For years coaches and players alike have longed for an artificial turf field. The fields are safe, playable in inclement weather and very expensive.
For just as many years the money hasn’t been available to install such a field.
Until that money comes in, Bill Lamont, the facilities supervisor and Tim Cronin, the groundscrew leader, are working hard to provide athletes with the best, and safest, facilities possible.
And that work is more than just cutting grass. It’s a science that the two men do not take lightly. With the safety of the environment and the athletes who play on the fields at stake, Cronin and Lamont use their affinities for science to guide their decisions and their treatment of the fields.
Since the duo started working together nearly six years ago, they have turned the athletic fields around. But rather than using a slew of harmful chemicals — which is often standard practice in the field of turf management — the pair has chosen a more eco-friendly route.
Using practices like composting and aerification — puncturing the earth to allow water, air and nutrients to penetrate — Lamont and Cronin have let the grass take care of itself, sparing the environment the detrimental effects of herbicides.
The pair has only resorted to traditional pesticides on one occasion, an impressive feat given that golf courses use herbicides on a daily basis to keep their turf green and weed free. The department does, however, use standard fertilizer, which by law is considered a pesticide.
Water useage is also under a watchful eye. The pair only uses the irrigation system when Mother Nature cannot adequately hydrate the grass. In the warmest, driest months, the pair tries to utilize rainstorms as much as possible.
The amount of scientific knowledge shared by the pair cannot be underestimated. Posters displaying turf grass diseases and species of broadleaf weeds are posted on their office walls. Turf grass trade magazines are littered across the room. The pair studies the most recent practices and trends in their field.
“Since I was a little kid I’ve loved science,” Cronin, a Boston native, tells me after explaining the possibility of life on Mars and the feasibility of hydrogen fuel — both testaments to his scientific knowledge.
Cronin is not alone. Lamont has been involved in science for quite some time. Owning a landscaping business and pursuing turf management as a career has afforded him the opportunity to do what he loves to do.
“I love watching things grow, but I want to do it in the safest way possible,” Lamont says.
The pair work along aside fellow turf managers Robert Schroeder, Glenn Curtis and Brad Cordiner to keep the facilities up-to-par.
“They bust their humps,” Director of Athletics Al Bean says. “They really take a lot of pride in what they do.”
In addition to their concern for the environment, Lamont and Cronin pay special attention to the safety of athletes. Often times, they call upon the specific knowledge of the athletic trainers to determine whether or not the field conditions are as safe as they could be.
“Sometimes the trainers will come to us and tell us the ground is too hard, so we get some water on it,” Lamont says.
When the grass isn’t growing, there’s still plenty to do.
The crew switches their attention to the inside facilities in Gorham including Warren Hill Gym, the Field House and, as the pair describes it, everything but the hockey rink.
And while it is well known with the department that the pair keeps the facilities in top shape, outside praise has come from some pretty impressive sources. The Atlanta Braves held a function at the school a few years ago and one of the players said that the baseball field was one of the nicest they had ever played on in this part of the country. Likewise, the University of Maine baseball team was pleasantly surprised by the conditions on one of their trips to Gorham.
But the only praise these men needs come when their day’s work is done.
“When you edge the infield, paint the lines and checkerboard the outfield, you can stand back and say ‘Wow, that looks good,” Cronin says.
Perhaps a turf field is the solution, but in the meantime Cronin and Lamont are working hard to dispel rumors that grass is always greener on the other side.