Over the course of the summer of 2023, I had the opportunity to work on the grounds crew at UMD helping to maintain around 10 acres of real turf and 8 acres of artificial turf. Under the guidance of my supervisor, Alex Steinman, and alongside five other coworkers, our responsibilities encompassed the maintenance of athletic fields across the campus. One of my favorite things about my job is how versatile and changing it is. The aspect I particularly appreciated about my role was its dynamic and ever-changing nature. Each day brought a new set of tasks, offering surprises and variety that kept the job engaging. I typically worked alongside the Grounds Director and his assistant or they would send me off alone to complete other jobs. As an intern, I was the person who helped when someone needed an extra hand so I was in a very flexible position. Over time as I worked on different jobs I started learning a lot.
Some of the most important topics I’ve learned about over this internship are turf management, landscaping, equipment operation and maintenance, irrigation systems, pest and weed management, field preparation and maintenance, safety procedures, problem-solving, environmental awareness, and time management. My favorite educational experience was helping to replace and repair irrigation heads, being able to see exactly how the irrigation system was programmed and functioned was fascinating. This also showed how hard managing turf grasses can be. Another area of importance was equipment operation and maintenance, working with the equipment helped me learn how to use it better, while also often building on my mechanical knowledge. I would say one of my least favorite activities was pest and weed management. Working with herbicides or pesticides can be dangerous, but seeing how my coworkers safely handled the different compounds was important and interesting.
While working on the grounds crew I got to learn more about different turf grasses. Some of the grasses I worked with here were Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue, and tall fescue which are all cool-season grasses. I also worked with Bermuda grass and saw some Zoysia which are both warm-season grasses. But something that interested me more than the grasses is how they are maintained, they have articulate irrigation systems under each of the fields, and there were a few recurring issues that could pop up. Some of the nozzles would cloud or break and require a replacement or sometimes the height would need adjusting and we would put in a small raiser. Either way, we could carefully dig it up, being careful to not spill dirt on the field, and fix the issue. Another big part of this internship is how we prepare for games/game day. For football games, we have to be there 5 hours before the start of the game. This involves moving a cannon, putting pads on the field goalposts, and also putting up the field goal nets. For softball and baseball, we have to check the mounds, install the bases, and make sure the stadium is clean. Working games are different because there are rushed moments where a lot has to get done, and then there are periods of waiting that can get very long. But it allows us to react quickly and handle any issues as effectively as possible.
I built many useful skills from this job, it had many difficult challenges and required me to be resourceful and able to react quickly. Being able to work in this industry has also allowed me to build my knowledge of many different businesses interacting and working for UMD. The ability to manage these contracts in order to accomplish bigger goals could be key to building your own business. I’m glad I had the opportunity to work this job over the summer, and I’m very glad I get to continue working here over the school year.
