Sports Turf Manager Association

Provide this information to STMA, 805 New Hampshire, Ste. E, Lawrence, KS 66044, Fax (800) 366-0391, or by email to STMAinfo@sportsturfmanager.org by July 7 .



Category & Dues Changes Ready to Implement in 2007

For your 2007 membership renewal, look for a few changes to the current STMA categories and a slight increase in STMA dues.

Some of the category changes are minor such as renumbering and renaming categories and some changes are more strategic to allow STMA to grow its membership. Here are the three significant changes:

Category I – Sports Turf Manager – “Person with primary responsibility of employment in the management/maintenance of sports field(s)” This language more clearly defines this category, so that it doesn’t matter who your employer is, if you do the work of a sports turf manager, you will be in this category. The Bylaws still contains the required membership segment representation for board service, which is clearly defined in Article VII, Directors, in the election process and membership representation.

Category II - Sports Turf Manager Associate : Person with primary responsibility of employment in the management/maintenance of sports field(s) AND who is employed by the same organization, team, city or company as a Category I member. This new category allows multiple sports turf manager members from the same facility to pay lower dues and still be a voting member and have the right to hold office. The first sports turf manager from the facility will pay full dues; other sports turf managers from the facility will pay dues at a discounted rate. This will help the budgets of those facilities that support the STMA with multiple members.

Category IX – Affiliate (includes coaches, athletic directors, administrators, owners, trainers, equipment managers, volunteers, etc.): Person who is indirectly or on a part-time basis, involved in the maintenance/management of sports fields, and upon payment of dues and being accepted for membership, may become a non-voting member of STMA and is not eligible to hold elective office. This is a new category so that those who work on sports fields, but not as their primary profession, such as a coach, a volunteer, an athletic director, can join STMA and learn from us.

For the 2007 membership year, STMA will be increasing its dues slightly. The last dues increase was more than five years ago. The Sports Turf Manager membership fee will increase to $110 (from $95); the new Sports Turf Manager Associate will pay $75; the student rate will increase to $25 (from $20) and the new Affiliate member will pay $50. There will be no change to the Commercial Member dues, which will remain at $295, nor the Commercial Associate (formerly Commercial Affiliate), which will remain at $75, and no change to the Academic Category at $95. The board voted to approve these changes at its 2005 summer board meeting for the 2007 membership year in response to the Membership Committee’s recommendation

The increase in dues will help STMA to expand its services to members, with a primary focus on enhancing educational opportunities and delivering technical and professional development information to help sports turf managers succeed in their jobs.



Attend Conference at Your Desk for just $30!

For just $30, you can take six different educational programs that were presented at STMA’s 2006 Conference. You can take them 24/7 -- you just need access to the internet. These sessions range from 1 to 2 hours in length and award CEUs. Click here to take one or more sessions.

K-12 Track (4 presentations) - $30
• Motivation & Innovation: Trying to do Things on a Limited Budget
• Dealing with Wear on Sports Fields
• Managing Wear and Tear on K-12 Fields
• Practical Fertilization for Sand Based Athletic Fields

Parks & Recreation Track (4 presentations) - $30
• Practical Maintenance of Athletic Fields
• Our Biggest Problem: Time and Manpower
• How to keep your Participants happy with 7 games a day
• Tools for Conducting a Water Audit and Diagnosing Soil Conditions

Outdoor Demonstrations - $30
• Equipment Calibration, Innovation
• Infield Skin, Mounds and Plate Maintenance
• Creative Ideas to Save Time, Money, Effort

Building Athletic Fields Workshop - $30
Construction, Renovation, Rootzones and Irrigation that fits your budget

Fertilizer Workshop - $30

Developing a Comprehensive Master Plan Workshop - $30
Improve your facilities and reduce field over use



STMA Sponsors Sports Turf Track at Lands Conference

For the second consecutive year, STMA is sponsoring the Sports Turf Track on Friday, Oct. 6, during the Lands Conference in Louisville, KY. The Lands Conference is a continuing education program featuring live sessions with prominent speakers from both private industry and education/government institutions.

It is a unique program because it is held both on-site and filmed as a live web broadcast for online attendees. For more information or to register for the on-line sessions, go to http://www.landsconference.com/.

Friday, October 6, 2006
Kentucky Fair & Expo Center, Louisville, Kentucky
Sports Turf Track

Session LC01 - 9:30 to 11:30 (Eastern Time)
Water Quality Issues in Sports Fields
Shoumo Mitra, Ph.D., Cal. State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Mike Huck, Irrigation and Turfgrass Services

Session LC02 - 12:30 to 2:30 (Eastern Time)
Technology Update for Sports Fields
Tom Samples, Ph.D., University of Tennessee
Bill Paproki, Stabilizer Solutions

Session LC03 - 3:00 to 5:00 (Eastern Time)
Practical Maintenance of Sports Fields
Trent Hale, Ph.D., Technical Consultant
Dale Getz, The Toro Company



Good News! No Change to Conference Registration Costs

In our continuing effort to provide value to members, the 2007 STMA Conference registration fee remains the same as it was for the 2006 conference. The conference will be held Jan. 17-20 in San Antonio, and for those members who register prior to Dec. 15, the cost is $350 ($100 for students). This is nearly all-inclusive with education, breakfasts, lunches, receptions and the awards banquet. If you are budgeting for the off-site, Saturday MLB/MLS/NFL workshop or the Wednesday Seminar on Wheels tour, plan on $60 each. STMA is also offering half-day, morning workshops on Saturday for $30.

The Marriott San Antonio Rivercenter Hotel is offering a $139 rate for the STMA conference, and transportation from the San Antonio Airport is an inexpensive cab ride to the less-than-10-miles- away hotel. For a refresher on how to convince your employer to send you to the annual conference, click here.

STMA Members Should Promote Water Use Savvy

An obvious element of an STMA member’s athletic field management program is efficient and effective irrigation. But, this may not be apparent to athletes, fans and the community. During July, which is Smart Irrigation Month, STMA members should leverage this opportunity to promote their water stewardship.

Smart Irrigation Monthwas established by the Irrigation Association to encourage efficient watering practices, to provide information about highly efficient irrigation products, and to raise public awareness of outdoor water conservation.

July was designated Smart Irrigation Month because July is a peak water-use month. The ultimate goal is to use less water while producing healthy crops, turf, gardens and landscapes all year.

Here are 5 ways Sports Turf Managers can gain exposure for your contributions to water conservation:

1. Write an article about your water conservation efforts for your local paper, sports field user group newsletter, industry publications such as your local chapter newsletter or STMA’s SportsTurf Magazine.

2. Contact your local environmental news reporter to establish yourself as a resource for him/her for water conservation information now and in the future.

3. Post your irrigation plan and schedule to show how your management program adapts to the weather and other geographic, topographic and agronomic conditions.

4. Share your expertise by offering to present tips on efficient and effective water use to a local service or civic club.

5. Use the Smart Irrigation logo on all correspondence (including email) during July to raise awareness. For free use of the “logo” and other resources, go to: www.irrigation.org/SIM.htm.