This-N-That
Great Fall Giveaway Winners Announced!
Parks & Rec Business and Camp Business magazines are proud to announce the winners of the Great Fall Giveaway!
PAC Bow Archery, USA Archery, Pilot Rock, and Blick Arts & Crafts sponsored the giveaway with four prizes worth more than $10,000. All parks and recreation departments, summer camps, and school districts in the United States had a chance to enter and win any one of the prizes.
PAC Bow Archery—Super Butt Target 5 Pack w/Shed Assemblies
Nicole Burton won a PAC bow archery set with shed assemblies–a $3,000 value. Burton is the recreation coordinator for the city of Mesquite in Nevada. She and the city will receive a "Super" solid core, one-piece target unit, with 12 7-inch targets on one side, and four 14-inch targets on the opposite side. The prize includes a Target Shed to help shield it from the outdoor elements.
Burton says the set will be used in their Hunter Safety Education Program and will greatly add to the “hands-on training” that is offered in the program.
USA Archery—Archery Program Kit
Charlee Glenn, Environmental Education Programs Manager at the Fayette Environmental Education Center in Georgia has won the Archery Program Kit which includes everything you need to start an archery program: five Morrell targets, 12 bows, 60 arrows, finger tabs, arm guards, arrow safety netting, maintenance and repair kit, bow rack, instructor certification, Explore Archery: An Instructor’s Guide to Beginner Archery Programs, posters, and more. The kit—valued at $5,500—aims to introduce beginners to archery safely and effectively.
“We had plans to start an archery program … but time, money, and resources became a hurdle that forced us to put those dreams on a backburner,” Glenn says. “In winning this kit, we will be able to implement archery into our WILD Summer Camp program this year!”
Pilot Rock—Campsite Essentials Package
Laura Jasso, Event Coordinator for the city of Portland, Texas, has won a Campsite Essentials Package from Pilot Rock. The set—which includes a charcoal grill, steel-frame picnic table, campfire ring with cooking grate and a trash receptacle—is valued at $1,500.
Jasso says the items will be used at a pavilion that is used by many for playing basketball and participating in exercises classes as well as the location for the city’s Summer Concert Series.
Blick Arts & Crafts—Art Room Favorites Kit
Regina Granados, the Head Children’s Leader for Gro Nature Preschool in Haymarket, Va., won the Blick Arts & Crafts Lesson Plan Kit. The Art Room Favorites Kit prize, a $500 value, is geared for a wide variety of age and skill levels with the goal of supporting those "light bulb" moments when ideas ignite and creative juices start to flow.
Congratulations to all of our winners and thanks to everyone who participated!
ECHO Launches ECHO Academy
Lake Zurich, Ill.—ECHO, Incorporated launched its new virtual learning management system, ECHO Academy, an online platform that offers training content to ECHO’s distributors, dealer network, and other departments within ECHO. The academy, available online or via mobile app, will provide users with the tools needed to be successful in both the sales, service, and marketing of ECHO products, and kicks off with more than 100 training courses that provide in-depth technical training for the ECHO dealer network.
In addition to convenience, the technical service programs posted on the site are multi-lingual, covering English, Spanish and French. And for those who crave even more learning, there’s a function that allows the dealer technician to find and register for available hands-on service schools in their area. Also available at is a new technician certification program, consisting of three levels, from new dealers and technician staff to a Master Certification level.
For more information, visit www.ECHO-USA.com.
Climbing Encouraged At Alpenglow Community Park
Surrounded by the high desert landscape and a stunning view of the Cascade Mountain range, EP USA installed both pre-casted and custom-built boulders that include natural routes and set routes with handholds. Routes vary in difficulty to open opportunities for people of all ages and abilities. EP integrated accessible routes with rope assist climbing hardware for adaptive climbers and climbers with disabilities, expanding this recreational opportunity to all in this rapidly growing sport.
Bend Park and Recreation District in Oregon continually strives to set a nationwide standard for exceptional and sustainable park and recreation services. Alpenglow Community Park is the first park in Bend to include a bouldering area, bringing world-class climbing into the parks system.
“Alpenglow is a community park that has something for everyone, regardless of age or ability, and it is already serving as the community hub of connection that we had hoped it would be,” says Ian Isaacson, the park district’s landscape architect and project manager. “I collaborated with an incredible team to see Alpenglow go from the drawing board to reality, especially the design and construction of the bouldering area. Having a partner like EP climbing on the team enabled us to create a wonderful amenity that will be enjoyed by generations of Central Oregonians.”
Field Notes
STIHL plans to invest $49 million to expand its chainsaw guide bar manufacturing facility in Virginia Beach, Va. The expansion will add 26,000 square feet of space to an existing building, totaling 86,000 square feet upon completion. The project is also expected to create 15 new jobs with an average annual wage of $60,000 to $100,000.
Congratulations to WhiteWater for winning three Brass Rings at the 2022 IAAPA Expo in Orlando, Fla.—awards that celebrate “achievements of excellence throughout the global attractions industry.” The company’s racing slide, “Blasterango Battle,” won Best New Product for Water Park Ride/Attraction, while Virtual Pass Processing by Vantage won Best Product or Service Used by Consumers. Vantage was also crowned with the coveted IMPACT Award, chosen from all winners of the best new product or service categories.
The Aspen Investments family of companies, including GLT, HRC, TSP, and Aspen Outdoors, continues to broaden its turf and landscape product offerings with a license agreement as the exclusive distributor of the CoreMax48, a timesaving aeration core collection unit. The Aspen Investments family of companies, which supports the golf, lawn care, and landscape markets, executed an agreement making this aeration core collection unit available throughout all regions of the US, exclusively through Aspen Investments. CoreMax48 will be available at all Aspen Investments distribution locations over the coming months.
Ecore International, a company that designs and manufactures flooring that actively supports people in motion by upcycling reclaimed materials in pursuit of a planet free of rubber waste, appointed Kal Krishnan as Materials Business Unit President. Prior to joining Ecore, Krishnan served as Vice President of Product Management for Gems Sensors & Controls.
Revealed: The Unhealthiest States In America
West Virginia is reportedly the unhealthiest state in America.
Research conducted by online fitness resource Total Shape analyzed data on key health indicators in America such as searches for gym memberships, the number of gyms per 100,000 of the population, how many fast-food restaurants per 100,000 of the population, percentage of adult smokers, and the obesity rates in each state. This data then gave an indication in to which state is the healthiest/unhealthiest.
West Virginia is ranked as the unhealthiest state in America. The state has the lowest number of gyms per 100,000 people with only eight, while it also has the highest percentage of smokers with 24 percent and the second-highest obesity rate at 40 percent. There are 77 fast food restaurants per 100,000 people which is three higher than the national average of 74.
Rounding out the list for the unhealthiest states:
1. West Virginia
2. Kentucky
3. Arkansas
4. Mississippi
5. Ohio
6. Alabama
7. Tennessee
8. Indiana
9. Missouri
10. Louisiana
These states are considered the healthiest:
1. California
2. Connecticut
3. Massachusetts
4. Vermont
5. New Jersey
6. Hawaii
7. Colorado
8. Montana
9. Utah
10. Minnesota
Total Shape is a fitness resource site providing information about workouts, supplements, and fitness to help reach your goals. For more information, visit https://totalshape.com.
Mini Trencher Features For Golf-Course Maintenance
Looks matter—especially in the golf course industry. Finding an equipment solution that provides maximum efficiency with minimal disruption to the green is key to maintaining that country club appearance. Mini trenchers are an ideal solution for boosting productivity without tearing up the greens.
When selecting a mini trencher, here are some features to look for to get the reliable results a golf course requires.
Look for one that digs narrow trenches. Mini trenchers require minimal backfill, which reduces the chance of cupping and helps ensure consistent grass growth.
Look for a compact body to allow greenskeepers to easily maneuver in tight spaces while pruning tree roots. Combine it with a push-forward operation to enhance safety by giving the operator a clear view of what’s ahead.
Look for features that promote minimal maintenance by protecting key components. For example, this might include a built-in slip clutch to protect the drive train from shock if the trencher hits a rock or other obstacle.
Greenskeepers can improve golf-course quality in minutes with the right equipment solution. Mini trenchers are a versatile and valuable tool for a wide variety of golf-course management applications. These units help operators decrease damage and get trenching projects done quickly.
Information provided by Joe Haynes, president of Little Beaver, which has been manufacturing quality, safe and productive drilling equipment for three generations.
Paint And Suffering
Forty years in the sports-turf industry have taken a toll on my body. After a hip replacement 21 years ago and a knee replacement 6 years ago, I wondered how much of my work affected their demise. My hip injury perhaps began from a congenital birth defect; I was born with a slight hip dislocation that was never really a handicap except I could never run with any speed. The knee was another issue, as it was bone to bone; I’ve often wondered how that might have worn down to that condition.
A couple months after knee-replacement surgery, an athletic director wanted me to do the foul lines on their field. Since the machine I had used for many seasons had the cutting pedal on my replacement side, I opted to paint them with a growth regulator. The athletic director told me he wanted me to cut the lines and I told him I just had knee-replacement surgery and wasn’t currently using that machine. Then I realized that after using that machine for 20 years—pushing the cutting pedal down for 3 months at a time—might have led to the early wearing down of the knee joint.
I paint lines for several schools averaging 20,000 steps a day, laying out the fields out and painting the lines. That all caught up to me as the hip replacement got slightly “looser” from years of travel and lifting; it finally wore out and got infected. After months of antibiotics, I’m scheduled for a new replacement.
I wonder how many other groundskeepers have had similar stories where they have been injured or had surgery due to years of wear and tear on the body in our line of work? And for that matter, how many will continue simply because they love what they do?
Mike Hebrard
Owner
Athletic Field Design