Meet Mike Kerns, Director of Turf and Grounds at San Diego State’s Snapdragon Field. Mike manages one of the busiest sports facilities in the country in beautiful San Diego.
Finding things to keep busy hasn’t been an issue this year! They hosted a total of 62 events at the 2 year old stadium, up from 12 in the first year. We talked about the challenges of going from football, to soccer to rugby, then sprinkling in a concert or a dinner on the field, sometimes all within a few days.
Mike’s ability to turn on a dime and constantly reinvent the way they prepare the busy venue is impressive. He joked that there was no instruction manual for how to keep a venue playable with that much going on at any given time. Mike is a leader in the sports turf industry, but says that his network of industry peers is still the most important tool in his ‘cart.’