The Sports Turf Managers Association yesterday announced its 2014 “Field of the Year Award” winners. Since 1992, STMA’s Field of the Year Award is given to members who manage baseball, football, soccer, softball and other sporting grounds at the professional, collegiate or schools (K-12) and parks and recreation level. The 2014 winners are:
Professional
- Soccer – Maryland SoccerPlex Stadium Field (Boyds, Md.): Ryan Bjorn, Sports Field Director
College and University
- Baseball – Russ Chandler Stadium at Georgia Tech (Atlanta, Ga.): Jon DeWitt, CSFM, Sports Turf Manager; Chris May, Baseball Field Manager
- Football – “The Swamp” at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – University of Florida (Gainesville, Fla.): Jason Smith, Turf Coordinator
- Softball – John Cropp Stadium at University of Kentucky (Lexington, Ky.): Eric Harshman, Sports Turf Assistant Manager
- Soccer – Georgia State Soccer Complex at Georgia State University (Atlanta, Ga.): Kyle Slaton, CSFM, Director of Sports Turf & Grounds
Schools and Parks
- Baseball – Don Dunker Field at Noblesville Schools (Noblesville, Ind.): Joshua Weigel, Superintendent of Grounds
- Football – Clover Memorial Stadium at Clover School District (Clover, S.C.): Will Rogers, Sports Turf Manager
- Softball – Waukegan Park District (Waukegan, Ill.): Noel Brusius, CSFM, Sports Turf Manager
- Soccer – North Area Athletic Complex Soccer Field at Jefferson County School District (Golden, Colo.): Sun Roesslein, Stadium Manager; Christi Clay, Stadium Manager
- Sporting Grounds – Championship Field at Pleasant View Sports Complex (Boulder, Colo.): Don McGhee, Head Sports Turf Manager
“The Field of the Year Award is a testament to the personal and professional contributions by a select group of sports turf industry leaders,” says Kim Heck, CEO of STMA. “The process of selecting winners each year becomes more difficult as the candidate pool grows and the industry continues to progress with innovative technologies, state-of-the-art equipment and best practices.”
A panel of 11 judges independently scored entries based on playability, appearance of surfaces, utilization of innovative solutions, effective use of budget and implementation of a comprehensive agronomic program. Judges may not award a field in each category. Winning fields will be featured in a 2015 issue of Sports Turf Magazine.
Awards will be presented at the 26th STMA Conference & Exhibition in Denver, Colo. Jan. 13-16, 2015. Nearly 1,200 leaders in the sports turf industry will converge on the Colorado Convention Center for more than 75 hours of leading-edge educational seminars, exhibitor demonstrations, and networking opportunities.
For more information: www.stma.org, 800.323.3875.
About STMA
STMA is the not-for-profit, professional association for men and women who manage sports fields worldwide. Since 1981, the association and its 34 local chapters have been providing education, information and sharing practical knowledge in the art and science of sports field management. Its more than 2,600 members oversee sports fields and facilities at schools, colleges and universities, parks and recreational facilities, and professional sports stadiums.