FIELD CONSTRUCTION COMPANY DIRECTORYHere is a listing of companies that construct or renovate athletic fields:

ATD Sports Field SpecialistsGarfield Heights, OH216-581-4990www.atdsportsfield.qpg.com

ROlIER'I' A. IlOT!lMAN, tNC:

Celebrating)'Q\.IA.t,.t"'" t'.\'J).·J.~,Q\1>\Un' rtl.('t.l~.~

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Grant Sports FieldsColumbus. GA706-596-9236www.grantsportsfields.com

Realty Landscaping Corp.PhoenixvlHe, PA610-631-2523www.realtylandscaping.com

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Robert A. Bothman, Inc.San Jose, CA408-279-2277www.bothman.com

GreenTech, Inc.;';)i3V'i:U1rl1m, GA912-353-7944www.greentechitm.com

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ALUza Sports TurfAI.vahH"l, !(Y270-842-0473

Greenway ServicesHorshern, PA215-343-0110

Glenn Rehbein Co.Blaim~, MN763-784-0657

Alpine Services, Inc.Gaithersburg, MO800-292-8420www.alpineservices.com

Carolina Green Corp.Indian Trail, NC704-753-1707www.cgcfields.com

Gregori InternationalMiami, Fl305-663-7393www.gregori.com

REIL Construction, Inc.Union,ll815-923-4321

,J'l pmp Servic es, Inc.l"f~n •..w.m. A·'hletu IwftL . t ar /Jl -, 10r1.J.

Jmericanivilonstructors

American CivilConstructors, Inc.Umeton, co303-795-2582www.acconstructors.com

D.A. Hogan & AssociatesWA

206-285-0400

Championship Turf Surfaces ,Harwinton, 1:1860-485-0219

Huffman SportScape Inc.Independence, KY859-647-3000

Rettler Corp.Stevens Point. WI715-341-2633

Architerra, PCCoopersburg, P,A610-282-1398

Clark CompaniesDelhi. NY607-746-2727www.clarkcompanies.com

Hummer TurfgrassSystems Inc.Lancaster, PA800-872-8873www.usaturf.com

SPORTEXEFoothill, Ontario, Canada905-892-6000www.sportexe.com

LANf.>SCA!'H &; MAINTENANCE, INC,

The LandTek Group, Inc.Amityville, NY631-691-2381www.landtekgroup.com

Sports Field ConsultantsIJU1'!IC,UlviH,e. rx872-298-0220

Athletic Fields, Inc.CartersviHe, GA770-382-7284

~OLONY

Athletic FieldsTennessee

Creative Landscape& Irrigation, Inc.~hw!Jal'l$viUe,301-745-5737www.creativeirrigation.com

SRI SportsLeander,TX800-233-5714www.srisports.com

Colony Landscape& Maintenance, Inc.Alviso, CA408-941-1090www.colonylandscape.com Sportscape International

Youngstown, 011330-726-9452

Lawn Care UnlimitedLeavenworth,913-682-6706

COMPANY, INC.

Athletic Fields TennesseeHumboldt, TN866-287-4763

Diamond Athletic Turf, Inc.Stow, !VIA978-897-0344

Mercer Group, Inc.TroY,OH937-335-7100www.mercer-group.com

Sports Turf CompanyWhitesburg, GA800-273-8608www.sportsturf.net

Duraturf Service Corp.Richmond. VA800-358-8283

,.Your Iwme fl.ld advantagel

Athletic Field Services, Inc.Oregon, 011419-836-5730www.athleticfieldservices.com

Mid-Atlantic Turf, Inc.Gaithersburg, MD301-990-0315www.mid-atlanticturf.com

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Team All SportsCincinnati. 011513-241-6210

Ballard SportsCary, NC919-654-6814www.ballardsports.com

Fielder's Choice Inc.Pearland, TX888-853-4353www.fielderschoiceinc.com

The Motz Group, Inc.Cindrmatl, 011513-533-6452www.themotzgroup.c~m

Nolan Thomas & Co.Stovall, NC919-693-6478

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beals sport

GSI Consultants/Turfcon"'l"lrrH~r'•.~"'t NJ732-247-8026

Munie Outdoor Services(aseyvIUe, It618-632-5296

Turf ServicesSpring MI616-842-4975

Geller SportBoston, MJ.\617-523-8103www.gellersport.com

\.,1 RIh,tSfQKtJr:!~t~ SPORTS FIELD CONSTRUCTION

RTM Sport, Inc.Burtonsvltte, MD301-421-0070

U.S. Athletic FieldsSkillman, NJ609-466-2846

Beals SportSan Clara, CA408-985-7200www.bealssports.com

Gale Associates Inc.Weyrl'louth, MA781-335-6465 Van's Enterprises

Mm1delein, It847-367-7828

A PIVISION Of BEAlS AlllANCIl

R.T. MacKenzie, Inc.BUftonsviUe, l\I'iD301-384-6287

Wilson & Associatesl.exington,803-957-3115

26 December 2003 SPORTSTURF• http://www.greenmediaonline.com

ne is buried behind the mound of Baltimore's Oriole Park at CamdenYards, the other in right field.

The crowd can't see them, nor can the players. In fact, only a handful ofpeople know they are there, entrenched just 2 inches below the lush green ball field.

What are these objects buried beneath one of America's most beautiful ballparks? Ifyou guessed Orioles season's tickets or Cal Ripken's old batting gloves, guess again.

They are data loggers-tiny, battery-powered devices that Oriole Park groundskeepersuse to continuously monitor soil temperature throughout the season. More specifically,the loggers are used to record and time-stamp field root-zone temperatures over month-long intervals, at which time the data is offloaded onto a PC for graphing and analysis.

Circle 117 on card or www.oners.ims.ca/208S-117

28 December2003

BY EVAN LUBOFSKY

DATA LOGGERSIMPROVE TURFMANAGEMENT ATCAMDEN YARDS

"We try to track field conditions to the greatest extent possible, and part of our strat-egy is to use data loggers as a record-keeping mechanism," explains Al Capitos, headgroundskeeper at Oriole Park. "By keeping track of the temperatures over time, we canestablish trends, which ultimately puts us in a better position to proactively deal withturf diseases associated with high soil temperatures." -

Capitos monitors the soil with HOBO H8 data loggers from Onset ComputerCorp. The H8 incorporates a microprocessor, an internal temperature sensor, and auser-replaceable battery into a hard-plastic casing slightly larger than a matchbox. Byburying one H8 behind the pitcher's mound and the other in the outfield, thegroundskeeping team can profile two distinctly different microclimates that exist at the

stadium. Each logger is housed in a moisture-resistant enclosure, and takes tempera-ture readings every 30 minutes.

After a month's worth of data has been collected, groundskeepers "unearth" thedata loggers and offload the data from each onto a PC. Using Onset's software, thedata is immediately translated into easy-to-read graphs that clearly show spikes anddrops in root zone temperature. The data is then matched up with soil temperaturereadings that are taken manually with a probe, a process that Capitos refers to as"double-measuring."

"Some people may think this is way too much information, but we believe thathaving as much temperature data as possible is key to really getting in touch withthe field," he says.

One area where data loggers have really proved their value at Oriole Park is incrabgrass prevention. In order for a pre-emergent herbicide to be effective in pre-venting crabgrass, the field must be sprayed after the soil temperature has been 55degrees F for at least 4 days. According to Capitos, historical data recorded by theloggers over the past several seasons helps them predict when this block of time islikely to occur.

"The year-to-year data allows us to almost predict exactly when the temperatureswill break," he says. "Knowing this helps us make good decisions as to when we needto spray. After all, the chemicals we spray on the field are expensive, and we have anobligation to be responsible applicators. I sure wouldn't want to be the guy who goesout and puts down chemicals ineffectively."

Capitos now trains new turf management interns on using the products. "Wehave interns from a variety of schools, including Penn State and Iowa State, and it'sgreat to get them involved with the equipment so they can visualize the collecteddata and begin learning how to predict trends. It's fun for the students, and they cantake the knowledge and experience with them after they graduate and go on to man-age their first field."

Since the data loggers were originally buried in the spring of 1999, they havebeen functioning without any problems. Capitos has been impressed with theirdurability, and feels that any ballfield, especially those with a variety of microcli-mates, could benefit from the technology.

He says, "The most important thing is that we can now manage our field proac-tively instead of having to catch up with problems that we didn't expect." ST

Evan Lubofsky works for Onset Computer Corp., www.onsetcomp.com.

SPORTSTURF • http://www.greenmediaonline.com

Carolina Green Corp. is a licensed, full-service Athletic Field Builder. We specialize in design,construction and renovation of native, modified soil, and sand based fields. Carolina Green is proud tobe the Athletic Field Contractor for two of STMA's football and baseball fields of the yean

SPORTEXEMomentum Turf, by Sportexe, isdesigned to maximize players'speed and performance, simu-lating a perfect natural grasssurface, making it the choice for

University of California Berkeley's football program,and M&T Stadium in Baltimore.Sportexe/905-892-6oooFor information, circle 060 orsee www.oners.lms.ca/zoae-neo

GREGORI'INTERNATIONALGregori International has more than 30 years experience in allaspects of sports field construction, installation, grow-in, andmaintenance. Gregori has built high-profile facilities all over theworld for Soccer, Rugby, and Cricketand, recently, has begun marketing itsexpertise in Equestrian and Polo fieldconstruction, and the use of its patent-ed FIBERsoil product and process.Gregori International/305-663-7393For information, circle 059 orsee www.oners.ims.ca/2086-o59

R LilA E IIAthletic Field Construction~~ «<; ~ lieU!

.; Field Design & Specifications

.; New Construction

.; Renovation'.; Specialty Materials,.; Laser Grading.; So~ Row Plant & Broadcast Sprigging.; Aerificationflopdress Leveling.; Drainage

Calion Carolina Green Corp. to providesolutions to your construction challenges.

Make the Right Call ... Toll Free (866) 753·1707

www.cgcfields.com

30 December2003

Circle 118 on card or www.oners.ims.ca/2086-118

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GENERALSPORTSTURF SYSTEMSGeneralSports Turf Systemscompleted installation of theirGameDay Grass MP in lessthan 6 days for Martin LutherKing High School in Detroit. Itwas the team's first home gamein three seasons because theold field was condemned. "Wewere confident we could meetthe tight requirements," said JonPritchett, president ofGeneralSports Turf.GeneralSports Turf/248-601-2200For information, circle 064 orsee www.cners.tms.ca/zoae-cez,

MOVABLE FLOORThe Portafloor product allows for the maximum protectionin all conditions. This flat and seamless surface creates anidea shell for seating, rolling equipment, and pedestrians.Sportcourt/801-972-0260For information, circle 061 orsee www.oners.lms.ca/zoas-oet

Circle 119 on card or www.oners.ims.ca/2086-119

http://www.sportsturfmanager.com • STMA SPORTSTURF 31

SAVING A WORLDCUP PITCH

hen officials look back on the situation, it could have beena tremendous national embarrassment. South Korea's pres-tigious Daegu Stadium was the site for the FIFA WorldCup soccer games and the first match was scheduled forJune 6, 2002. However, just months before the match, the

turf started falling apart during practice exhibitions."The South Korean press started to get wind of the situation and it was a potential

public relations nightmare for the stadium, the city and South Korea," recalls JeongNam Choe, South Korea sales manager for Novozymes Biologicals, one of theresources called in to help fix the turf. "However, a cooperative effort quickly helpedturn the situation around before the start of the World Cup."

Daegu Stadium is Korea's largest, with room for 65,000 fans. Construction of thenew stadium was complet-ed on May 20, 2001. Itwas a coup in itself for thestadium and South Koreato host the World Cupgames and city officialshad great expectations forthe matches.

When the stadiumwas constructed, the field'spitch was initially estab-lished with sod but it didnot take root. During anexhibition game in the fallof 2001, the newly hiredhead coach of the SouthKorean team noticed theturf was uprooted and theplayers were sliding on thefield. He complained tothe mayor of Daegu City,who personally came toinspect the turf.Recognizing that he had a

serious problem on his hands, the mayor ordered the grounds manager, Soung YongTak, to find an immediate solution.

"The grounds manager immediately consulted with the Korean Turf ResearchInstitute (KTRI), which was called in to help," Choe says.

EVEN DAEGUISMAYOR DEMANDEDTHE GROUNDSMANAGERTAKE ACTION

A microbial solutionIn the case of Daegu Stadium, KTRI recommended the use of TurNigor to correct

the root guality problem. TurNigor contains a formulation of beneficial microbes and ablend of nutrients and biostimulants to provide turf with the compounds it needs forgrowth, health, and stress tolerance. For the Daegu turf, the product helped establish theturf by promoting healthier roots and more efficient water uptake. "I remember that thegroundskeeper was doubtful that the product would work at the time, but he had no

32 December 2003

choice. He went with KTRI's recommendation," recalls Choe.TurNigor was applied according to the product label starting in October 2001. After

timely watering and a month of waiting, the turf managers noticed that the rooting depthincreased to 10 centimeters or more and the entire turf condition, including color andgrowth, soon started to improve. It wasn't long before the stadium had the best pitch of allthe Korean football stadiums (there are 10). Once the roots were established, exhibitiongames were resumed on the turf without incident. And in June 2002, the stadium and thecity hosted three first-round matches and the third-place match on a healthy, show-case turf. As Choe recalls, there was a collective sigh of relief. ST

This story was provided by Novozymes Biologicals, a worldwide leader in theresearch, development, and manufacture of applied microbiology for commercial use.

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