BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Toro Company is pleased to announce the second annual Toro Super Bowl Sports Turf Training Program. In January 2004, a selected student will travel – all expenses paid – to Houston to help the grounds crew prepare the field for the Super Bowl.
“Toro has an extensive history of supporting student scholarships and activities,” said John Caron, senior marketing manager of sports turf at Toro. “Toro is thrilled to offer this learning opportunity along with the NFL to encourage turf students to consider sports turf maintenance.”
Toro equipment and representatives have helped prepare the stadium and practice fields since the first Super Bowl in 1967. Toro has forged strong partnerships with many sports venues and events including: various Major League Baseball and National Football League stadiums, university and college stadiums, the Rose Bowl and Disney’s Wide World of Sports.
“The NFL is proud to partner with Toro on this program,” said Jim Steeg, senior vice president of special events for the NFL. “The Toro Super Bowl Sports Turf Training Program reflects our interest in helping trained turf professionals to maintain safe playing conditions at all levels of competitive football.”
Last year’s winner, Loyd Bowman, calls the experience a dream come true. Today, Bowman is head groundskeeper at Trenton Public Schools in Trenton, Mich., with responsibility for the grounds of all six schools, including the athletic fields at the high school and middle school level.
This year’s selected student will experience firsthand what it takes to prepare the field for the Super Bowl, working alongside NFL field managers Ed Mangan and George Toma and the grounds crew prior to the big day. Mangan is the field director at Turner Field in Atlanta, home of Atlanta Braves baseball club and consultant to the NFL. Toma has served as a consultant and advisor to prepare the field for every Super Bowl ever played.
The selected student can expect a variety of experiences including: turf maintenance, field lining, logo painting, irrigation maintenance, field preparation for media day, half time preparation and clean-up.
To be considered for the program, students must complete and submit an application form, as well as a 500-word typed essay, describing where they see themselves professionally in 5 years and what they hope to accomplish during that time. Applicants must be enrolled in at least the second year of a 2-year turf program or in at least their junior year of a 4-year turf program and must be available to work Jan. 25 to Feb. 1, 2004. Entries must be postmarked by Oct. 15, and the winner will be announced Dec. 1.