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Rain was scheduled to hit San Antonio on Monday, January 22, but instead more than 30 volunteers stormed Brackenridge High School’s baseball and softball fields to renovate the worn out playing surfaces in a single day.
The weather was not the only thing that cooperated that day. Sports turf managers from 24 Major League Baseball (MLB) teams joined forces to completely overhaul the school’s sports fields as a community service project.
With materials and equipment donated by The Toro Company, CoverMaster Inc. and Turface Athletics, this dream team of skilled groundskeepers made short work of both the baseball and softball fields, transforming them into beautiful landscapes worthy of the school’s promising athletic teams.
These sports turf managers from all over the U.S. and Canada rebuilt the pitcher’s mound, bull pen and batter’s box, mowed and edged the turf, dragged the infield and incorporated field conditioner into the playing surfaces all in one day.
“We were very impressed and grateful to have more MLB guys than ever before,” said Bob Christofferson, Head Groundskeeper for the Seattle Mariners and the organizer of the event.
Brackenridge High School is near downtown San Antonio. Due to limited resources and high traffic, the baseball and softball fields had not received the attention needed to maintain high-quality playing conditions. When the school’s administration learned they would be the site of a renovation, they were ecstatic.
“Making the sports field look and play better is something that our kids can take a sense of pride in, and perhaps it will inspire them to work a little harder,” said Art Gonzalez, Assistant Athletic Director and Facilities Director for the San Antonio Independent School District.
The team of major league grounds managers and representatives from Toro, Turface and CoverMaster came together to shovel, rake and cut excess turf, giving Brackenridge High School’s ball fields a major league makeover.
Volunteers represented such teams as the Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks and many more.
This field rebuilding event was held in conjunction with the 9th Annual Major League Baseball Groundskeepers Conference, which followed the 2007 Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) Conference and Exhibition on January 17-20 in San Antonio. For the past several years, these volunteers have selected a high school facility with a sports field in need of a renovation.
“This is just our way of giving back to the community,” said Christofferson.
“When the coaches saw the field, their reactions were priceless. They are very excited to begin playing and training on the newly renovated field.”
Sponsors of the field renovation donated equipment, materials and their time to this event. Toro provided the use of an Infield Pro??????oe, Groundsmaster??????oe 3505-D, Workman??????oe utility vehicles and a Toro Line Painter. Turface Athletics provided Turface soil conditioner and mound clays, and CoverMaster donated sports surface covers.
“Toro is proud to sponsor this important event,” said Dale Getz, national sales manager for Toro’s sports fields and grounds business. “It gives these turf professionals an opportunity to give back to the community, and also provides them with a chance to network and learn from each other. It’s quite remarkable to watch this transformation, and we thank everyone for their involvement.” Source: The Toro Company
Francisco Uviña, University of New Mexico
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