An enthusiastic team of nine Ewing Outdoor Supply employees headed to Daytona Beach, Florida, Jan. 21 to 25 for the 35th annual Sports Field Management Association Conference and Exhibition, where we networked with old friends and customers, vendor partners and industry professionals. We also forged new relationships with people in the sports field industry.
The relationships fostered and maintained during SFMA’s annual five-day event are the nuts and bolt of what we do day in and day out to provide the best products, resources and industry-leading service to our customers.
Our team included National Agronomics and Sports Fields Category Manager Don Brasseaux; Divisional Sales Manager Rick Clelan; Divisional Sports Field Category Sales Manager Brad Garrison; Regional Sports Field Category Managers Jim Barbuto, Tim Lambert, Kevin Scott and me; Account Executive Missy Crowe and Account Manager Adam Burton.
We kicked off our action-packed 2024 event Monday with bowling, cornhole and golf tournaments to raise money for the Safer Athletic Fields for Everyone (SAFE) Foundation programs. There’s nothing like a little friendly athletic competition for a great cause to set the tone for success.
Monday evening, we attended a networking gathering with SFMA chapter members from Virginia and Maryland, then we helped our vendor partner, DuraEdge, observe its 10th anniversary at the SFMA Conference with a large celebration for customers and industry professionals.
Plentiful Educational Opportunities
Tuesday kicked off conference education sessions featuring a great slate of speakers and topics covering all segments of the industry from professional sports and parks and recreation to K-12 schools, colleges, universities and municipalities.
Topics included renovations, weather and climate, mental health, turfgrass management, chemicals/pesticides, soil sciences, field testing and sustainability, to name a few.
Brad Garrison and I had the privilege of moderating two sessions that day.
I moderated Fort Wayne TinCaps Head Groundskeeper Keith Winter’s discussion on the complete renovation of the entire playing surface at the team’s Parkview Field while Brad moderated a session on Turfgrass Irrigation: Water Quality, Quantity and Lack Thereof led by Marco Schiavon, Ph.D.
I also attended the F.I.E.L.D Forum, formerly the Women’s Forum, and was part of a discussion by Brandon Bell, M.Ed. on inclusion, leadership and diversity. Also attending were several members of the Women in Turf team with whom I’ve grown close while volunteering at the Little League Softball World Series.
That evening, Ewing hosted over 150 friends and customers at a networking social event with support from Pro’s Choice, Exacto and Hydraway, then we spent time with the Women in Turf, NCAA Field Managers, and many other friends and industry partners.
Annual Meeting, Keynote Panel and More
Wednesday and Thursday featured more education sessions, the annual business meeting and luncheon, the Professional Baseball Sports Field Managers Symposium, the opening of the trade show and the Student Challenge.
I moderated The Pesticide Timeline: From Lab to Shelf session. Chrissie Segars, Ph.D, and Jeff Marvin, Ph.D. led us through the process of how pesticides move from stage to stage in the lab and finally into end-users’ maintenance shops. It was fascinating.
The keynote panel, comprised of Mike Goatley, Ph.D.; Abby McNeal, CSFM; Chad Price, CSFM, CFB; Leah Withrow, Travis Hogan and Drew Miller, was tremendous. Their discussion, Beyond the Field: Utilizing History, Technology and Mentorship to Define the Future of Sports Field Management, was the perfect topic for the current state of the industry.
Each panelist discussed their role in the industry based on their positions in education, construction, professional sports, and parks and recreation settings. The group’s varying ages and time in the industry offered great insights into generational viewpoints on sports field management.
Student Challenge: A Glimpse at the Future
Wednesday afternoon’s Student Challenge, presented by the SAFE Foundation, founding partner Hunter Industries and supporting partner Ewing, was a phenomenal opportunity for the up and coming generation of sports field professionals to show the current generation what they can do.
The competition, open to students in four- and two-year programs, is intense.
Iowa State University’s team—Trevor Clawson, James Sprague, Mira Emma and Bryce Witham— took first place in the four-year competition, followed by Purdue University’s team—Hayden Flick, Jacob Winger, Eli Ziliak and Broden Piel— in second place and Penn State University’s team—Chase Minnick, Aidan Huedepohl, Ryan Zolotsky and Dylan DeSchamp—in third place.
Another Penn State team—Camden Macek, Simon Wattier, Tyler Houghton and Jack Gartley—placed first in the two-year competition, followed by Kirkwood Community College’s team—Bennett Cooper, Cade Hougland, Tyler Johnson and Davin Wickman—in second place and Mt. San Antonio College’s team—Jessie Lerma, Kevin Magana, Kenneth Rodriguez and Mayra Rubio—in third place.
Congratulations to the winners, and to everyone who competed. You are the future of our industry, and we’re excited to see what the future brings.
For more information on the 2025 competition, visit SFMA’s Student Challenge page.
Insight into the World of Pro Baseball
The PBSFM symposium was held both days in conjunction with the conference and exhibition, with an emphasis on professional baseball, new Professional Development League changes, baseball rule changes, specialized maintenance techniques, renovations, outside event requirements and challenges, and access to the trade show.
Sponsors Beacon Athletics, DuraEdge, Hunter and Mountain View Seeds gave each Ewing Sports Field Team member an opportunity to introduce ourselves with a personalized message relating to Ewing’s commitment to the industry and the “Lean On Us” service we provide.
As a former Minor League Baseball field manager, I thought it was a great way to show support to this group and to let people know that our team’s hands-on sports field experience means we have the knowledge necessary to offer field managers across the country the solutions they need to succeed.
Trade Show: Always a Big Draw
As always, the conference’s trade show did not disappoint. Our booth generated a lot of traffic, and we were able to spend quality one-on-one time with friends and customers who stopped in.
Whether it’s talking shop or catching up on how families are doing, networking at the trade show is a valuable part of our week. We pride ourselves on maintaining great relationships with our customers and truly welcome them in as part of the extended Ewing family.
The trade show also is a great way to network with our vendor partners and to stay current on sports field trends and advances we may not see on a daily basis.
Final Day: More Learning, More Networking
Thursday wrapped up with educational sessions in the morning and the trade show’s final hours.
What this conference does for our industry is immeasurable. The ability to get such a close, connected group in one place to network, share successes and failures, brainstorm ideas, see the technological advances in our segment of the green industry and most of all, to celebrate what a great profession we’re involved in is unlike any other group in the working world.
There is no other industry I know that networks like sports field managers, that shares information with each other, that leans on each other and wants everyone involved to succeed. We are all in this together to ensure that sports field facilities stay safe, playable and aesthetically pleasing for the athletes, fans and communities we serve.
For a video recap of this year’s SFMA event, click here.
Now that Daytona Beach now in the books, we’re looking toward the 2025 SFMA Conference and Exhibition, scheduled for Jan. 12 to 15 in Palm Springs, California.
If you’re interested in learning more or just want to talk sports fields, drop me a line at cball@ewingos.com. Ewing’s Sports Field Team looks forward to seeing you next January!
