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The Lake Elsinore Storm Baseball Stadium in the city of Lake Elsinore Wednesday March 19, 2008 presnted by The Greater L.A. Basin and the Southern California Chapters of the Sports Turf Managers Association and hosted by Chris Ralston(head groundskeeper). Come see how the Storm Stadium is being transformed into an environmentally friendly facility. Download the PDF flier with full details below! 
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| New Pictures are posted on the Gallery Page of STMA LA Basin's General Meeting & Athletic Field Maintenance Demonstrations this past October 24 at the Urban Youth Baseball Academy in Compton CA. |
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| STMA LA Basin would like to thank everyone who attended and participated in our 2nd Annual GLAB Sports Turf Seminar & Vendor Expo. Head over to the gallery to see pictures taken at the event. |
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The Mt. San Antonio College Turf Team took first place in the Third Annual Student Challenge at the Sports Turf Managers Association's 18th Annual Conference and Exhibition. The conference was held January 16-21, 2007 in San Antonio, Texas. The team members are Ed Schmachtenberger, David Wolfsbauer, Mike Reed and Cesar Carbajal. The team advisor is Brian Scott, Professor of Horticulture. The Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) Student Challenge consists of several parts. Included in the test are Turfgrass Identification, Selection and Morphology, Soil Management, Soil Fertility, Water Management, Drainage, Turfgrass Mathematics, Pest Identification and Management, Sports Field Management (both turf and non-turf areas), and a case study. This year there were 26 teams competing, consisting of both four year and two year colleges from across the country. Mt. Sac won the national championship in the Two Year College category. In addition to the national recognition the team received at the annual awards ceremony, they also took home a beautiful trophy and a $4,000 award to be used for program development. Way to go team!
The 2007 Mt. Sac Turf Team would like to thank the following sponsors for making it possible for them to compete this year: West Covina Rose Float Foundation, Dow Agro-Sciences, West Coast Turf, Rain Bird, Hunter Industries, and The Greater Los Angeles Basin Sports Turf Managers Association. The cash donations of these organizations fully funded the team's trip this year. We truly could not have done it without your support. Also, a special thanks goes out to Rain Bird, who supplied shirts and jackets to keep the team looking professional. |
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Mt. San Antonio College Students Ed Schmachtenberger and Chris Romo won two of the three scholarships awarded to community college students at the Sports Turf Managers Association's 18th Annual Conference and Exhibition. The conference was held January 16-21, 2007 in San Antonio, Texas. The awards were made possible through the fundraising efforts of the SAFE Foundation. Ed Schmachtenberger was awarded the top national honor in the two year college category by receiving the Dr. Fred Grau Scholarship. Ed is beginning his second year of classes here at Mt. Sac. He has not only excelled in each of his classes, he has finished at or near the top of each class. Ed is one of our many students who have come back to college later in life, trying to improve his knowledge and his marketable job skills. He is very serious about his studies, but he has a great sense of humor at the same time. In addition to taking classes, Ed is employed at California Baptist University in Riverside, California. Amongst his many responsibilities are the sports fields. This is why he has joined the STMA at the local and national levels, and why he is seeking his certificate in Sports Turf Management. Last year, the week before we were preparing to leave for Orlando for the Collegiate Student Challenge, one of our team members had to drop out. I put the call out to our students for a replacement, and Ed stepped up to the plate and joined our team. That is the kind of person he is. Congratulations Ed, you deserve it! Our second scholarship winner was Chris Romo. Chris won the SAFE 2-Year Program Scholarship Award. He is in his final year of our certificate program and he plans on pursuing his degree in horticulture. If I had a scale for measuring passion for sports turf management, Chris would be off the charts. Chris currently works for Eric Hansen at Dodger Stadium. A few years back, Eric told Chris that if he wanted to advance in this industry, then he needed to start taking classes and working toward a degree. Chris has taken that advice and ran with it. He has been involved in our program ever since.. In addition to taking classes and working at Dodger Stadium, I have recently hired Chris to take care of our turf plots. Chris has been instrumental in getting several pieces of equipment back on line, and giving the turf plots the detailed attention they need. He calls me at least once a week to talk about what needs to be done that week and in subsequent weeks..
As if all of this was not enough, Chris is very involved in the local Little League Program. He volunteers his time and knowledge to help improve the playing fields for the kids. I can see the excitement in his eyes when he tells me about some of the projects he has been able to complete. Way to go Chris, you are a worthy recipient of this scholarship! |
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Back in 2000 when the Greater L.A. Basin Chapter of S.T.M.A. was just a dream, I began by contacting Dr. Kent Kurtz of Cal Poly Pomona who I had met at the 1999 conference in Mesa, AZ. He suggested that I talk to members from our area at the next (2001) conference in Tamp, FL. From those discussions were the very first meetings to discuss the formation of what was to become the Greater L.A. Basin Chapter. Because ‘Doc’ was so instrumental in those early meetings and always there when there were questions, I believe it fitting that as a tribute to his life, work in our industry and guidance in forming this chapter that we should support the “Dr. Kent W. Kurtz Scholarship Endowment” at Cal Poly Pomona.
The funds goal is to raise $10,000.
Donations are tax deductible and should be sent to: You can also contact Ms. Moyer at (909) 869-2728 if you have any questions. Donations should note that it is to be directed to the Dr. Kent W. Kurtz Scholarship Endowment” Your donations can also be made on-line at Cal Poly Pomona’s secured web server and going to GiveToCalPolyPomona.com Once there, simply click on the “Click Here to Make a Gift” button and a form will pop-up. After you have entered your gift amount you can select “Instead of area of greatest need, I prefer to designate my gift to:” and type in “Dr. Kent W. Kurtz Turf Scholarship Endowment”
Green side up, |
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| Imagine a park with "Big League Dreams." Picture yourself playing in the park. This is the concpet behind the sports facility where we held our general meeting June 4, 2003. Big League Dreams is an idea that has been put into fruition which not only provides a venue for softball leagues and little leagues to compete in but helps meet the demands for new parks. |
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| The Chapter Board Members would like to thank everyone who donated their precious time, equipment and hard work at Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday, May 10, 2003. A few of our members and a number of students participated in assisting Dr. Ken Kurtz and Cal Poly Pomona in the renovation of their athletic fields. Aeration and top dressing was the order of the day. |