SAN ANTONIO – The Texas Water Star Program will present the “Sports and Athletic Field Workshop: Maintenance and Management” from 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. June 17 at Wolff Stadium, 5757 U. S. Highway 90, San Antonio.

A sports and athletic field workshop for professionals and others will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 17 at Wolff Stadium. It includes admission and VIP perks for a San Antonio Missions baseball game that follows. (Texas A&M AgriLife Research photo by Kay Ledbetter)
The program includes VIP admission to that evening’s San Antonio Missions baseball game.
The Texas Water Star Program is a statewide umbrella program of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service devoted to protecting and conserving the state’s valuable water resources, said Troy Luepke, Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources research assistant, San Antonio.
“This workshop will concentrate on sports and athletic field maintenance and management as it relates to turfgrass and irrigation,” said Luepke, who is coordinating the program with AgriLife Extension horticulturist David Rodriguez.
Luepke said the program is designed for those in charge of grounds and athletic field maintenance; parks and recreation personnel; professional grounds managers; youth sports leagues officials and field managers; golf course employees; board of education administrators; athletic field designers, contractors and engineers; and the general public.
Registration will be from 8:30-9 a.m. and includes coffee and snacks.
Program topics and speakers will include:
– Turfgrass Selection and Use, Turfgrass Cultural Practices, Soil Management; Dr. Casey Reynolds, AgriLife Extension turfgrass specialist, College Station.
– Rules and Regulations – Sports Fields and Golf Courses, Application Process for Athletic Field Variances; Nathan Riggs, project coordinator-conservation, San Antonio Water System, San Antonio.
– Sports Field Irrigation: Improving Water Efficiency and Management, Dealing with Common Irrigation Issues; Dr. Guy Fipps, AgriLife Extension agricultural engineer, College Station.
– Guided Q&A on weed, insect and disease control options, plus striping, lining and painting; Reynolds.
The program offers eight Texas Nursery and Landscaping Association credits and three Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units – one integrated pest management and two general. There are also six Texas Commission for Environmental Quality irrigators’ credits available.
Following the program, attendees will meet at 6:15 p.m. at the stadium VIP area for socializing and the baseball game. Free food and drinks will be provided for each ticket holder.
Family members invited after 6 p.m. for the ballgame can also attend at $30 per ticket, which includes VIP access, private patio seating along the third-base line, and all they can eat and drink.
Registration fee is $55 per person and includes lunch and VIP admission to the baseball game.
The deadline for RSVP and registration is June 6. To register or for more information, contact Angel Torres at the AgriLife Extension office for Bexar County at 210-467-6575.
Checks or money orders should be made out to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, 3355 Cherry Ridge, Suite 212, San Antonio, Texas 78230-4818.
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