Influence of Autumn Cultural Practices MAINTAINING YOUR SPORTS FIELDS here are several maintenance aerification as grass plants respond well practices that may be performed by producing vigorous roots and lateral Tto improve sports fields for the growth which does not require extra following year that can help to prevent or mowing. This helps to relieve decrease winter injury to the turf. compaction-particularly after heavy use 1) Increase surface and subsurface combined with soaking fall rains. drainage. Much of the winter injury that 5)While not perhaps common to many you recognize as dead areas in early spring sports fields, fall or late winter is a good can be attributed to ice. Winter thaws tend time to remove tree branches to thin the to accumulate in low lying areas and then canopy (yet without refreeze causing turf to die. Topdressing changing the shape of the these small depressions with soil that has tree) to allow more light to a little more sand than that in the rootzone penetrate the playing is helpful. Large areas that collect water surface. Before the leaves fall will require some reconstruction. is a good time to note where 2) Autumn mowing. Raise the cutting shade is the most dense and height from one-quarter to one-half inch the turf is thinning. Mulching of leaves above that used during the summer. Then when they are dry is an excellent way to for the final mowing of the fall, lower the provide organic matter to the soil. • clipping height a little below the standard - summarized by M. Bladon summer mowing height. This can make the foliage less prone to snow mould and References other winter diseases. • GTI Advisor, "Turf Management: 3) Food reserves for winter survival and Influence of Fall Cultural Practices," Pam early spring growth. Late fall fertilization Charbonneau, OMAFRA Turfgrass increases turf carbohydrate levels and as Specialist, February 17,1998. a result, increases cold hardiness. • The Lawn Institute, "Special Topic 4) Early autumn is a good time to remove Sheets: Fall Turf Care," Dr. 'Eliot C. thatch and practice core cultivation or Roberts, Former Director and Manager. Weather Facts ter :a~our is .the basic atm?s- or ice crystals. These, too are pheric ingredient from which quite minute, but gradually Wcomes such forms of precipi- become larger by taking tation as rain, snow, hail, and sleet. A moisture from the super- These all originate when water vapour V U cooled water droplets which con- is condensed by the cooling process that U denses and freezes on them. normally occurs with the expansion of up- The growing action continues until ward-flowing currents of air. the ice particles become so heavy that they Clouds consisting of myriads of very begin to fall. As they drop through the tiny water droplets are formed. Before the various layers of the atmosphere, they droplets can fall as precipitation of one grow even larger by taking moisture from kind or another, they must grow to a far additional supercooled water droplets, larger size. It is believed that they do this and also by joining with other ice par- when the clouds rise to high altitudes and ticles. their uppermost portions drop in tempera- If the temperature of the atmosphere re- ture to a little below freezing. The water mains below freezing all the way· from droplets do not freeze at first, but they do high altitudes to ground level, the ice crys- become supercooled. As the clouds rise tals will fall as snow. If the lower layers to still higher levels, however, some of the of the atmosphere are above-freezing, the droplets are transformed into ice particles snowflakes turn into raindrops. • 2 • DECEMBER 1999 News Clips: Head Injuries & the Argos Head Injuries Leave Lasting memory, confusion, or a personality time in the past and one in five had suf- Effects According to Study change. fered two or more. Those who had suf- Chicago - Two or more significant One of the studies did not explore the fered two or more were significantly more blows to the head while playing sports can effects of concussions but only how often likely to report continuing problems with harm teenagers' thinking abilities for years they occurred in football, wrestling, soc- headaches, sleep and concentration, and to come, according to studies in the United cer, basketball, softball, baseball, field they scored significantly worse on paper- States that suggest such injuries are more hockey, and volleyball at 235 high schools and-pencil tests of the ability to learn serious than some coaches and parents in the U.S. from 1995-96 through 1997-98. words, to think quickly, and to handle might think. There were 1,219 concussions-63 per complex tasks. Nearly 63,000 high school athletes a cent of them in football-and 99 students - Associated Press, The Record, year suffer mild concussions in the U.S., suffered two or more, said researchers led September 8, 1999 researchers reported in the Journal of the by John W. Powell, a professor of kinesi- American Medical Association. Young ology and an athletic trainer at Michigan Argos May Have a New Home athletes with learning disorders appear to State University. The Argos, who may be looking at get- suffer even worse long-term problems The researchers estimated that ting out of the SkyDome after from multiple concussions. more than 62,800 concussions they're sold, are reportedly con- "This is a major public health issue that occur among high school students sidering a deal with the Canadian has been given short shrift," said Michael in the U.S. annually in the sports Soccer Association and the Ca- W. Collins, a neuropsychologist in Detroit they studied. nadian Rugby Union. If the deal and a leader of one of the studies. "And It has long been known that comes off, the trio would split the this is information parents should know." multiple mild concussions are cost of a new natural grass sta- Most people still believe that a concus- more likely than a single episode to lead dium with between 20,000 and 25,000 sion means getting knocked out, he said. to long-term problems, and Collins tried seats .• But a concussion is any alteration in men- to measure the difference in his study. - Leader Post, Regina, September 22, 1999 tal function after a blow to the head. Signs His research involved 393 U.S. college or symptoms may be subtle-a headache, football players and found that about one Editor's Note: Hurray! Let's hope the dizziness, difficulty with balance or in three had suffered a concussion at some Argos move! , ATT TI A E TIS • Start the Millennium right! If you are looking for a specific market for your products, advertise in Sports Turf Manager. Published four times a year, this newsletter has a national and international distribution with the majority of its membership residing in Ontario. caJt TOdAyfor 2000 AdvertU~ RAm YO n6t ret it. For more information, contact Lee Huether at the Sports Turf Association office. 328 Victoria Rd. South, Guelph, ON N1H 6H8 ~ h ~: y : y Tel. (519) 763-9431, Fax (519)766-1704 Malich issue content Deadline: [email protected]. '11111111, liB SPORTS TURF MANAGER • 3 TURF Gord Dol, President L RESTORATION LTD. MEMBER STA, OPA, ORFA, OGSA, CIA 6393 Hwy. 27, RR #1, Thornton, ON LOL 2NO • Tile Drainage • Sports Turf Irrigation • Top Dressing Tel: (705) 458-2851 • Silt Drainage • Sports Field & Infield • Overseeding Fax: (705) 458-2849 • Gravel Band Drainage Reconstruction • Sodding Toll Free: 1-800-794-9664 Verti Drain Deep • Canadian Distributor • Fine Grading Email: [email protected] Tine Aeration of SportGrass® SPORTS TURF SPECIALISTS 4 • DECEMBER 1999 Cricket in Canada Sport Tr~: Did You;KntJwf Cricket Facts Cricket Associations, but a • Cricket was played in shortage of grounds pre- many cities, towns, and vil- vents their joining and be- lages in the early 1800s. ing able to accommodate • The Canada vs. USA regular fixtures. cricket match is the oldest - info & pic provided by the annual international sports Canadian Cricket Association competition in North America. Canada to Play Host • "It isn't cricket"! This in 2001 expression pays tribute to the Calcutta, India, and high regard the sport has at- Canada will host the Inter- tained in its insistence on fair national Cricket Council play. Trophy in the year 2001, • Cricket is probably the ICC president Jagmohan only active team sport which Dalmiya said yesterday. includes many good players Twenty-five teams from well into their 50s and 60s. non-test playing countries • Because of its origin in will participate in the tour- Britain, cricket was well-founded through- ewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. nament. Three of them, Kenya, Scotland, out the British empire, and flourishes to- Cricket is played in the other provinces, and Bangladesh, had participated in the day in most parts of the world. but not on an organized basis. The Cana- recently concluded cricket World Cup af- • The Ontario Cricket Association was dian Cricket Association sponsors inter- ter qualifying at the last ICC trophy con- formed in 1880, some 95 years after the provincial tournaments at both the senior test held in Malaysia two years ago. • first games were played. Prior to that, most and junior level and in 1979, in England, - The National Post, June 29, 1999 a Canadian team played in the World Cup games were played as "friendly matches," Photo Caption: Players from the for the first time. either with nearby villages or cities or tour- Ontario team smile in victory after • An annual cricket match is played on ing teams from other cricket-playing defeating Quebec in the Atholstan countries such as England, Australia, and Labour Day between the actors from the Trophy Annual Contest the U.S.A.