To cap off the week, I learned about the edging of grass for the general turf and for the grass on fields. Each field requires the process multiple times per week to keep the field looking clean and even all the way around. A main difference between edging general turf and a field is the approach to getting a straight line. General turf usually has a sidewalk as a guide, whereas the field requires a string to be laid out to create a path and less risk of ruining the evenness with the dirt.
As the team at USA Baseball NTC continues to prepare for the upcoming DII tournament, they need to get ready for game day procedures. This morning, we went through pregame batting practice setup on auxiliary fields for the teams to warmup (turf protectors, hitting mats, positional screens at each base, etc). Also, the team leader walked through in game actions when the field needs to be monitored during the middle (dragging infield and changing out bases). Lastly, between game procedures are very important to be quick and efficient in fixing the mound, repainting lines, dragging the infield, etc. All actions need to be quick and efficient to prepare for back to back games.
This afternoon, I observed a couple steps in general turf maintenance and a very important step to create perfect playing infield on a baseball field. Outside the stadium field and on some outfields, I learned about “hotspots” (dried out and unhealthy sod) and how to water them correctly to get it looking great in no time. Also, I learned about the grading process of an infield to prepare a field properly. Since the complex is about to host a major tournament, regrading the infield allows for a flatter and higher quality playing surfaces that will receive fresh dirt and turface before the teams come to play next week.
This morning, I got out to a city field to prepare a softball field for a middle school game later in the day. To start, we drug the dirt of the infield to make it flat and more playable. We then made the field more appealing and specific to the necessary measurements for a standard softball by laying strings out to paints foul lines, coaches boxes, on deck circles, pitchers circle, etc. A good start to the day!
After looking around some city fields to check for mowing and fertilizer needs, I was able to view an interesting process of this industry. I was fortunate enough to see a process that only happens a couple of times annually, the grinding of reels and bedknifes that lead to better mowing abilities. Again, science is quite important in the technological use that creates the immaculate playing surfaces. Both the reels and bedknifes are grounded to correct angles and heights to create an even point of contact that will lead to the appropriate cutting for a playing surface. Attention to detail is very important in this process because it can be a key thing to aid the quality of fields before a big event. Creating the proper angles and grinding points before cutting the machines loose eases the process even more.
A jammed pack day at Wakemed Soccer Park, home of the North Carolina Football Club and the North Carolina Courage. First off, general turf management was necessary again to increase the quality of the park outside of the stadium (trimming trees, edging grass, etc.).
Next, I learned about the aerification process of the playing field. For sand-based fields like the ones at Wakemed, drainage is the key to maintain the highest quality playing field. Aerification is the process of punching tiny holes all around the field to allow for airflow and necessary nutrients to reach the roots of the grass. In the below picture, half of a field contains the cores of aerated grass while the other is totally cleaned up.
Next, I learned about the treatment process of ryegrass using chemicals. As the NC weather gets hotter and dryer, the science in this industry becomes important to create correct mixtures of substances to put on the grass to keep it healthy and appealing. The substance is sprayed from a machine that lines the field with a foam substance to limit the risk of over-applying chemicals to the ryegrass.
Lastly, I learned that time is money. When this industry piles up many jobs, technology can help to get mowing done quicker or paint lines of a field quicker. Although it may not be ideal, the help is great to limit the labor area of the industry.
Another great day!
After getting to know the Town of Cary Public Works staff, I was allowed to view some sports fields that I will get to observe over the coming days. Today, I was stationed at the beautiful USA Baseball National Training Complex as they prepare for the upcoming DII NCAA baseball championship. I gained insight into the daily activity that the team does to maintain the high-quality playing surfaces (mowing, watering, cleanup, etc.) that makes the complex unmatched. Next, I gained some knowledge on general turf (the grass/surrounding area not on the playing field) and was also allowed to fix a broken sprinkler on the general turf behind the stadium field. Lastly, I took away the importance of the overall cleanliness of a facility. Not only does the quality of the playing field need to be maintained, but many of the people visiting the facility are spectators or parents of the players, so the parts that these people use/observe are important as well. Awesome first day!
The final day! It has been a great time, and I’m sad it’s over. I’ve learned and seen a lot, but the most important part was that it was an unforgettable experience. To wrap up my time at Boshamer Stadium, we did some final field work before Carolina practiced and the rest of the NCAA teams arrived for the upcoming Super Regionals this weekend. Tomorrow they will all begin practices, so the field needed to be in pristine condition. Once that was finished, I went to a lunch meeting with Casey. We met with a man who is in charge of designing and building every field/athletic facility at UNC and other large D1 schools. It was really interesting to learn about his process. He worked at UNC for 30 years, dealing specifically with UNC’s fields and facilities, but now he started his own company working and traveling to universities all around the nation. Great guy! After the lunch meeting, we went over to the brand new, state of the art soccer/facility, which he built. It was his first time seeing it in person, so it was cool to hear his reaction on the final product. From there, there wasn’t much to do, so I said my goodbyes, took one last look at the beautiful Boshamer Stadium, and headed home. The guys there were all super nice to me. Again, they told me to come back and visit anytime, and, if I went to school at UNC, I would have a job! I really lucked out. It’s sad that it’s over, but all good things have to come to an end at some point. Till next time Carolina! As always, It’s a great day to be a Tar Heel.
Peace out.
Today might have been the best day of my internship yet. There wasn’t much to do at Boshamer Stadium (baseball), so I went with my host, Casey (the Director of Turf Management and Athletic Fields/Stadiums), to prepare the football practice fields for an upcoming camp. My job was to drive a gator with a set of large brooms over the turf to groom it and to ensure the field was in perfect condition. Then, we measured out the grass football field and painted it so it would be game ready. Also while we were there, we fixed an electrical issue that caused the field lights not to turn on! For lunch, we went to Suttons Drug Store which is a fantastic, old food counter on Franklin Street that only the locals know about. I’ve been several times before and was dying to go back. After lunch, the real fun started. Since there wasn’t much to do at the fields, Casey took me on a tour of all of the athletic facilities. Boy are their athletics loaded! First, I took a tour of the brand new Lacrosse and Soccer stadium. They just built brand new locker rooms and facilities there, so I got to go inside and look around. Then we went over to the women’s basketball stadium. I saw their locker room too, but also one of the campuses main equipment rooms. I was in there for only a couple minutes, but I saw at least 10 things that I wanted! the players get so much free merchandise! From there we went to the football stadium. I got a look at their locker room, weight room, equipment room, living room, their tunnel onto the field (which I got to go on), and their media room. They had so many rooms, and everything was so nice! While I was there, I met the defense coach Dre Bly. He played in the NFL for over ten years and is in the NFL Hall of Fame. I even got to play mini basketball with him afterward. After we got done at football, we went over to the Dean Dome. That is where the Mens basketball team plays. Similarly, I went into their locker room, film room, bath room area, living room, and I even went out onto the court! There, I met the assistant coach Hubert Davis. He had a very lengthy and successful career in the NBA! All in all, today was a fantastic day because I was able to contribute a lot to the fields, but also because I got super rare access to all of the stadiums and the behind the scenes areas! I am super sad that my internship is coming to an end, because I am having so much fun. However, Casey said that if I go to school at UNC then he could get me a part-time job at the fields! Haha! It’s a great day to be a Tar Heel.
Today was another quiet day at UNC. The baseball team had their first practice today since they clinched a spot in the Super Regionals Sunday night. The majority of the morning was spent preparing the field for practice and ensuring that it was in pristine condition in every way possible. Once the field was all set, we went down to the new field hockey stadium and we blew all of the leaves off of the turf. After that, we went over to the new indoor football facility (a picture of it is on my Day 1 post) and we blew off trash, papers and anything else that got on the turf. We finished that a little early, so we picked up a football and played catch. It was really cool to be able to use the same facilities that incredible athletes use. From there, we got lunch. Following lunch, I sat in on a staff meeting that went over the budget and upcoming projects. It was super interesting to be able to listen to what they might build to add on to their athletic facilities. I even got to give my opinion! Anyways, today was a great day. I learned a lot and I had fun doing it. The people I get to work with are super nice to me as well. It’s a great day to be a Tar Heel!
