Get to Know KYSFMA Member: Jake Vittetow-UK Sports Turf
Jake has been instrumental in providing consistency and dependability for us with Tommy Davis retiring after 47 years of managing football. He has attacked it head on and leads the students/full time staff when I’m out. Jake maintains our 6 acres of synthetic turf with 4 acres of natural grass playing fields. Also, he leads our team with all the common areas around Kroger Field, Nutter Fieldhouse, and Joe Craft Football Training Facility. Now learn about Jake with the following questions!
-Marcus Elswick
● How did you get into field maintenance?
I, honestly, kind of just stumbled into it. Heading into my sophomore year of college I was looking for a new major and a job, and my advisor suggested a job opening with UK Sports Turf. I did not know much about the industry, but I like being outside and had done yard work with my dad as a kid so I figured I would give it a shot. That’s when I fell in love with the job and changed my major to Horticulture, Plant and Soil Science with an emphasis on Sports Turf.
● What’s a typical day out here look like for you?
We get to work at 7:30 and come up with a plan for the day before our students come in at 8:00am. We then split up with different groups of students and get to work on our various tasks. We get together again after lunch to figure out what else we need to do to complete our goals for the day.
● What part of the job do you enjoy the most?
I really enjoy working with our student workers and teaching them things about the sports turf management industry. I remember being in their shoes, and I like to share what I have learned over the years. It is really rewarding aspect of the job for me.
● What’s the toughest part about keeping this field in good shape?
The toughest part about keeping our practice football fields in good shape is working around the heavy wear areas from the football team. There are a couple spots they prefer to do most of their work from, and it leads to some concentrated stress/wear areas that require a little extra attention to keep in top shape.
● How do you decide what needs to get done on a busy day?
The crew gets together every morning to come up with a game plan together. We are able to identify what will take the most manpower, and focus our efforts in those areas. From there we can divide and conquer on the other tasks we have for the day.
● What kind of equipment do you use the most?
Aside from weed eaters and blowers, I think we use our mowers the most. We do not apply PGRs on our fields, so there is constant mowing during the growing seasons.
● How do you handle the field after bad weather?
Every weather event is different, but we try to gather as much information as we can via rain gauges, moisture meters, and temperature probes so we have a solid understanding of what is happening in the soil, and then we are able to address the issues from there. It is also nice that we have an indoor football facility so if we ever deem that the field is unsafe for our athletes, we have a backup plan so they can continue training uninterrupted.
● What’s something most people don’t realize goes into keeping a field looking good?
It’s all about the little things. Most people know how to keep their fields mowed and grass green, but I believe things like edging, pulling weeds, and divot walks can really make a difference to the overall quality and uniformity of the surface.
● Which tasks take the longest or require the most patience?
Again, this goes back to the little things... staying on top of the edging, weed eating, and divot walks is a task you could do all day every day if you really wanted to. It can get repetitive and boring at times, but I think it ends up making the biggest difference in the end.
● How do you work around team practices or games?
We have a very solid understanding of the team’s schedule and when they will be using the fields. We then rely on careful planning to make sure we have enough time to accomplish the things we want to for that day or week. Whether that is before or after there practices/games, we always have a plan of action to make sure everything gets finished.
● What’s one thing players or coaches do that makes your job easier? Harder?
We have a great line of communication with our coaches and football operations manager. We get their schedules and can plan around them. And then if there is something else we want to do (like aerifying or spraying), we always reach out to make sure they are aware of what we are doing and do not have something that conflicts with our schedules. This makes the job a lot easier when the team is in lockstep with us and our work.
The only thing that makes the job harder is the teams constantly being on our fields, but that is what we are here for, so it is hard to complain about it. We are just very proud to be able to provide consistent and safe playing surfaces for our athletes.
● Is there anything you wish people understood better about field maintenance?
The time commitment and attention to detail to produce the playing surfaces they see on tv. I think people just expect fields to look a certain way and never really understand the amount of work that goes into it. It really is an art to a certain extent and we take a lot of pride in what we do.
● What’s your favorite season for field work? Least favorite?
Summer and early fall is my favorite time for work because that is when we are the busiest. I think the days are more fun, and go by quicker, when we have a long list of tasks we need to accomplish. The slow winter days are my least favorite because you just don’t get that sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. It’s nice to have a break every once and a while, but in general I like to be moving around all day.
● If you could upgrade anything about the field or equipment, what would it be?
I love our field equipment.. Beard Equipment (John Deere) takes good care of us.
