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September 2008
News You Can Use
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We need your donations of team gear, products, equipment, tickets to unique attractions in your area — anything that could be of interest to STMA conference attendees to include in our auctions and raffles. These fun events will take place during the STMA Annual Conference and Exhibition in San José, on Jan. 15-16, 2009, and all proceeds from these events will go to the SAFE Foundation to fund scholarships, research and education.
This is a great way to showcase your team, your business or your hometown. If you have a large item that would be more easily delivered from a local distributor or shipped directly from your company to the purchaser, consider developing a certificate for display. You can also bring your items with you, or ship them ahead to San José to conference subcommittee member Raul Bueno, 15490 Calle Enrique, Morgan Hill, CA 95037.
On behalf of our auction and raffle chair Tom Curran and the SAFE Board of Trustees, thank you in advance for your willingness to donate an item for this worthwhile cause.
Golf tournament set for The Ranch Golf Club in San José
Mark your calendar for Wed., Jan. 14, 2009, to enjoy a day of golf and help the SAFE Foundation, STMA’s charity. The Jacobsen/SAFE Golf Tournament has been set for the Ranch Golf Club in the eastern foothills of the Silicon Valley, less than 15 minutes from downtown San José. This challenging 18-hole championship golf course spans rolling hills, oak-filled canyons, lakes and creeks. You can even see the San Francisco skyline from areas of the course. Casey O'Callaghan and Wade Cable designed the course, which features bentgrass greens and cool season grass fairways. The Ranch Golf Club has been nominated as one of the Best New Golf Courses in America, and one of the Best Public Golf Courses for Women in 2005. The course also has one of the highest slope ratings in California.
The Ranch’s hole #15 is its signature hole that incorporates a tiered green with a bunker in the center splitting the two levels. For more information on The Ranch Golf Club, click here.
Jacobsen sponsors this golf tournament, which allows all of the green and cart fees to be donated to SAFE. The SAFE Foundation (The Foundation for Safer Athletic Field Environments) is the charitable arm of STMA. It was formed to provide funds for research, scholarship, and education to help sports turf managers with the challenges they face in managing athletic fields.
Two Important Program Deadlines Are Approaching
Oct. 15 is the deadline for the SAFE Scholarship program applications and the STMA Field of the Year submittals.
To be eligible to submit an application for a SAFE scholarship, you must be an STMA member and enrolled in turf management or related subject with the intention of pursuing sports turf management or research as a career, and have one semester of study remaining. Last year, SAFE awarded $12,500 through eight scholarships, each at a minimum of $1,000. Students were also provided a complimentary registration to conference and three nights lodging. To submit an application, click here.
The Field of the Year application is also online. The application is straightforward and is easy to fill out. Be sure to read the guidelines for photos and sign the photo release form. Categories for submitting an application includes fields used for football, soccer, baseball and softball in the professional, schools/parks and collegiate categories. A new category has been added this year; STMA Sporting Grounds of the Year. The STMA Sporting Grounds of the Year replaces the STMA Complex of the Year and is for sports turf managers who manage a natural grass field that hosts field hockey, rugby, lacrosse, tennis, or other "unique" field sport. This program provides excellent recognition of your skills and abilities and validates your professionalism. To submit an application, click here.
San José Hotel Registration NOW OPEN
STMA has secured two hotels in San José for its conference, Jan. 13-17, 2009, and each connects via a walkway to the convention center. Both are taking reservations now for the conference. For reservations at the Hilton San José ($159 per night), call 408-287-2100 or 1-800-HILTONS (445 8667). For the San José Marriott ($169 per night), call 1-800-266-9432 or click here to make your reservations online. For the previous four years, STMA’s conference hotel block has sold out, so make your reservations early! STMA Student Members call headquarters at 1-800-323-3875 for a special student rate and room block information.
STMA Conference Schedule Highlights
Tues., Jan 13 — Seminar on Wheels, Pre-Conference Education, Chapter Officers Training
Wed., Jan. 14 — Seminar on Wheels, Jacobsen/SAFE Golf Tournament, Pre-Conference Education, Opening/Welcome Reception
Thurs., Jan. 15 — STMA General Session, Conference Education and Trade Show
Fri., Jan. 16 — Conference Education and Trade Show, STMA Awards Banquet
Sat., Jan. 17 — MLB/MLS/NFL Off-site Workshop
Compensation Survey Delivered to You this Month
Watch your emails from STMA. Later in September, an electronic Compensation and Benefits Survey will be sent to all STMA sports turf manager members. A study of this magnitude of members’ compensation levels and benefits has never been conducted by STMA, and the results should be of great value to you and the association.
By participating in the survey, you will be helping to:
1) Provide negotiating information to members as they seek to improve salary and benefits, whether at their current employment or as they change jobs;
2) Set a benchmark of how the profession compares to other professions;
3) Allow STMA to track advancement of the profession; salary movement is a key indicator of gains in respect and recognition of our members’ value.
The survey is confidential and should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Please spend a few minutes to help develop this important benefit for STMA members.
Bylaws Approved by STMA Board
At its summer board meeting, the STMA Board of Directors approved the Bylaws Changes brought forward by the Governance Task Group and incorporated into the bylaws by the Bylaws Committee. There are three major changes and some minor language adjustments. The major changes include:
• Combining the Secretary and Treasurer positions into one position
• Reducing Officers’ terms from two years to one year
• Adding two At-Large Director positions. One position will be slated on the ballot by the Nominating Committee and the other will be appointed by the President. Both At-Large positions will serve one-year terms.
To review the changes click here. Changes begin with Article V on page 4. An SOP that defines the ascension process if vacancies occur in an Officer also has been developed.
Look for the ballot sent through the US mail in October to vote on these changes. You will be able to return your ballot via the US mail, fax or electronically. If you have any questions, please contact STMA Headquarters or Mike Trigg, CSFM, Governance Task Group Chair and Bylaws Committee Board Liaison.
New Educational DVD to be Available in November
STMA is developing a DVD on managing the skinned surfaces of baseball and softball fields in partnership with the National Interscholastic Association of Athletic Administrators (NIAAA) and the SAFE Foundation. The DVD, which is a companion to the first STMA DVD Pitchers Mound Reconstruction and Home Plate Maintenance: A Professional Approach, will be available in November. The new DVD, priced at $15 (plus shipping), will be able to be ordered from the STMA web site. If you have training dollars that you need to use before November, contact Headquarters. We can take purchase orders now or pre-sell you a DVD.
$500 Available to STMA Chapters
STMA’s chapter development fund of up to $500 is available for chapters that submit the request form by Nov. 1. These funds may be used for any chapter enhancements including software, marketing, newsletter production, etc. Chapters can also use the funds to support students who are participating in the Student Challenge in San José.
Soccer Grants Available
Are you seeking funding to support your soccer program or soccer field construction project? The U.S. Soccer Foundation is now accepting online applications for our 2009 Grants cycle. Apply today. The deadline for submitting a Grant Application is 5:00 PM EST on October 15, 2008.
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TURF RUNDOWN
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A new study correlates lower extremity injury risk with football playing surfaces. Read the abstract (#37) that was recently presented at the North American Congress on Biomechanics. The study was funded by a grant from the NFL Charities Foundation.
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The 2-Minute Tip for Success
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Budget constraints affect everyone, but don’t let that cause you to miss the unparalleled networking, learning and career-enhancing opportunities offered during the 2009 STMA Conference and Exhibition in San José.
Here are some cost-saving tips:
• Share a room with a friend or colleague. The room rates are the same for single or double occupancy, so consider splitting the cost of a room.
• Share a ride. Even with rising gas costs it may be more economical to drive if you are not located more than eight hours away. Ask your fellow chapter members about getting together a caravan. Some school and park districts may also allow the use of a vehicle for attending an educational conference, so inquire at your facility.
• Eat your meals at the conference. STMA provides all meals during the Conference. It starts with a heavy buffet of hors d’oeuvres during the Wednesday evening Welcome Reception, which is the official kick-off to the conference, then breakfast, lunch and a hearty hors d’oeuvres buffet dinner on Thursday, capped by breakfast, lunch and the Awards Banquet dinner on Friday.
• Register by the advance registration date of Dec. 15, to take full advantage of the early registration discount.
• Contact WorldTek Travel, our conference travel partner toll free at 1-800-233-5989, to have them research the lowest cost of air travel and book it now! Air fares may increase the closer to the conference that you make your travel reservations.
• Stay in one of the conference hotels and save on parking and transportation costs to the convention center since it connects to the hotels! The downtown area has many attractions and abundant nightlife — all within walking distance of our conference hotels.
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