When It’s Time, America Will Need This !

These are challenging times in front of us. Uncertainty, anxiety, fear of the unknown, and much more are running rampant. It’s understandable; it’s human nature. But even with major portions of the U.S. shutting down, those who must maintain sports fields have to keep their noses to the grindstone, albeit usually with skeleton staffs and social distancing. Natural grass sports fields are living biosystems that need to be maintained to prevent damage from disease and overgrowth. Social distancing is manageable when working in the outdoors; however, it can be mentally challenging when you are used to crowds in your facility this time of year, but all you hear is quiet, day after day.There will come a time when this will be behind us and our country is going to need to blow off some steam, take a deep breath, and return to normalcy as quickly as possible. When the time comes, the return of professional and recreational sports will play a HUGE role in helping everyone move on and provide some comfort and healing. These are challenging times and we look forward to hearing the words “Play Ball” sooner than later. We are all anxious to get back to socializing with each other again, in person.
As best said in the movie Field of Dreams, “People will come, Ray…” To shake hands, to give high-fives, to hug, to backslap, and all the other forms of physical jocular celebration that bring us together. “This field, this game: It’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good and it could be, again. Oh… people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come.”
People will come to play on your thick, lush, mowed emerald green fields. They’ll field the ground balls and slide into second on your smooth and resilient infield skin. They’ll sit in your dugouts, laugh, chew gum, spit seeds, and cheer for their teammates. They’ll hear the cheers from their moms and dads, their families, friends, and fans watching from the stands, and all will be right with the world, again.
So, keep your spirits high and your mowing patterns tight. The athletes of America are trusting that you are keeping their fields ready for play. Once we free ourselves from the clutches of this pandemic, you’ll have the ballfields and ballparks of America full of the sounds of joy and competition again, and hopefully, social distancing will be a thing of the past.

Paul Zwaska

Paul Zwaska

A former head groundskeeper for the Baltimore Orioles, Paul has been with Beacon Athletics for two decades. Among his many accomplishments, he authored Groundskeeper University, the first online ballfield maintenance training venue and continues to find innovative ways to help groundskeepers.
Here’s a few off the field activities in the meantime:

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