TURFCO / MPSTMA FIELD OF YEAR
Printable Application
FIELD OF THE YEAR APPLICATION
Please fill in the information requested in the form below.
The application must include the following: Minimum of five (5) and maximum of fifteen (15) 5" x 7" color photos of field and maintenance procedures, a brief description of the field, and an entry form.
CRITERIA:
> Located in the state of Minnesota.
> Resourcefulness of staff, budget, maintenance practices, challenges in the management of the athletic field.
> Condition and aesthetics of the athletic field.
> Number and type of games and/or events.
> Previous recipients may re-apply if all requirements/applications are met.
School, Park District or Agency owning this Field:
Name of Field / Complex:
Street Address, City, State, Zip Code
_____ Age of Field (in years)
________________________________________ Type of Field (Baseball, Football, Soccer, Lacrosse, etc.)
Natural Grass or Synthetic Turf?
____________________Size of Field (in acres) ______________________ Overall Acreage
Annual Maintenance Budget for this Field: ____________________________________
________ Number of staff employed to maintain field:
_______ Full Time _______ Seasonal
What type of irrigation: Automatic Manual Both None
Does your field have sports lighting? Yes No
Type of equipment used to maintain your field:
Type of maintenance program you employ (fertilization, aeration, topdressing, seeding, etc.):
How many months or days of the year is your field used? months and/or days
Number of games played on your field or throughout your facility:
What type of events are held on your field?
What special maintenance challenges have you encountered?
Why do you think your field is one of the best?
I certify that the information on this form and in the accompanying entry is accurate to the best of my knowledge. I understand that no material will be returned to me and may be used, if I win an award for publication and promotional purposes.
Send completed entries and photos to:
MPSTMA
P.O. Box 617
Wayzata, MN 55391
Mayo Field Awarded Minnesota Sports Field of the Year
City of Rochester Parks and Recreation is Recognized for Innovative Maintenance to Energize a Historic City Ballfield
Rochester’s Mayo Field was recognized as the 2017 Field of the Year by the Minnesota Park and Sports Turf Managers Association. This is the eighth consecutive year of the award sponsored by Turfco Manufacturing, which recognizes a Minnesota athletic facility for outstanding maintenance, aesthetics and overall playing conditions. The award was presented to city of Rochester Parks and Recreation employees John Munson, Andy Olson, Jordan Kuzma, Nathan Siebrecht and Nick Lewison during the MPSTMA’s annual meeting on Jan. 2.
“This made my year,” Munson said. “It’s an exciting time for Mayo Field.”
Munson has been with Rochester’s Parks and Recreation department for 30 years, but this was his first overseeing the care and maintenance of the city’s baseball and softball fields with his coworkers in the parks division – 60 ballfields in total, with Mayo Field as the premier. The field supports the Rochester Honkers baseball team, as well as local youth, high school and collegiate teams.
It’s the parks division team’s effort, he said, that has led to positive comments by coaches, players and fans who frequent the field. During 2017, Munson - pictured on the right with Greg Brodd - said they continued transitioning the three-acre field to low-mow bluegrass, which is helping to reduce weeds on the turf, and focused on “small wows” to make the field look better than ever.
These included:
+ Using a verticutting mower once a week alongside the field’s normal mowing schedule to reduce thatch and increase airflow to turf, which allowed plants to stand more vertical and enhanced plant health.
+ Changes in water management that helped with field conditions and water efficiency.
+ Slightly widening the running lanes to reduce ag-lime spillover into grass during field grooming, which gave the field cleaner lines and increased productivity by reducing time spent hand-raking the lanes.
+ Using a tiller late in the season to turn over ag-lime reduced springtime effort to eliminate weeds and edge running lanes, and reduced costs of replacing ag-lime material.
“I just tried to do the little things to raise the bar but without breaking the bank,” Munson said. “I had coaches, I had players, I had people that have always come to the field to watch games walk up and say, ‘it’s different around here, and it’s a good different.”
The current stadium has supported generations of baseball fans since it was built in 1951, and Munson said the field’s history is part of what makes it special to him, and to residents, visitors and players.
“The commitment that John Munson and his coworkers have to providing innovative maintenance to a beloved community field, caring for dozens more across a city, and being conscientious of a taxpayer budget is exemplary,” said Greg Brodd, Turfco regional sales manager and MPSTMA member. “Turfco is proud to sponsor this program and we want to continue spotlighting the work of city and school sports turf managers across Minnesota.”
The Field of the Year is chosen from entries by a panel of MPSTMA members. Fields must be located in Minnesota and the panel considers the resourcefulness of staff, budget, maintenance practices and challenges in the management of the sports field in determining winners. Last year’s Field of the Year award was given to CHS Field in St. Paul.
For more information on the MPSTMA, visit www.mpstma.org.
