STMA President Jimmy Simpson, CSFM, offered the following message to members on May 8:
As many people across the world are starting to return to the work environments they once knew, they are finding something totally different. Is this our new normal? I do not think anyone truly knows, but what we do know is that if we care for each other and do our best to work safely, our return to work will take us all to great heights. To work as safe as possible, please continue to heed the advice of your local health care professionals as you and your teams begin to get back to work.
Over the past several weeks the STMA has worked hard to provide resources that field managers all over the world can use to help maintain their fields with limited resources or recover their fields from long periods of time with no maintenance. The recovery task force, in collaboration with STMA headquarters team, board of directors, committees, and numerous individuals in our membership have worked to hear the needs of sports field managers across the globe. These collaborations have yielded resources that are concise, relevant, and consumable by everyone involved with sports fields. These resources are listed below:
- Route to Recovery Webpage
- Route to Recovery – Healing Through Sports Digital Guidebook
- The STMA Commercial Partners Virtual Learning Lab
- Provided access to the entire Sports Field Institute Information free for 6 months for anyone who needs support on their fields during this time
- Virtual Town Hall Tuesdays
- Re-tooled the job board to focus on internships and helping students make connections
- Enhanced social media platforms for collaboration and awareness
The effects of this pandemic are going to linger for some time. I believe that people feel some sense of healing through sports. As facilities across the county begin to open and sports start back, it becomes incumbent upon us, the sports field managers, to ensure that our fields are ready for safe play. The town hall meetings on Tuesdays have presented a great opportunity to share ideas on how to cope with issues you may be facing. Next week we will have a strong agronomic focus as four outstanding turfgrass professors will lead us in the discussion.
Please be safe as you and your teams work to get facilities ready to open and back into play. If you have a need that we can help to fill, reach out to me or STMA headquarters. We will do our best to provide what we can. Good luck, stay safe, be ready, and thank you for all that you do all over the world for sports fields and facilities.
Sincerely,
Jimmy Simpson, CSFM
STMA President