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working and getting to know many of the board members through my prior work experiences . It helps being familiar with the group and the 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 : When you started the job how did you come to understand all aspects of the industry ? Trenton 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

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 ?

34 SportsField Management | July 2024 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com