Groundskeeper 'Bears' down on football field

By Barb Valiukenas
Editor

If you think your back yard or park grounds are a problem to upkeep, just imagine what it would be like to care for a 360 foot by 160 foot area which undergoes a rigorous, almost daily beating, from cleats, smashing helmets and bruising bodies during eight months of the year.

That's the job faced by Joe Regis, groundskeeper for the Chicago Bears' training facilities at Lake Forest College, from May through December. In addition to the normal concerns about fertilizing, seeding, watering and mowing, Regis has to plan his work around the practice times and needs of approximately 80 professional football players.

Regis assumed the groundskeeping chores for the Bears' training facilities in 1980. The playing field was completely resodded prior to the team's arrival six years ago. Regis now concentrates on keeping it prepared for the "wear and tear" imposed by the athletes.

"In mid-April the fertilizing begins," Regis explained. "This is essential for developing good roots that later prevent the field from being ripped up."

Various types of fertilizer is purchased in 50-pound bags to meet the different needs of the field. Each of the three yearly applications costs approximately $300 for materials alone. In addition, lake shore sand is added for better drainage.

The seeding and cutting begin in early May. Regis moves the athletes as much as possible around the bald spots until the turf has a chance to grow. The center of the field is overseeded during the summer while the team practices in Wisconsin.

The one-hour mowing job is done with a tractor that has a reel mower. This device, Regis says, gives a more even cut than a rotary mower that often leaves impressions of rows in the turf.

The field is watered at night with above-ground traveling sprinklers two to three times each week. In especially hot weather, it is watered daily to keep the turf soft for the practice sessions.

Regis, a retired Waukegan firefighter, performs the groundskeeping functions alone. In addition to the main practice field, he is also responsible for a smaller 60-yard practice area, and the lawn, trees and shrubberies surrounding the Bears' offices on the Lake Forest campus.

Sediment control seminar A two-day seminar on urban sediment control will be held at Illinois Central College, East Peoria, on Jan. 31 and Feb. 28. The event is being cosponsored by the Illinois Association of Park Districts (IAPD) in cooperation with various municipalities, soil and water conservation districts, planning commissions, other professional organizations, and State and federal agencies. It is designed to familiarize land use professionals with the Green Book, a technical manual on procedures and standards for urban soil erosion and sediment control. One hour of each day's program is a general session for elected officials, planning commissioners, conservation organization members and the general public. The remainder of the program is a technical session for municipal employees, builders, contractors, developers, landscape professionals, consulting engineers and soil conservationists. The $20 registration fee covers expenses for both days of the two-day workshop. Elected officials are invited to attend the general session without charge. Additional information is available from Harry Hendrickson, Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts, 3085 Stevenson Dr., Suite 305A, Springfield, IL 62703. Phone (217) 529-7788.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 11 January/February 1986