IL—Organizers of the Keep America Playing Tour have announced that the fall Tour will reach from the capital of the nation’s heartland to the heart of the nation’s capital. Field day educational events will take place in October in both Kansas City, Kans., and Washington D.C., the latter showcasing the first new Major League Baseball LEED stadium, which featured Turface products in its construction.
The first hands-on field seminar will take place on October 15, 2008, at Community America Ballpark–home of the Northern League’s Kansas City T-Bones. Featured speakers will include Cincinnati Reds head groundskeeper Doug Gallant, and Chicago Bears head groundskeeper Ken Mrock.
The Tour then moves to Washington D.C. on October 21, 2008, at the new Nationals Park–home of Major League Baseball’s Washington franchise. The day-long session will feature a tour of the park, along with education from guest speakers Larry DiVito, the Nationals’ head groundskeeper, and Cincinnati Bengals head groundskeeper Darian Daily.
The Tour, launched in 2007, has gained momentum, making stops at dozens of cities across the United States. Each Tour stop features education and best practices in field maintenance, helping everyone from groundskeepers and coaches to parent volunteers keep their players injury-free and their fields playable.
“This initiative was created to ensure that athletes will always have safe and sound places to play,” said Joe Betulius, vice president of sales for Profile Products. “These events in Washington D.C. and Kansas City will bring top level field maintenance knowledge to the groundskeepers and coaches who want to provide safer fields for their athletes.”
For registration details for the two events, or for comprehensive Keep America Playing education, visit www.keepamericaplaying.com.
The Keep America Playing Tour, presented by Turface Athletics and their partners ABCA, PONY Baseball and Softball, and Momentum Media, is a multi-faceted educational outreach program that offers “hands-on” comprehensive instruction on best practices for constructing and maintaining sports fields. Its goal is to provide extensive knowledge to anyone who cares for a field, allowing for a higher quality of play and safety among the nation’s youth. Keep America Playing is based on four cornerstones: easy-to-access information on field construction and maintenance, nationwide educational events, partnership outreach and hands-on involvement.