Thursday, February 26, 2009

LAWRENCE, Kan. (February 25,2009)- Ten STMA Field of the Year winners were honored during the Sports Turf Managers Association's (STMA) Annual Awards banquet, Fri., Jan. 16, 2009, in San José, Calif. A panel of seven judges independently scored each entry based on the playability and appearance of the playing surfaces, innovative solutions to turf related issues, effective use of budget, and the development and implementation of a comprehensive, sound agronomic program.

New this year to the Field of the Year program is the Sporting Grounds of the Year, a category implemented to recognize those fields where unique sports such as field hockey, lacrosse, rugby, tennis, or other distinctive sports are played.

The winners of the STMA Field of the Year Awards include:

Sporting Grounds

Professional
Longwood Cricket Club, West Newton,Mass.; Michael Buras, CSFM
College and University
-University of New England, Biddeford, Maine; Lance Tibbetts, CSFM

Softball
College and University
-Patricia Wilson Field at Stetson University, DeLand,Fla.; George Marshall

Soccer
Professional
- Dick's Sporting Goods Park,Commerce City,Colo.; Bret Baird
College and University
- Papé Field at the University of Oregon, Eugene, Ore.;Eric Fasbender, CSFM

Football
Collegeand University
- Lane Stadium, Worsham Field, Blacksburg,Va.; Jason Bowers, CSFM
Schools and Parks
- Bobby Gruhn Field, Gainesville, Ga.; David Presnell

Baseball
Professional
- Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium, Appleton,Wis.; Eddie Warczak
College and University
- Russ Chandler Stadium at Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Ga.; Todd Tribble, Jon DeWitt
Schools and Parks
- J.W. SadlerField,Westerville,Ohio; Kenny Nichols

About theSTMA Field of the Year Program
Background: The STMA Field of the Year Awardprogram began in 1992. There are five field types for which awards may be given:Baseball, Football, Soccer, Softball and new this year, Sporting Grounds. Thisnew category was developed to encourage sports turf managers who manage uniquesporting fields such as those used for rugby, tennis, field hockey, lacrosse,and horse racing. For each field type, awards may be given in three categories:Professional, College and University, and Schools and Parks. This year therewere a total often awards presented.

The STMA Awards Committee:Chair Jody Gill, Andrew Gossel,Steve LeGros, Doug Linde, Ph.D., Dennis Klein, Chuck Pula, and JimWelshans.

AwardsSponsors:
Carolina Green Corp.; Covermaster, Inc;Hunter Industries; Turface; Scotts Turf-Seed,Inc.; and World Class AthleticSurfaces

These sponsors fund a registration tothe annual STMA Conference and Exhibition for each award winner, hotel costs upto $500, and signature clothing for the award winners and their staff. Thewinning fields will also be featured in a2009 article inSportsTurfMagazine, the industry’spremiere publication.

Quotes:"Judging this year's applicant pool was very challenging," says Jody Gill, STMA Awards Committee Chairman."Each year, the level of the applications continues to improve, both in content andvisually, and this year was no different."

AboutSTMA
STMA is the not-for-profit, professional associationfor the men and women who manage sports fields.Its more than 2,800members oversee sports fields and facilities at schools, colleges anduniversities, parks and recreational facilities, and professional sportsstadiums.The membership's goal is to manage natural turf and syntheticsurfaces to produce safe and aesthetically pleasing playing surfaces forathletes at all levels of playing abilities.Since 1981, the associationand its dozens of local chapters have been providing education, information andsharing practical knowledge in the art and science of sports fieldmanagement.