4 minute read
Feature / IAA News
UMD Turf Bowl Teams Compete
By Dr. Lori Sefton
On January 22, two teams of UMD undergraduate students and their coach set out to compete in the first of two national turfgrass competitions at the Sports Field Managers Association (SFMA) in Daytona Beach, FL. A week later students competed in the Turf Bowl at the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) conference in Phoenix, AZ. The teams had been working since August to prepare for these competitions, meeting weekly to practice. Areas of study included: Turfgrass Soils; Soil Fertility; Irrigation; Drainage; Turfgrass Mathematics; Pest Management; Turfgrass Identification; and Sports Field Management.
The team first competed in the SFMA Student Challenge in Daytona, Florida, against twenty-nine other national schools, including Penn State, Ohio State, and Purdue. Here, students were challenged to solve problems applied to sports field management. Maryland’s top team, consisting of Luke Murnane, Matt Miller, Connor Todd, and Gabe Gammill placed 6th out of 29 teams. One week later, the UMD team flew to Phoenix for the Turf Bowl against a pool of sixty-three other national teams. Murnane, Miller, Todd, with another teammate, Sam Burke, placed 12th out of 63 school teams.
When asked what was the most challenging part of the competitions, Scott Godfrey, a second-year student in General Turfgrass, stated, “There is a lot of material; grasping what is important information and what is not” is hard. Especially challenging for the team was the variety of insects, weeds, diseases, and irrigation management calculations on which they were tested. Murnane, a junior student in Turfgrass Management said, “Weed identification was challenging, as many weeds were from the west.” This meant the team had to do much of their preparation from textbook info since actual samples were not available on campus. “This is not the way we normally teach in the IAA,” stated Geoff Rinehart, Turf Grass Management Senior Lecturer and Advisor and Coach of the UMD Team. “My labs are usually out in the field or on the course, or at least include actual specimens of insects, weeds, grasses, diseases, and seeds.”
Beyond the opportunity to compete, team members meet and mingle with turfgrass professionals. Kyle Thompson, a two-year member of the UMD Turf Bowl team, spent part of his time in Phoenix meeting and interviewing with Jess Humphrey, the Superintendent of Snowmass Club. One week later, Humphrey offered Kyle a position as Second Assistant to Superintendent at the Club in Snowmass, CO. Kyle will graduate with his Golf Course Management certificate this May. “The competition is hard work, but it greatly benefits our students,” said Rinehart. “They leave the experience with knowledge, confidence, contacts, and team connections, all of which will benefit their careers for years to come.”
Team members agree with Rinehart. “Turf Bowl is a unique experience. The competition is educational rigor and team building.” shared Joe Poulas, a first-year Golf Course Management student. “I have no doubt my teammates and I will be better students because of the opportunity to compete together. I’m already thinking about next year’s Turf Bowl and how we can improve!”
This year’s UMD Turf Bowl teams included John Burton, Sam Burke, Gabe Gammill, Scott Godfrey, Joe Poulas, Ryan Kasner, Matt Miller, Luke Murnane, Kyle Thompson, and Connor Todd.
As always, the UMD team is grateful to the Maryland Turfgrass Council (MTC), the MidAtlantic Association of Golf Course Superintendents (MAAGCS), the Mid-Atlantic Sports Field Managers Association (MASFMA), and the Eastern Shore Golf Course Superintendents Association (ESGCSA) for their support of our program! •
