Going for gold in Florida

Decades after Jason Lee competed at the National Collegiate Landscape Competition, he’s hoping to bring back the competitive spirit amongst industry professionals during February’s Landscape Rodeo.

Lee, in partnership with the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association, is hosting the event February 19-20 in St. Augustine. The head-to-head challenges include heavy equipment handling, power equipment handling, small equipment maintenance and handling, and general events like the wheelbarrow obstacle course.

Lee first had the idea to make a smaller version of NCLC for industry veterans back in 2020, when his company, SkyFrog Landscape, found themselves bored during their annual Christmas party.

“We cook good food, we do bonsues, prizes, but everybody was bored,” says Lee, who is also the co-host of the Green Side Up Podcast. “They were sitting around like bumps on a log.”

© Photo courtesy of Jason Lee

At that time, Lee broke out some cones and encouraged his employees to race through designed courses with their lawn mowers. Lee says they raced a 36-inch walk-behind, a 60-inch zero-turn and a 52-inch ride-on. They also raced to see who could string trimmers and replace blades fastest. And later on, Lee added a game where someone took a blower and aimed ping pong balls into a trash can.

© Photo courtesy of Jason Lee

That’s when the FNGLA came calling.

“The president of the chapter said, ‘We need to do a rodeo like you do at your shop,’” Lee says.

Lee credits his experience competing at NCLC while he was a student at the University of Florida. Some events at the Landscape Rodeo may mirror NCLC’s lineup of competitions, including truck and trailer contests. But Lee says the events – especially beyond this inaugural event – can be adjusted to better suit the participants.

“We can modify it as we go to make it the most fun for everyone involved,” Lee says.

In this case, “more” might mean increasing exposure to FNGLA. Lee says landscape maintenance is going to become one of the largest sectors of Florida’s industry, but many folks already in the state don’t know the association exists. Plus, Lee hopes students will come and join the event and see how fun it can be to work outside.

© Photo courtesy of Jason Lee

Lee says he’s unsure how many to expect given it’s the first iteration of this event, but he knows several major companies are bringing 15-20 employees apiece. He estimates attendance will range between 300-500 contestants.

Those contestants will vie for belt buckles as they win each event, and the decathlon winner – which is the person who finishes with the lowest average score across at least 10 events – will win $1,000.

“My underlying goal is to provide more to lawn and landscape contractors,” Lee says.