by Fran tenBensel Benne | Agronomy and Horticulture
A University of Nebraska–Lincoln turfgrass competition team took sixth place out of 63 teams from 28 universities at the 30th Annual Collegiate Turf Bowl competition on Jan. 31. The competition, presented in partnership with John Deere, was held at the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Conference and Trade Show in Phoenix.
The sixth-place University of Nebraska Team 35 included Alex Uram, Scout Allen, John Tines and Matt Boyd, all plant and landscape systems majors in turfgrass science and management. Walker Petersen, Easton Petsche and Ridge Gerstberger also competed on a team and earned 29th place while Sam Norrenberns, TJ Thalman and Carson Vachal placed 30th as a team.
“Our goal was to be a top 10 team. The students achieved that goal and were just two points away from being a top five team,” Anne Streich, Turf Club and competition team adviser, said.
Streich, professor of practice in agronomy and horticulture, teaches a one-credit prep course in the fall that covers identifying turfgrasses, diseases, insects and weeds. Students also learn how to do turfgrass mathematics for fertilizer, pesticide and irrigation applications.
The GCSAA Conference Turf Bowl competition consisted of several components. The team took a 200-question, multiple-choice exam that covered math, turfgrass growth and development, soils, fertility, pesticides, irrigation, mowing and water management. They also had to identify turfgrass and weeds from live samples, insects and diseases from images with descriptions of species they affected and conditions that favored their presence, and turfgrass seed from seed samples.
While at the GCSAA conference, the students visited State Farm Stadium — home to the NFL Arizona Cardinals; Mountain America Stadium — home of the Arizona State University Sun Devils football program; and climbed the ‘A’ mountain by ASU stadium.
“We have students who are interested in sports turf management,” Streich said. “Being in Phoenix allowed us to spend some time outside of the GCSAA conference to learn from two sports turf managers who are doing unique things in the industry.
“The Cardinals are one of two NFL teams that have turfgrass surfaces that are rolled in and out of the stadium. This presents some unique challenges that we were able to learn about. The turf staff at ASU is well known for their unique painting designs within the end zones and other areas on the field. We learned about the process they use to create and implement the designs onto the turf.”
The GCSAA conference saw an impressive turnout with nearly 11,000 attendees, marking the highest attendance since 2008. Over 6,600 seminar seats were occupied, reflecting a robust engagement. Beyond catering to superintendents, the event featured specialized education tailored for assistant superintendents, equipment managers, students and various other professionals. Attendees benefitted from a diverse range of educational sessions, spanning traditional classroom settings and seven Interactive Facility Tours hosted at golf courses across the Phoenix area.
