The hard work the Altoona Curve grounds crew have done throughout the years — when it was formerly known as Blair County Ballpark — and their tireless efforts today can readily be seen by passersby and game attendees.

Aaron Smith, a native of the Hollidaysburg area, now serves as the field operations manager for the Curve. Smith, who has a turf grass management degree from Penn State, initially didn’t have the desire to get into his current line of work.

“I went to Lebanon Valley College my first year,” Smith said. “I was studying accounting.”

Smith realized that he “didn’t really want to sit in an office all day.”

Barry Galczynski (from left), Rick Cence, Adam Boslet and Field Operations Assistant Garrett Apel drag the infield between innings.

“I started working with the Curve my first summer after college. I was kind of a gameday guy and I really liked it,” Smith said. “I ended up transferring to Penn State and got a degree in turf grass.”

He started working for the Curve and for a couple golf courses after graduating, and also worked at Penn State’s Medlar Field at Lubrano Park while attending school there. Now with the Curve, he manages a staff of just one other full-time employee while the rest of the grounds crew is made up of part-time workers, and sometimes, interns.

“My gameday guys — some of them are school teachers and work other jobs,” Smith said. “It’s kind of like a part-time job they enjoy.”

“There’s a ton of extra stuff that goes into it that it takes a special person to be able to do it, and to be able to do it well,” Curve General Manager Nate Bowen said of groundskeeping.

During game days when the Curve typically has a 6 p.m. first pitch, the grounds crew’s day usually starts about 9 a.m. if the weather cooperates. They mow the field, and water the infield a few times throughout the day.

Craig Replogle lines a baseline.

They also get done any other tasks around and on the field that may need completed before the Curve players start work.

“We have to have everything done and ready and get batting practice set up for them by 1 p.m.,” Smith said. “The Curve is usually on the field, and then the visiting team will get on for about an hour. And then we have an hour before the game to get it lined, and get it ready for a 6 p.m. start.”

During the game, the grounds crew will drag the field every three innings, then, once the game is over, complete postgame work before heading home.

During rain delays, it usually takes more than just the grounds crew to roll out the tarp over the infield — that’s where Bowen and the front office staff come into play.

“We don’t have a big grounds crew like the major league teams do,” Bowen said. “Our whole front office are the ones who put the tarp on and off the field.”

Craig Replogle paints the Curve logo behind the catcher's box.

There is a lot of discussion about when to put the tarp on, depending on the amount of rain expected or the weather system coming through.

“I talk with Aaron a lot about if we should put it on or we shouldn’t put it on,” Bowen said.

Smith and his crew are also in charge of setting up for high school games, such as the Curve Classic high school baseball tournament held every April. The Curve also holds special events like the Miranda Lambert concert in June.

Taking care of the grounds isn’t a job that just anybody can walk in and do well.

“It’s a specialized field that not everyone is capable of doing,” Bowen said. “It sounds easy, like everybody cuts their grass at their house, but there’s a lot more to maintaining that aspect of it. There’s a lot going into maintaining the integrity of the infield.

Adam Boslet (from left), Ty Szynal, Chris Krozel and Field Operations Assistant Garrett Apel drag the infield between innings.

There’s also a lot that goes into setting up the field for practices, including setting up screens and bags, and that work also falls under the grounds crew purview.

“It’s a lot of hours during the season. Different teams want different things,” Bowen said. “Some teams come out really early and do work on the field. Other teams have unique setups they want for different drills. You really have to adapt in that position.”

In the minor leagues, the objective for players and umpires is to someday make it to the major leagues. The idea can be the same for the grounds crew if they have a desire to move up in the business.

“I’ve known a lot of guys who have started at Single-A teams, and went to Double-A teams and went up to Triple-A,” Smith said. “It just kind of depends where you want to end up. If you do well at one place, you can get a job higher up, whether it be Triple-A or MLB. It works the same way.”

Smith is an outdoors person, which is a big factor in why he enjoys the job.

“I think the best part about it is, once we get a game started, to step back and see how good the field looks and the stadium is filled,” he said. “That’s the best part — to see all of our work come together.”