FALL WORKSHOP SET WED., SEPT. 22 AT McMURRAY FIELD / ST. PAUL On September 22, plan to be with fellow Turf Managers from the Minnesota Sports Turf Managers Association (MSTMA), the Minnesota Park Supervisors Association (MPSA), the Minnesota Educational Facilities Management Professionals (MASMS), and others from other MTGF associations for a day of education and camaraderie. Cy Kosel from the City of St. Paul will tell the history of Como Park and discuss McMurray’s new natural and synthetic fields. Dr. Eric Watkins, University of Minnesota will talk about some low-input management and breeding projects going on at TROE along with a TROE Center update. Wayne Horman, Scotts, will discuss how to select grasses for the correct usage. Rich Jordan, Astroturf, will talk about changes in the synthetic turf industry and maintenance of synthetic turf. Thomas Wood, Department of Transportation, will be speaking on trail maintenance. There will be opportunities to see and try out the latest in Sports Turf Maintenance equipment for both natural and synthetic turf on McMurray Fields. There will also be a chance to talk to factory representatives and Certified Sports Turf Managers on the use of this equipment, with training on the specific maintenance practices from the experts from MSTMA. REGISTRATION FORM 46 Members See a Variety of Facilities In Chaska/Shakopee Tour-on-Wheels MSTMA held its annual Tour-on-Wheels on August 4. PHOTO TOUR The first stop was at Shakopee Jr. High School at 8:00 a.m. Dale Wysocki, showcased his softball field and football field's lush bluegrass. Shortly before 9 a.m, 46 members boarded the bus and traveled through the old town of Chaska enroute to the Chaska Athletic Park which was established in 1950, Hosts at Chaska were Tim Weibe, Public Works Director for the City of Chaska, Brian Jung, public works foreman for the City of Chaska, and Jeff Schmidt, Reinders, Inc. They talked about the the history of Chaska Athletic Field and some of the difficulties they've dealt with over the years and still deal with. Most of the problems center around water. Located just off the Minnesota River, any overflow creates big time issues. Attendees then moved on to Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska where Certified Golf Course Superintendent Jim Nicol showed the group the improvements being made to the nationally-recognized championship course. The group saw various stages of green construction and seeding. Nicol explained the game plan. Although Hazeltine will host the 2016 Ryder Cup, Nicol insisted that the members were the one's who made the call to close the club and deal with the issues that needed attention. It was not a PGA decision. Mark Erickson hosted the next stop at Canterbury Park. Members learned about Canterbury's facilities and maintenance practices on the grounds track and turf track. Canterbury Park is built on 400 acres. Attendees were able to walk on the track and check out the turf in the infield where races take place. The turf is cut to 6 inches. The last stop was Winter Park, practice home for the Minnesota Vikings Football Club. Grant Davisson showed the group the outdoor practice fields and the indoor practice facility and the maintenance practices that go along with each. Reinders, Inc. sponsored a picnic-style lunch featuring hamburgers, hot dogs, bratwursts, chips, cole slaw and more. Other sponsors of the day included Property Props, The Tessman Company, JRK Seed, Kromer Co., Superior Tech Products and MTI Distributing Inc. 102 Attend MSTMA/MPSA Spring Workshop At the University of St. Thomas on March 31 On March 31, 102 members from MSTMA and MPSA gathered at the University of St. Thomas for the MSTMA / MPSA annual Spring Workshop for education and networking. Fourteen vendors sponsored the event with table top displays. Terry Donahoe, Sports Turf Specialties, covered the expenses of speaker Dr. Dave Minner from the University of Iowa. Paula Sliefert, The Toro Co., led things off with an informative talk and presentation about leadership. Next up was Andrew Rodgers, Landscape Structures, spoke of the Kaizen Management Style employed at their manufacturing facility. Dr. Dave Minner then spoke on various grass topics and athletic field recuperation. After lunch, Paul Edwardson, from the City of Bloomington, enlightened those in attendance about playground, facility safety and how to limit liability. The keynote speaker for the day was College Hall of Fame University of St. Thomas baseball coach Dennis Denning. Dennis' talk focused around the time his baseball team traveled to Cuba. He gave a very articulate talk about the differences in culture that Minnesotans and Cubans have. He also talked about the time the Cubans came to Minnesota to play the UST baseball team. One Cuban defected to the United States on that trip. Spring Workshop Sponsors: + Clearwater Recreation, LLC + CycleWorks Golf Supply + D Ervasti Sales + JRK Seed + MTI Distributing Inc. + Property Props + Reinders, Inc. + Scharber and Sons + Specialty Turf & Ag + Sports Turf Specialties + TerraMax + The Tessman Company + Turfwerks Minnesotans Enjoy a Great Time in Orlando For the 2010 STMA Conference in January The 2010 Conference & Exhibition took place at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort & Convention Center in Lake Buena Vista the week of January 11-16.  READ MORE