The following is an interview with Minnesota Park and Sports Field Management Association (MPSFMA) President Trenton Waters, grounds manager, Minnesota Twins.
Q: When you started the job how did you come to understand all aspects of the industry?
Waters: When I started the job, I felt like I had a great understanding of all aspects of the industry, because I have worked/interned in professional sports, parks and recreation and the golf course industry. They all relate to each other in one way or another and my experience in all of them has been beneficial in where I am today.
Q: What experiences in your career prepared you to take over leadership of the MPSFMA?
Waters: I believe the experiences that have prepared me to take over leadership of the MPSFMA have been serving on the WSFMA board while I was working for the Brewers, and the number of years I have been around Minnesota working and getting to know many of the board members through my prior work experiences. It helps when you are familiar with the group and people I will be working with.
Q: What are your current responsibilities at Target Field and/or with the Minnesota Twins?
Waters: My current role with the Twins is grounds manager. I help manage seasonal staff throughout the year and make sure we are maintaining Target Field to professional standards. We are also responsible for all the events that take place between homestands – concerts, batting practices, golf, football, hockey, etc. In winter we are in charge of plowing and melting snow.
Q: How did you first become involved in sports field management and how did you first become involved with MPSFMA?
Waters: I first became involved in sports field management with the Minnesota Vikings in 2010 when I interned at Winter Park. It was a wonderful experience and really started to open my eyes to the sports turf side of things being I had only worked in golf prior. When I was an intern for the Vikings, Grant Davisson brought me along to a few MPSFMA functions and that is where I got to meet a handful of people involved in MPSFMA. In January of 2022 I was elected to the VP role for the MPSFMA.
Q: How has your career benefitted from being a member of MPSFMA?
Waters: Being that I have only been on the board here for one year, it has already benefited my career through the people I have met. The more connections and peers you can attain will only pay off in the future.
Q: What specific challenges do sports field managers at the professional level face that differ from their peers in other management categories?
Waters: Everyone has unique challenges wherever they are at any level, but some of the specific challenges we have here at Target Field are all the extra events on top of all the baseball games. Weather issues during games/events present a unique challenge as well.
Q: What are your passions and interests outside of work?
Waters: Some of my passions and interests outside of work are playing golf, spending as much time with family and friends as I can, and just trying to relax and turn my brain off for a while. I like road trips when I can take them; and now that I am a father, making memories with my kids.
Q: What are the biggest issues facing the MPSFMA today?
Waters: I think some of the biggest issues facing MPSFMA today are finding young and passionate people who want to be involved in the sports field management industry. So many young professionals are motivated and excited to start a new role, but then start to get burned out because they are not aware of how much it takes to get the job done. Part of this is all the events that are being booked at certain venues with a lack of staffing, budget and work/life balance.
Q: What are the most important changes you’ve seen in sports field management?
Waters: I think some of the most important changes are the different technologies we have now to get the information we need or want. We now have robots that mow and paint fields.
Q: If you watch old footage from NFL Films what memories are stirred up when you see some of the field situations from “back in the day”?
Waters: Some memories that come to light are highlights of the ice bowl and how hard that field must have been, any of the games that were played in large amounts of rain with players sliding all over the place, and also the original AstroTurf some stadiums had.
Q: You know a lot of sports field managers. What are they saying are the biggest obstacles to overcome to be successful?
Waters: Time management, work life balance and flexibility. With all the events and hours being consumed at bigger stadiums and even smaller venues we must figure out ways to manage our time effectively. We must hire the right staff and be able to manage them effectively without burning them out. We must make it a fun environment to work in as well.
Q: What’s your favorite on-field maintenance task that you still enjoy performing?
Waters: Seeding our wear areas with pre-germinated seed. I like to see the results after going through the process. I also enjoy off days where we can pound out some projects and it’s just us groundskeepers on the field.
Q: Who would be included at the table if you could dine with anyone, living or dead?
Waters: Prince, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Randy Moss.
– Content provided by MPSFMA
