RISING STAR a groundskeeper , but they know the effort and the hard work that goes into it . And that ’ s awareness , that ’ s respect , and that goes a long way in spreading awareness of the industry in general .”
In addition to hosting students at the facility , Losito also brings in outside contractors , industry peers and other groundskeepers of all skill sets , levels and sports as a labor source .
“ We don ’ t use a part-time staff , and I don ’ t have a game day crew . When we get into conversions from sport to sport or sport to concert , we use peers ,” he said .
Based on the strength of those connections , Losito ’ s advice to others is , “ Don ’ t be afraid to network . Don ’ t be afraid to reach out to people . Don ’ t be afraid to try new things . And don ’ t be afraid to move around .”
That last piece of advice is something Losito learned from SFMA Past-President Jimmy Simpson , CSFM . It is advice that led Losito , who wanted to be in professional sports , on his coast-to-coast journey through the sports field management industry .
A native of Cary , North Carolina , Losito ’ s original career plans were far from sports field management . But an interest in art spurred thoughts of a career in architecture then the idea of landscape architecture , which in a roundabout way led to realizing sports field management is a career option .
After two years at Wake Tech Community College , Losito went on to NC State for a degree in turfgrass science . During college he did an internship with USA Baseball ( in Cary , N . C .) under Simpson , and followed that up with an internship for the Washington Nationals .
Upon graduation from NC State , Losito wanted to broaden his skill set , work with different turfgrass types and under different event loads . So , he journeyed to San Diego and took a seasonal position with the Padres , experiencing the grind of an MLB season . From there , he shifted to Minor League Baseball and a position with the Reno Aces working for Joe Hill , who Losito credits with teaching him about the people side of the business .
Following his stint with the Aces , Losito took the head groundskeeper job with the Columbia Fireflies — a position he deems the single most important move of his career .
“ It allowed me to prove to myself that I can do it on my own ,” he said . “ Have all the management , the weight , the pressure and start to learn how to manage the business and manage the people . It tested me physically and mentally .”
Having experienced the heavy lift of Minor League Baseball , Losito was then offered a first assistant position at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum , and
sportsfieldmanagementonline . com October 2024 | SportsField Management
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