Groundskeeper Named As Best- Trash Pandas’ Charlie Weaver Battles Mother Nature Daily
MADISON- Come rain or shine, Charlie Weaver is always under the weather. As head groundskeeper at Toyota Field, he has seen cold, hot, wet and dry conditions, all of which can put him on high alert having to maintain the playing surface inside the stadium which is, among other things, home to the Rocket City Trash Pandas.
The North Alabama native and former baseball player at both Bob Jones High School and UAH, is now on “cloud nine” after being named the 2022 Southern League and Minor League Baseball Groundskeeper of the Year.
“This is special as I was not at all expecting these honors,” said Weaver. “I’m blown away by the honors as there are several groundskeepers in the league I still look up to and I feel incredibly special.”
The 28-year old Weaver is in his third season as head groundskeeper and is currently supported with one fulltime employee and one intern, along with five additional staff members on game day. He’s expecting a second fulltime staff member at the end of May. It’s a daily routine he and his staff are under in maintaining the playing field, which is made up of TifTuf Bermuda grass, and is overseeded with perennial ryegrass. The Bermuda is drought tolerant and has exceptional green retention.
The turf is new for the 2023 season as after last year’s college football game between Jacksonville State and North Alabama, the old playing surface was replaced with the new turf of 96-thousand sq. ft. of grass at a cost of $45-thousand. The new playing surface was installed by River Regions Sports Field of Montgomery.
Maintaining a huge sports complex like Toyota Field takes an enormous time, hard work and knowledge. For Weaver, his knowledge began as a small boy growing up in Madison watching his father take care of their lawn at their home. From there, he watched to see how the playing fields were maintained while playing baseball at Palmer Park and later at Bob Jones and UAH. Many times, the players were helpers on the ground crew when he played so he soon became knowledgeable of the skills needed to properly maintain an athletic field. He graduated from Bob Jones High in 2012 and in 2017 from UAH with a degree in cyber security, but his passion was growing and maintaining grass after he hung up his baseball glove and spikes as a player.
He first took an intern position in Wisconsin. From there he took a job in Franklin, Tenn. before returning to Alabama where he was the assistant groundskeeper at the Hoover Met in Birmingham. When the new position at Toyota Field became available, he submitted his resume and was soon on his way to what he called his “dream job.”
“I used to stay up at night and worry about the playing field during all kinds of weather and I would wake up early in the morning to check my weather aps to see what had happened overnight and the forecast for the upcoming day,” added Weaver.
The recent unstable weather here in the Tennessee Valley has been a chore for Weaver and his staff. He said, “The recent weather has not been ideal grass growing conditions as it’s been cool and Bermuda grass needs that warmth to grow and mature. Due to the cool weather, the perennial rye is still prominent.”
When fans first walk into Toyota Field the first site among their view is the playing field and Weaver takes pride in the fact he mows the majority of the grass on a regular basis as he indicated mowing is a time for him to relax and remove himself from the often rigors of life. He and his assistant have a routine down pat where they discuss what possible pattern they would like to mow into the manicured turf.
Weaver and his wife, Jacquelin, will celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary in August. He gives her credit for the huge support she has shown him in his career in athletic fields. Weaver also offers his appreciation to Colby Hunter, who was his assistant last year at Toyota Field, for being a big part of Weaver’s success in the winning of his awards. Weaver also expressed his gratitude to the entire staff of the Trash Pandas for being supportive and very helpful.
“Me and Mother Nature have a special relationship dealing with the weather,” said Weaver, of battling the conditions on his way to his two prestigious awards. “Unfortunately, Mother Nature is undefeated.”
