Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame continued from page 1 • numbers inside ballpark indicate distance from homeplate in feet • numbers inside circles indicate height of fences in feet Top: Construction in progress at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame ballpark. Above: Actual dimensions of the diamond. 2· SEPTEMBER 1998 ATTENTION Letters ADVERTISERS Institute of Groundsmanship clubs, the trade, and the education sector. I am writing to introduce you to the We believe that there would be merit fyou are looking for a specific mar- Institute of Groundsmanship, an organi- in considering some form of direct asso- ket for your products, advertise in zation located in England that carries out ciation with similar organizations around I Sports Turf Manager. Published four a similar role to the Sports Turf Associa- the world, and we would therefore be most tion. interested in the views of the Sports Turf times a year, this newsletter has a na- You will fmd enclosed a sample of our Association. tional and international distribution with the majority of the membership resid- membership and promotional information, - Patrick Gosset, Chief Executive, together with a copy of our monthly maga- The Institute of Groundsmanship ing in Ontario. 1998 advertising rates zine, The Groundsman, which goes to are as follows: members and subscribers. Ontario Thrfgrass • business card size $40.00 In addition to providing membership Symposium Proceedings • 1/4 page ad $80.00 • 1/2 page ad $160.00 services, consultancies, training, I enjoy reading your magazine (Sports • 1/4 and 1/2 page ads are available and education facilities, Turf Manager). Congratulations on your in either a vertical or horizontal we also run a number of 10 year anniversary last year. page placement. exhibitions-the largest I was writing to see if the Association For more information, contact Lee of which is called published the proceedings of the Ontario Huether at the STA office, (519) 763- SALTEX, and it is the Turfgrass Symposium in 1997. If so, 9431, or Joy Black at New Paradigm industry's main event. would it be possible to purchase a copy? Communications, (519) 371-6818. Our Institute has re- - David Howard, Agronomist, cently been expanded to include the pre- New Zealand Sports Turf Institute vious Association of Landscape Manage- Editor's Reply: The Ontario Turfgrass Sym- ment and now encompasses the entire posium no longer produces proceedings from grounds management industry, with mem- the conference due to lack of interest. Glad you bership categories for professionals, enjoy Sports Turf Manager! Association Membership Dues Is Your Cheque in the Mail? izer Blends he constitution and by-laws of the Sports Turf Associa- Ttion state fees shall be due and payable on or before May 1st of the fiscal year (Article IV, Section 3). If you have not Fields & already done so, please ensure you are a member in good stand- ing by remitting your fees today! 9 Greens Manufactured by: Cong ratu lations IMC Vigoro Canada o STA member Robert Kennedy who recently received 22 Clarke St. East Tthe Citizen of the Year Award during a special celebration Tilsonburg, Ontario in Thorold. In addition to his many credits, Robert has volun- N4G 1CB teered as a fundraiser for the St. Catharines General Hospital and was chairman of the Green Ribbon Trail Committee. SPORTS TURF MANAGER • 3 TURF Gord Dol, President L RESTORATION LTD. MEMBER S.T.A., D.P.A., D.R.EA., D.G.S.A., C.I.A. 6393 Hwy. #27, RR #1, I Tile Drainage • Sports Turf Irrigation Thornton, ON LOL 2NO I Top Dressing I Silt Drainage • Sports Field & Infield • Overseeding Tel: (705) 458-2851 • Gravel Band Drainage Reconstructio n • Sodding Fax: (705) 458-2849 I Verti Drain Deep • Soil Evaluation & • Fine Grading Toll Free: 1-800-794-9664 Tine Aeration Fertilizing Programs SPORTS TURF SPECIALISTS 4· SEPTEMBER 1998 Preparations for World Cup '94: A Retrospective DR. JAMES WATSON he following is the first .article in a two-part series by many, there is no room Dr. James Watson, Vice President of The Toro Com- for delay or time to dis- T pany, based on Dr. Watson's keynote address at the 1996 cuss. Among those that Ontario Turfgrass Symposium. We find the information to be involve planning a year or particularly relevant, especially with respect to Chris Mark's so in advance are: "bid" to host the next World Cup (see the President's Message • Contracting for sod. Should be done at least one year in on the preceeding page). advance. This includes sod for modification, rebuilding, and emergency replacement. We specified sod must be mature, at Preparation least one year old at the time of harvest. Preparation for an event like the World Cup begins after the • Determination of scheduled events. host country is selected some four to six years before the Games • Evaluation of facility personnel (their capabilities and training). are to be played. Site selection depends upon size and configu- • Determination of availability of facility crew for key main- ration of the stadium; length and width of the playing field; ac- tenance programs during period of time games are played. cess to the stadium from airports, train depots, bus stations, and • Irrigation system performance-the type and its capability. highways; and local civic, financial, and volunteer support. Then, • Number and location of quick coupling valves. some 18-24 months before the Games begin, security, media out- • Evaluation of the type, number, and condition of facility lets for world-wide radio and television broadcasts, housing fa- equipment. cilities, electrical outlets (often additional power must be • Availability of back up and rental equipment and time re- brought in), and broadcast towers must be provided. Planning quired to get it to the stadium. for field conditioning also must get underway. This, of course, • List of emergency supplies and materials that will be needed begins with planning and design. and that the facility must provide. Includes fertilizers, pesti- • Seedbed preparation: reserve and starter fertilizers, settling cides, iron and other trace elements, topdressing material, seed, procedures, and grading. paint, and dye. • Irrigation system design including pipe sizes, sprinkler heads, • Availability of rain tarps which also may substitute for warm- water taps (including size of inlet pipes), gallons (litres) per ing the soil. minute available, pressure at inlet, and type of backflow pre- These are only a few of the details that must be planned and vention valve and its location. organized well in advance of the year the Games are scheduled. • Location of goal sleeves and posts, players' benches, coaches' Because the games are played in June and July, and because boxes, space for cameras and photographers, and security. most stadia must host various events including other sporting • Electrical outlets. events and concerts to support the facility financially, it is likely In short, design blueprints and specifications included the to be spring before final field preparation can begin. This was many and varied details that such documents require for bidding the case of USA World Cup '94. Other than planning, actual. and installation. In addition, specifications detailing the kinds work did not begin until April on any of the fields. and amounts of materials included soil texture, depth, methods for grading, seedbed preparation, and qualifications of the sod- Emergency Situations how it was to be cut, trucked, delivered, and installed. Anything that may damage the turfgrass usually happens ei- Specifications also included type, grade, analysis, and amounts ther just before, during, or after a game. Some of the situations I of fertilizers to be incorporated at various stages of seedbed prepa- remember are: ration and maintenance over a given period of time. In the case • Forty horses prancing around Foxboro Field just inside the of the Meadowlands, the contractor was employed to maintain field boundaries. Most of the game had been played in light the field throughout the scheduled games. And to dismantle and rainfall and the field was wet. Severe cupping resulted! remove the field within three days of the last game-the Eastern • Syringing hot spots just before a game, at half time, and semi-final game. between rehearsals. • Replacement of severely damaged areas in the goal zones a Special Situations few days before the Games. There are a number of special and unexpected situations that • Graduation ceremonies eight days before the opening game. occur and develop before and during the games and often be- Some 10,000 square yards of sod had to be replaced. tween games. Emergency situations arise that must be handled • 2,000 dancers and entertainers moving in repetitive patterns quickly and expeditiously. Suffice it to say that responses from in practice just before the opening games. all parties must be decisive and implemented immediately. For The rule of thumb is to be prepared for any possible situationle- SPORTS TURF MANAGER • 5 11th Annual STA Field Day MICHAEL BLADON he 11th annual Sports Turf Association Field Day was Committees held at the Guelph Turfgrass Institute on August 18. A 1) Volunteer committee: service organizations (including T large crowd was treated to an interesting group of speak- sports associations) were approached because of their expertise ers' a tasty lunch, and finally, a bus tour of the University of in the field. One company even gave their staff time off if they Guelph playing fields and Hastings Stadium, home of the Guelph volunteered for the Games. Royals baseball team. 2) Administrative committee: responsible for entering com- Field Day proceedings were chaired by Paul Turner, Director puter data on the athletes as they registered; faxes and other gen- of the Sports Turf Association. Chris Mark, STA President, be- eral office activities; and volunteer assignments.