2011 Athletic Field Maintenance Forums schedule announced

BLOOMINGTON, MN — This year marks the fifth annual Athletic Field Maintenance Forums hosted by The Toro Company, Diamond Pro and Beacon Athletics. The Forums are a series of educational seminars that highlight best practices in sports field management for the turf industry.

The comprehensive sessions combine hands-on and classroom instruction with proven techniques and skills to enhance field maintenance knowledge.

The Forums seminars are scheduled in six locations across the U.S. in 2011, including:

• Wednesday, March 9, City of Bixby, Bixby, OK
• Wednesday, April 27, Columbus Clippers, Columbus, OH
• Wednesday, May 25, Sugar Sand Community Center, Boca Raton, FL
• Wednesday, Aug. 17, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI
• Wednesday, Sept. 28, Council Bluffs Recreation Complex, Council Bluffs, IA
• Tuesday, Oct. 25, Hoover East Park, Hoover, AL

The Forums will cover a broad range of topics including an in-depth look at infield soils; sport turf essentials such as aerification, topdressing, mowing and irrigation; managing ballfield skin areas (mounds, home plate and infield areas); bullpen Q&A session; and on-field demonstrations.
Individuals can register to attend one of the Forums seminars at BeaconAthletics.com/seminars.

Featured speakers include:

• Dale Getz, CSFM, CSE sports turf sales manager for Toro. Previously, he was athletic facilities manager at the University of Notre Dame for 17 years.
• Boyd Montgomery, CSFM, CSE, commercial district sales manager for Toro, and former facilities and maintenance director at Sylvania Recreation Corp. Montgomery has published numerous articles on sports turf management and operations.
• Paul Zwaska from Beacon Athletics, and former head groundskeeper for the Baltimore Orioles. Zwaska has 31 years of grounds experience.
•  Tom Burns from Diamond Pro, and former head groundskeeper for the Texas Rangers. Burns is widely known and respected as one of the top groundskeepers in Major League Baseball.

Forums attendees will have hands-on learning experiences with real-world strategies so they can improve both the safety and playability of their fields.

“The importance of fostering and improving professionalism within the sports turf industry and the need to promote safe sports turf areas is
the focus of these forums,” says Dale Getz, CSFM, CSE sports turf sales manager for Toro.

Participants attending an Athletic Field Maintenance Forum will earn 0.6 CEUs in Continuing Education Points toward their Certified Sports Field Managers (CSFM) designation. The Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) certification program recognizes the importance of fostering and improving professionalism within the sports turf industry.

To learn more about this seminar series, visit the Athletic Field Maintenance Forums video on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/toro#p/c/6E4D88074C2DB22E/1/9g14sxO1Gkc