Realistic Expectations for Wet Field Conditions

On March 25, OYO President Brittany Anderson provided timely insights and recommendations to all our rec league coaches about maintaining, using and managing our fields at Veterans Memorial Park. As parents, with 10-15 minutes of your help, you can help support your coaches, too, in providing the best opportunity possible for fields to be usable sooner following rainy days and nights.

Field Readiness | We encourage all coaches and families to have realistic expectations when it comes to field readiness. We are proud and thankful to be blessed with such an amazing crew of six faithful grounds crew volunteers. However, they are parents of ballplayers just like you and also hold full-time jobs while graciously volunteering to maintain the fields to the best of their abilities. They have set a schedule for the care and upkeep of the 13 fields amongst them. They have committed to being at the park several times a week to ready their specific fields and do other needed projects. In addition to the work the crew does, we know coaches work tirelessly to do their part, as well. The expectation is  everyone who uses the fields must contribute to their upkeep. Please understand the grounds crew is not at the park during the day, generally.  If there is a light rain or sprinkling, the fields can easily be playable with a bit of work scooping the water and raking. It’s up to us, collectively, as parents on our teams to pitch in and get the field we are playing on ready. The volunteer grounds crew will certainly do what they can when their time permits, but if we all work together to prepare the fields during this wet spring, we will likely play a whole lot more games and have a whole lot more practices.

Building Alternate Practice Plans for Wet Field Conditions | Speaking of rain, realistically, with a whole day, or a couple days of rain in a row, the fields need time to dry out. We recommend coming to the fields with alternate ideas for practice if the infields are not usable.  The outfields can be used, batting cages can be reserved and other green spaces can be utilized.  We understand it is hard to run a practice when the infield is unavailable, but playing on it when it is saturated or too spongy causes ruts and further damage. If you see particular areas that puddle or hold water more that others, please let a member of the grounds crew know. Send us a picture. We want to know when there is a low spot or bad area on the field so we can remedy it. Over time, we will get these problematic areas fixed and hopefully, the fields will be playable sooner after a heavy rain.