Every year the SAFE Foundation presents $4,000 cash awards to the first place 2-year and 4-year institutions that participate in the STMA Student Collegiate Challenge. The funds provided by SAFE are meant to benefit the turfgrass science programs at the winner’s schools. Use of the awards can include creating an athletic sports field learning lab, purchasing athletic sports field specific equipment and products, or other items or projects approved by the STMA Student Challenge Committee. Funds are required to be spent before the next year’s STMA annual conference.
The 2012 winners of the Student Challenge were Kirkwood Community College Team 204 in the 2-year division and Purdue University Team 402 in the 4-year division. The students from Kirkwood Community College used the award money to purchase specific lab tools that could help with hands-on lab competencies in the Athletic Field Maintenance class. The resources purchased include a Graco line painter, Spectrum Technologies’ TDR moisture meter, and temperature meters. The line painter gives students the opportunity to operate and understand painting procedures. The moisture meter has been used to teach the importance of irrigation efficiency and moisture testing, and the temperature meters have been used to educate students about maintaining turfgrass canopy temperatures. The award money helped make great improvements to the Athletic Field Maintenance curriculum and student education.
Students at Purdue University have used the award money to renovate a 2-year-old, multi-field soccer complex that is heavily used by youth soccer leagues in the surrounding community. Students aerified, overseeded, topdressed, and fertilized the field in spring 2012 to increase safety and tolerance to stress. Students’ hard work and outreach efforts had an extremely positive impact on the local community.
The 2013 STMA Student Collegiate Challenge takes place Friday, January 18, 2013 from 8:00-10:30 am at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, FL. Registration for the Student Challenge is now open. A maximum of four undergraduates can compete on a team and must declare if they are representing a 2-year or 4-year institution. Competitors receive complimentary conference registration. All Student Challenge competitors are REQUIRED to register online before December 15. No paper registration forms will be accepted. You can send in a paper form to register for optional events. Please contact Kristen Althouse at kalthouse@stma.org with questions about the Student Challenge.
The mission of the SAFE Foundation is to enrich communities through championing safe, sustainable sports and recreation fields for all athletes. As a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation and the charitable arm of the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA), it also provides scholarships and funds education to help sports turf managers with the challenges they face in managing athletic fields. For more information, go to www.safefields.org.