o rNO UF OTT' 0 )fN' r()ij','IJ"

R M I ILW ~UK"We're a team," explains Gary

Vandenberg, director of grounds forthe MilwaukeeBrewers BaseballClub, when speak-ing of assistantDave Mellor."Dave and Igetalong very welland think a lotalike. Davehandles theday-to-day

scheduling of the crew whileDave Mellor (left) Ihandle the budgeting andand Gary Vandenberg management chores."

One thing they both agree on is JohnDeere. "Our John Deere equipment allowsus to do a better job," says Mellor. "Forexample, the 1200A is so fast and efficientthat we can groom the entire infield in justfive minutes. That means we can go out andsmooth the skinned area between pregamebatting and infield practices. Players appreciate

II" Ithat extra touch."I' Vandenberg and Mellor's equipmentI~® fleet includes a John Deere 1200A Field

OfficialGolf CourseEquipmentSupplier

R···:···:····O·.·.··.··················· TP; :: .1; ~~:F' ~d \ ~i, \ ,

Rake, 2653 Utility Mower, 220 Greens Mower,Gator" Utility Vehicles, and 1800 Sprayer.

''The 1800 is like a Cadillac," saysVandenberg. "You have all the controls atyour fingertips and the wide boom allowsyou to make fewer passes. I've never seenanything better."

"If one thing stands out about the JohnDeere equipment, it's that we've hadvirtually no downtime," concludes Mellor.''We count on themachines and theyhaven't let us down -and that goes for theentire John Deereorganization."

For the name ofyour nearest distrib-utor, or free literature,call 800-537-8233.Or write John Deere,PO Box 12217, RT~NC 27709-960l.www.deere.com

NOTHING RUNS LIKE A DEERE®

spllrtsTURfPROGRAM

~~Managers Association

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THESPORTS TURF MANAGERS ASSOCIATION

STMA OFFICERSPRESIDENT MIKE SCHILLERPAST PRESIDENT GREG PETRYPRESIDENT-ELECT STEPHEN GUISECOMMERCIAL VICE PRESIDENT HENRY INDYK, PH.D.SECRETARY EUGENE MAYERTREASURER RICH MOFFITISTMA BOARD MEMBERS L. MURRAY COOK,BUCKY TROTIER, MARY OWEN, BOB PATI, BOB CURRYEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR STEVE TRUSTYSTMAOFFICE1375 ROLLING HILLS LOOP, COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA 51503

PHONE: (800) 323-3875E-MAIL: TrustyTips@aol.comWEB SITE: http://www.aip.com/STMA

MAGAZINE STAFF

VICE PRESIDENT/GROUP PUBLISHER COLLEEN MURPHY

EDITOR JIM WILLIAMS

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SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES CALL (609) 786-6805

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DIRECTOR/MIS SUZANNE DELAHANTY

sportsTURF MagaZine (ISSN 1061-687X) is published monthly byAdams Business Media. Material in this publication may not be reproducedor photocopied in any form without the written permission of the publlsher.

Copyright © 1997. Member of theBusiness Publications Audit of Circulation, Inc.

SUBSCRIPTION RATESONE YEAR $40 TWO YEARS $65

FOREIGN (ONE YEAR) $65· $130 Airmail or Single Copy $5CHANGE OF ADDRESS AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

Provide old mailing label and new address; include ZIP or postal code.Allow 6-8 weeks for change. Send correspondence regarding subscriptionservice to: sportsTURF, P.O. Box 10515, Riverton, NJ 08076-0515,(609) 786-6805.PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID at Cathedral City, CA and atadditional mailing offices.

Postmaster: Please send change of address to sportsTURF,P.O.Box 10515, Riverton, NJ 08076-0515.

JAN UARY 1998VOLUME 14 , NUMBER 1

MAIN EVENTS8 Mike Schiller -

sports TURF's Manager of the YearAsk anyone about Mike Schiller,and before you get words, you get asmile. He isa genuinely nice guy, a standout, standup man of com-mitment. Mike not only lives up to his principles, he sweeps others alongwith him on the straight and narrow path of dedication. Thismagazine ishonored to name him Manager of the Year for 1998.

12 Making the Most of Trade Shows and SeminarsTrade shows can be a welcome break from the daily grind - a chanceto step away from the demands of the office, get new ideas, and thinkabout the big picture. Sport turf contractor Jim Puhalla relies on them tostay current, and shares ways he's found to make attending tradeshows and seminars an inVigorating, useful enterprise.

16 Taking a Closer Look at RootzonesUsing the latest imaging technology, sports turf agronomist MichaelDePew has been taking microscopic photographs of rootzones and soilprofiles to see what makes them tick. He has reason to believe this willresult in better field constructions for turf managers.

32 Milwaukee Brewers' Rainy Day MiracleWhen the ordinary suddenly becomes extraordinary, well-defined pro-cedures, teamwork, innovative planning and persistence can pull offvictory. Imagine yourself in the trenches with the Milwaukee Brewers'grounds crew and slosh in their shoes through a devastating rain lastsummer.

LINE-UPCalendarFront OfficeTip 0' the MonthSTMA MessageApplicator's LogSTMA in Action

5667

2228

37 Q&A

37 Rookies

4 7 Classifieds

47 Ad Index

42 Front LinesOn the Cover:

The Milwaukee Brewers' grounds crew "do the wave" - anemergency technique that helped save their field last summer.

Photo by: David Mellor.Inset: Mike Schiller - sportsTURF's Manager of the Year.Photo

courtesy: Trusty& Associates.

4 sports TURF • http://www.sportsturfonline.com

EVENTSJanuary 15-March 19

Principles of Plant Growth;Riverside, Calif. Thursdays, 6-9 p.m.Tuition: $280. Contact: UCRExtension, Natural SciencesDepartment. Phone: (909) 787-5804.Fax: (909) 787-7374. E-mail: sci-ences®Ucx.ucr.edu. Web site:http://www. unex. ucr.edu.

January 16Golf Course Superintendents

Association of America (GCSAA) edu-cation seminar: "The Microbiology ofTurfgrass Soils;" Columbus, Ohio.Contact: GCSAA. Phone: (785) 841-2240 or (800) 472-7878. Web site:http://www.gcsaa.org.

-Jarruary 19GCSAA seminar: "Design,

Construction and Maintenance ofChemical Storage Facilities;"Indianapolis, Ind. Contact: see Jan. 16entry above.

January 19GCSAA seminar: "The

Superintendent As Grow-InManager;" Richmond, Va. Contact: seeJan. 16 entry above.

January 19-22Professional Horticulture

Conference of Virginia, Ltd., andTrade Show. Phone: (757) 523-4734.Fax: (757) 366-9604.

January 19-22Turf Equipment Mechanics

Advanced Training School, sponsoredby NYSTA, GCMA and SUNY; Delhi,N.Y. Cost: $650. Contact: DominicMorales at (607) 746-4413; or SteveLucas at (508) 671-5477.

January 19-2268th Annual Michigan Turfgrass

Conference; Lansing, Mich. Contact:Kay. Phone: (517) 321-1660.

...January 19-23

Cornell Turfgrass ManagementShort Course; Ithaca, N.Y. Contact:Cornell University. Phone: (607) 255-1792.

January 20-21GCSAA seminar: "Design,

Construction and Renovation forIPM;" Colorado Springs, Colo.Contact: see Jan. 16 entry above.

WEST COASTURF

OWERS ANDTALLERS OF

1UM QUALITYND STOLONS

PO. Box 4563, Palm Desert, CA 92261 (800) 447-1840

Call 1(800) 817-1889 use FastFax# 1020198 and/or Circle 102 on Postage Free Card

January 1998 5

THE FRONT OFFICET

OPINION PAGEWho's Got t~~ :J{ey?

II T;~;:;!J;~:::~~~fu~~M::g:~ll~eg~~··V V for 1997, and welcome Mike Schiller, hisv;erywor-thy successor. . . . . >. .;.

In passing the mantle;'Floyd proposes- a New Year's '.~esolution: take adva~~flg~;.of STMt¥s ~g~cational oppor:tunities! They include more than this magazine and theannual national xonfgrence. The local chapters havesequally helpful newsletters and meetings, and the STMA

has recently introduced its own certification program. Follow Floyd's advice:y~~~H fin~~~:y.s to your success.

NewiYear's ResolutionB~:Floyd Perry

At every turfgrass conference,. tra~~ .s~ow ?r field day, .•~l?0rts field ma~-~gers look for "the one key" to creating better, safer, more efficiently main~"tained facilities.. .•".'

Progressive groundskeepers talk in small groups, listen to college profes-and discuss innovative ideas onhow;itounlock the sports-field-mainte-s

nance vault. Managers look at the latest e9uip~en~, try thenevv~st snake-oilformulas and read fancy color advertising' piee,es, hoping to find the one key"t~ilt will make ~heir fields look and play bett~~~1?:~ntheir neighbors' at halfthe cost. That's everyone's goal: find the key!

'W"J.:.i;;iAt~r~Qent;G:roundsMaintenance Services workshop, I asked the audi-enc,e, 'JVha~is~?e ~derlying key to athletic fieldIIlaintenance?" TlJ.ey sup-

"plied many';answers: bigger budgets, more manpower,' quality irrigation, bet-t~~.feedingfllld .•~eeding schedules, sufficiently ame.tlde~ sub-soil; s~?-~urfacedrainage, more efficient aeration and other equipment, new parts for oldequipment," ..tb;~,list goes on and on........ .. ")iT

One yOlmg female groundskeeper raised her hand late ill the discussionan~ suggested that the number one key to success ather fields was education. (

......~! ..of~~~ c2Pc~~s apove areg,~e~~~s~~~~~t.abasic ~.tl~~rstanding of ce~ain.: 'runda.IilentaF culturai practices built on a strong educational foundation. ' ,

s •..... /;;f?l:'z;~~agwle, suppose Y01-l~+9~BaJ1;we.tl~just. purch~~d~nd installed the ..... la~st and' g;reatest irrigation'system witll·.all the bells and whisttes'llf y~urst~ff doesn't have a solid understandi~g of the sub-soil composition, the local.;;ey~potranspiration ~nd other. ,cliIIl.:~ticya~ables in your area~angt~~ s~a~o~:

!/alplaying schedule, your sportstmf can' suffer from over/under'wa\enng orincorrect clock schedules.: ,i"' .....?y........ ...<;

,Each of us constantly reads 'about, innovative methods from researchersand more efficient equipmen~Jroxi\.;m~uf~cturers that may help our fields. Assports field personnel, we ne~~ acerla!~ a~ount of background knowledge tolink the written word with toe rea1world~:pur situations.

Taking the leading rol: i~ ..f~~~ti~~i~~Bli~~du~ational platform - espe-ciaIly with its new Certified Spo~s Manager program - is your own STMA.If you wish to find tbe HkeY",~qY:B~rB}'Yl:l~Wa!.~.palj;of the athletic field puz-zle, the STMA can h~lp withJts l~ade}ship .and me~bership advantages.

·cc."Keys - we all have them:et.caJDke~s, nouse keys; office keys, safety depositb~~)ke~~,?~~it;.:vou'}e lo?:kins!o~~~~pecilj~. ~f:Y to:unlock the m:vsteries sur-

>"rounding your athletic fieldsl"looKno wnner·tIiari. the STMA. . -,:Rerp.~m~~r,turf~0'Y~;P>:,tpc;l ..IDch,~nd;.~f3kQ\edpy tbe fqot.1:hat'~a gpQd,,"k~Yto' start With. ' . . . .

6 sports TURF • http://www.sportsturfonline.com

TIP 0' THEMONTH------ T ------

Keep YourTop On!By Al Hollinger

If you main-'--- _tain trees, do yourself a favor: don'ttop them, ever.

In some areas, topping is a commonpractice perpetuated by "profession-als" who don't know their jobs. Theevidence for never topping trees isoverwhelming:

1. Rotting. Rot-causing pathogensenter the tree through large openwounds left by topping.

2. Sunburn. Topping damageslower branches that are normallyshaded and protected from the harm-ful effects of intense sunlight.

3. Wind Resistance. Toppingincreases the chance of wind damaginga tree. Topping removes a tree's foodsource. The tree responds by quicklyreplacing the lost foliage with limbsweakly attached to the main trunkand massive suckers that don't allowthe wind to pass through the tree.

4. Cost. Because of the effects oftopping (poor structure, suckering,rapid growth), topped trees requiremore maintenance: more money.

5. Increased Liability. Ironicallytrees are topped to "decrease" liability.The opposite is true. It is well estab-lished that topping is an improperpractice causing unhealthy, unsafe

I trees by increasing the chance ofbranch or tree failure .

6. Aesthetically Offensive.Topping destroys the natural symme-try of a tree. Topped trees are.appraised at lower values than prop-erly maintained trees.

If a tree overgrows its place, don'ttop; it is safer and more economical toremove the tree and plant a smallervariety that will not outgrow thespace.

Al Hollinger is an ISA certifiedarborist for Tree Rite, Palm Desert,Calif The above is reprinted by per-mission from the October 1997 issue ofSouthwest Trees & Turf, Las Vegas,Nev.

If you have a tip to share, send it tosportsTURF, 68860 Perez Rd.,Cathedral City, CA 92234.

STMAMESSAGE

Two years ago, I was handedthe reins of STMA as yourpresident. I've been fortu-

nate to be a part of STMA's growth- notonly in number~, but in theservices we provide our members.This growth is the by-product ofthe hard work of some very specialpeople. As I hand over the reins ofthe presidency, I take this opportu-nity to thank them.

First} thanks to SteveQuise, pres-ident-elect; Henry Indyk, commer-cial vice president; Eugene Mayer,secretary; Rich Moffitt, treasurer; L.Murray Cook, Bucky Trotter, MaryOwen, Bob Patt and Bob Curry, ourboard ...members; andi:,Greg Petry,immediate past president. They havegiven their time and talents to helpmake this one of the hardest workingboards STMA has ever had and arekey to our success.

To Mike Trigg (chair), Troy Smith,

Thanks for a Great Run!K~nNorkosky and all the people whohave worked on the raffle/silent auc-tion committee, thank you. Thankyou, too, to all of you who have con-tributed items and joined in the bid-ding and raffle processes. They havegenerated funds for our scholarshipsand provided some fun in theprocess.

To all of you who have volunteeredto work on a committee, thanks! I'mgrateful for your dedication and ser-vice. A special thanks to those whohave worked on the education andconference committees. Our annualprogram has grown each year, and isan even better event because of you.

I thank every member of STMAfor your support. You have helpedSTMA grow and become a leader inthe turf industry. I challenge each ofyou to take an active part in theorganization. There's lots to do -and you'll gain more than you'll evergive ..

I thank Fred and Rosalie Stice,whose encouragement early in mycareer helped steer me into the turfindustry. I also thank my employersover the past 15 years for allowingme to become so actively involved inSTMA' I owe special thanks to theSchaumburg and Rolling Meadows

~~Managers Association

Park Districts .•..for allowing/me toserve as president-elect and presi-dent these past four years.

Last and most importantly, Ithank the most important people inmy life: my /9~ildren., -E.li~:~P~~~,Jennifer, Matt and John -' and mylovely wife of 26 years, Charlotte.Your patience, understanding andloving support have helped makethese last few years speed by.

Our fUFure: i~ strong. ST~hasgrown and continues to groW: Wehave a record number of studentmembers, all with much to offer thesports turf industry and our associa-tion. At the same time, we are draw-ing on. the .experiehce of th~y.g~stthrough our Past Presidents Council,and through the input of other long-term STMA members.

I'm pleased to say we're keepingalive the dream of my dear friendHarry "Pops" Gill. Iknown~'d ..heproud of us. I ask you to continue tosupport STMA as your new presidentand board take over. I'm sure they'llcontinue to lead us forward.

Thanks for a great run!

January 1998 7

SRel1~[QHlunon'ine.comT~

Manager of theYear Schiller (right) receives an award from Dr. Bill Daniel.Photo courtesy: Mike Trigg.

Mike Schiller - sportsTURF's Manager of the Year

Ask anyone about MikeSchiller, and before you getthe words, you get the smile.

This is a genuinely nice guy, a stand-out, standup, man of commitment.Mike not only lives up to his principles,he sweeps others along with him onthe straight and narrow path of dedi-cation.

We'll recount his work history, hisrecord of service to the industry, hislist of accomplishments and well-deserved awards. But you've really"gotta" talk to his vast network offriends and colleagues and hear theheartfelt way he talks about them toget the true measure of this man.

His excitement about the future ofthe sports turf industry and for theSports Turf Managers Association is so .great his enthusiasm is contagious.

Developing a PatternWhat led Mike to this profession?

Maybe it was his love of the Cubs andfascination with Wrigley Field; maybethe example of Fred Stice, his mentorin that first golf course job; or ofMaster Sergeant Floyd Hughes duringhis Air Force days. Maybe it was theencouragement of Ed Metcalf andRandy Illg of the parks-and-rec pro-

gram at Harper College. Maybe it wasthe connection with Harry Gill, or theinfluence of Dr. Bill Daniel, DickEricson, George Toma, David Frey, Dr.Kent Kurtz, Steve Wightman, GregPetry, ... the list goes on and on.

Maybe it was the steadfast supportand encouragement of his wife,Charlotte, and their four children, ofhis mom, his brothers, ... maybe it wasthis whole combination of people,events and circumstances and thensome that shaped the package that isMike Schiller.

Mike worked on the golf course for

8 sports TURF • http://www.sportsturfonline.com

Stice while studying for an associate ofarts degree. He graduated from HarperCollege in August of 1969.

Reluctant to borrow more funds forcollege, Schiller joined the Air Force inNovember of 1969. Soon he was on baseand on the field in Mississippi, drag-ging and lining fields and cutting grassas an "athletic and recreation specialist."

Mike and Charlotte were married in1971, just 10 days after Mike's ordersfor reassignment to Alaska camethrough. Soon "Char" was teaching ele-mentary music while Mike was discov-ering indoor-athletic-facility mainte-nance and learning how to fit baseballand football into a 90-day growing sea-son. To supplement their income, hebecame a certified athletic official inbaseball, softball, basketball, volley-ball, football and wrestling - whichgave him a chance to see sports fromthe other side.

Next came Shepherd Air Force Basein Texas, where Mike became a physi-cal-training instructor for German andIranian student pilots.

Desire to be closer to family tookMike out of the service and back toChicago in the fall of 1976. True toform, the Schillers arrived on a Fridaynight, Mike read the want ads on

SEE US ONLINE - http://www.sportsturfonline.com

Saturday morning and he applied forand got a parks maintenance staffposition at the Mt. Prospect ParkDistrict the following Monday. Sixmonths later, Mike was hired as fore-man in the Village of Libertyville, andbefore long he became superintendentof parks, overseeing 400 acres of parks-and-rec property with a $200,000 bud-get.

He went back to Harper College inPalatine, Ill., and earned his associatedegree in park and grounds operationsmanagement in 1980.

Then, in 1981, the position of direc-tor of landscape and facilities mainte-nance opened up in Northbrook. Mikemoved up to 450 acres of property, a27-hole golf course and driving rangewith miniature golf course and a quar-ter-mile velodrome. He assisted inmanaging a $900,000-plus budget. Alife-long pattern was developing.

An offer he couldn't refuse tookMike to a sales position with ArthurClesen Inc. from February 1985 to July1987, and again from August 1989 toDecember 1992. In between he heldthe director of parks position withGlenview Park District, where he over-saw the $900,000-plus budget and theplanning and operations of over 350acres of parks and leased recreationalproperties.

Mike missed the parks, so inDecember of 1992 he left his secondstint at Arthur Clesen Inc. He becameassistant superintendent of parks andplanning for the Schaumburg ParkDistrict and worked with another men-tor, Dan Otto. Besides assisting withthe budgeting and operations of over800 acres of parks-and-rec property,Mike selected and maintained thecomputer program for trackingemployee hours.

In April of 1996, he moved up to hispresent position, Superintendent ofParks for the Rolling Meadows ParkDistrict, where he oversees the budget,planning and maintenance of all build-ings and grounds. He's also workingtoward a degree in recreation manage-ment at Aurora University, with com-pletion scheduled for 1998.

Carrying on the DreamMike became involved in STMA

even before it was STMA. Soccer wasblossoming as were players I

demands for on-field time - so Mikesought to upgrade his skills. He

Schiller (sitting) meets with the STMA board. Standing (left to right) are RichMoffitt, Bob Curry, Henry Indyk, Steve Guise, Bucky Trotter, Mary Owen,Eugene Mayer and Greg Petry. Photo courtesy: Trusty & Associates.

Taking a break from an STMA board meeting in Phoenix, Schiller visits withGrant Trenbeath, head groundskeeper for the Arizona Diamondbacks, at theteam's new stadium. Photo courtesy: Trusty & Associates.

January 1998_9:~