Guelph Turf Alumni Wins STMA Sports Turf Manager of the Year Award

Posted on Wednesday, November 13th, 2019

Written by Cam Shaw

Ross Baron - Guelph Turf Alumni.   Class of 2013
Ross Baron, Field Manager for the Vancouver Canadians Minor League Baseball Team applying water to the infield at Nat Bailey Stadium

Ross Baron, a graduate of the Guelph Diploma in Turfgrass Management (class of 2013), was always a leader among his peers. But what made Ross stand out as a student was his interest in the world of sports turf.  Admittedly, most students in our turf management programs are interested in pursuing careers in the golf sector.  They grew up working on golf courses, they play golf and they likely had someone in that community encourage them to pursue a career as a golf course superintendent or assistant superintendent.  From the moment Ross arrived as a student, he always expressed an interest in the turf world beyond golf - more specifically baseball fields. Baron was wise to do so because with all the other student interest focused on golf, his competition in the sports turf industry was minimal.  In between his first and second year in our DTM program, Ross pursued his internship with the Washing Nationals Baseball Club in Washington DC where he learned state of the art management strategies and methods to maintain top quality conditions at the professional athletic level.  Upon returning to Canada and graduating from the DTM program, Ross immediately moved out West to pursue a position in Vancouver learning more about how public recreational spaces are maintained at the municipal level.  It wasn't long before Ross outgrew this position and found an opportunity with the Vancouver Canadians Minor League Baseball Club as their Field Manager at Nat Bailey Stadium.  Since his arrival, Baron has built a solid grounds team, has overseen a major field renovation project and has been consistently recognized locally, nationally and internationally for his achievements in procuring outstanding turf and playing conditions.

In 2019 Mr. Ross Baron won the Minor League Baseball Sports Turf Manager of the Year Award for the third consecutive time (Click here for the article). Ross was also recently recognized by Turf and Recreation Magazine as one of Canada's top 40 under 40 turfgrass managers (more on that through this Turf and Rec podcast).  Most notable in his list of achievements is Baron's recent recognition on the international scale.  On November 1st of this year, Baron received the distinction of Sports Turf Manager of the Year by the Sports Turf Management Association (STMA).  STMA is a partner association of Sports Turf Canada (STC) and is a leading professional association for sports fields managers around the world. 


Congratulations Ross!

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