Fields of dreams

By MARK MAYNARD - The Independent

LEXINGTON April 21, 2008 08:09 am

— Early next month, Brent Goodwin will start cutting grass as part of a summer internship.
But this is no ordinary lawn.
Goodwin, who graduates from the University of Kentucky in May with a degree in Turf Management, has landed an internship as a part of the groundskeeping crew at fabled Fenway Park in Boston.
“I’m pretty excited about it,” says Goodwin, a 23-year-old who graduated from Boyd County High School in 2003. “It was unexpected. I applied for scholarships through the Sports turf management Association. The head guy there (in Boston), Dave Miller, saw my application. He actually called and offered me one of the 12 internships.”
Goodwin and another UK student, Chase Straw from Frankfort, will be working the summer at Fenway Park. They will be roommates, too, subleasing a studio apartment for $1,100 a month.
“It’ll be good to have somebody there you know,” Goodwin said. “There will be plenty of long hours. It’s not a vacation.”
Of course, there are perks.
“You get to watch the Red Sox and maybe even catch a Celtic game to see (former UK star Rajon) Rondo play,” he said.
Being able to put an internship with the Red Sox down on the resume should also help job prospects in the future, Goodwin said.
“It’s a major boost to your resume,” he said.
Goodwin’s hands-on experience at UK helped him land the valuable internship with the Red Sox. He has worked on UK’s football, soccer, baseball and softball fields in a part-time role.
He’s manicured pitching mounds and mowed the turf at Commonwealth Stadium.
Goodwin would like to eventually be a head groundskeeper for a college or professional program.
“I’d love to work here at UK,” he said. “We’re involved with a lot of different sports (fields). If you work for an NFL team, you only have the football field to take care of. Every job comes with its pressure points.”
Goodwin started working for UK athletics as a summer job, a way to help make ends meet. An agriculture and biotechnology major, he found working outside was what he really wanted to do.
“I realized how much more I liked that than being inside all day,” he said. “A lot of students don’t get as much hands-on experience as we do here at UK.”
Goodwin said he’s mowed Commonwealth for game days — it takes about 90 minutes to finish the job — and he also gained some experience with painting logos on the field.
During the last NFL season, he was part of a team of groundskeepers who laid the sod at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field prior to a Monday night game against the Miami Dolphins when it poured the rain. The newly sodded field was turned marshy by the constant rain and the Steelers survived with a 3-0 victory, the lowest-scoring victory in Steeler history.
“We laid the whole field in less than a day and a half,” Goodwin said. “There were a lot of people there.”
Goodwin can’t wait to experience the atmosphere of Fenway Park with all its history and tradition.
“It’s one of the original ballparks still standing,” he said. “I’ve never been there or been to Boston.”
Goodwin expects to be kidded about his Kentucky accent, but he doesn’t mind. The chance to work in one of baseball’s cathedrals makes any kidding well worth it, he said.
“Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to mow there,” he said. “They have some pretty crazy designs. I’m sure I’ll get to change the bases and help them repair the mounds.”
He’s had a lot of experience with mound repair at UK’s field.
Goodwin said he’ll work at Fenway all summer or “as long as they’ll let me.”
After learning some of the groundskeeping trade, he’s also become a more avid sports fan.
“Since getting this job (at UK) and being around it more, I found out what a neat thing it is to be a part of. I got to be there for all the home football games and watched a great (baseball) game against Louisville the other day.”
Goodwin will be going from Big Blue Nation to Red Sox Nation during the first week of May.
“It’s going to be the experience of a lifetime,” he said.
MARK MAYNARD can be reached at mmaynard@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2648.

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