Parks & Recreation News
Tuesday, July 10, 2007MAINTENANCE CREWS TO WORK AROUND THE CLOCK TO PREPARE FOR TOURNAMENT
LAWRENCE – Maintaining a playing field is no small task. But when a tournament comes to town, it becomes a 24-hour a day job.
Rod Hoffer is the facilities and maintenance field supervisor in Park District No. 1, which encompasses the Clinton Lake Softball Complex and Youth Sports Incorporated fields, a 52-acre facility. He says his crew works on the fields through the night because games are played from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m.
“During the last tournament I was out mowing at 3 a.m.,” Hoffer said. “You want people to come back in the morning and have those fields look like no one has ever played on them before.”
In addition to mowing the outfield, crews drag, water and chalk the infield, as well as pick up trash and clean the restrooms.
Hoffer says some teams participating in tournaments have travelled from Hawaii, Washington, New York and even Canada to compete, and he wants to give them the best possible impression of Lawrence, Kan.
Lawrence will host its final tournament of the summer, the American Fastpitch Association’s Girls Fastpitch National Championships, July 16-22 at Clinton Lake Softball Complex, YSI and Holcom Sports Complex.
Prepared by Laurel Kupka, 785-832-3458
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