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The most comfortable levers, and probably the smartest as well: built in electronic controls that raise or lower the mower deck and also disengage the mower blades. You can only � nd it on the new John Deere ZTrak PRO 900, the most advanced and easy-to-use commercial zero turn mower made today. Call your John Deere dealer today for a free demonstration.

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SURFACE OF CHAMPIONS.THE BEST ATHLETES DEMAND THE BEST SURFACE.That’s why when the dominant track & fi eld athletes in America gather to compete, more often than ever they do it on a Beynon. Events such as last year’s Olympic Trials, for example. And this year’s U.S. Outdoor Nationals. Great venues, great athletes. Great surface. Install a Beynon track and you can expect the best to perform their best. It’s a Beynon. www.beynonsports.com

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2010 ARCHITECTURAL

SHOWCASE

Browse the galleries and rate

your favorite projects.

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fresh news and analysis.

SOCIAL NETWORKING

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THISMONTHATWWW.ATHLETICBUSINESS.COM

SEPT2010VOLUME 34 • NUMBER 9

FEATURES

COVERSTORYCOLLEGE SPORTS

Diamond MiningBY NICHOLAS BROWN

Investment in facilities has made the

Big Ten a player in the search for

college baseball talent.

33

47

26

FITNESS

26 Senior Circuits BY ANDREW COHEN

Although they’re already constructed on four continents, so-called

“playgrounds for seniors” are making news as a potential worldwide

trend.

EQUIPMENT & COMPONENTS

47 Conversion Convenience BY PAUL STEINBACH

New tweaks to familiar technologies are making it easier for gyms

to accommodate virtually any combination of activities.

PURCHASINGGUIDE

38 The Stadium

A wide array of products offering something for just about every

stadium application.

�

®

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8 AT H L E T I C B U S I N E S S S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 W W W . AT H L E T I C B U S I N E S S . C O M

12 Unappetizing OperationsBY THE EDITORS

Plus: One on One, The Score,

Extra Points

20 New & ImprovedThe latest in product innovation

22 Sports LawBY JOHN T. WOLOHAN

A board of education’s permission

form did not infringe on a parent’s First

Amendment rights, a court says.

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COVER PHOTO

PHOTO BY JIM SCHAFER

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56 College SportsBY PAUL STEINBACH

Some community college athletic

departments are struggling to weather

the economic storm.

60 High School SportsBY MICHAEL POPKE

At some schools, sports teams owe their

existence to outside fi nancial support.

63 RecreationBY NICHOLAS BROWN

Strict usage rules at one city’s pools are

designed to prevent drowning accidents

among children.

65 For-Profi tsBY ANDREW COHEN

Interest in boardless indoor soccer is

rising, but for many facility owners, the

numbers don’t add up.

74DEPARTMENTS

68 Product/Advertisers Index

70 Forward Progress

72 Professional Directory

74 Design Details

60

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If you’re looking to equip your facility with safe, durable, and effective strength and cardio equipment, look no further than authentic CYBEX fi tness.

Why CYBEX? Because no company invests more time or money researching and designing fi tness equipment to meet the needs of everyone from fi rst-timers looking to shed a few pounds to serious performance athletes.

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obsolete, to Bravo™, the all-in-one functional trainer that delivers the world’s most amazing workout, every CYBEX product is built to perform at the highest level.

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To learn more about our complete line of fi tness products, including racks, platforms, and free weights, visit cybexintl.com or call 774-324-8000.

And discover authentic CYBEX fi tness–designed and built in the USA.

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®

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NO RELISH An overview of health inspection reports has cast an unappealing light on concessions operations.

Unappetizing OperationsAt Great American

Ballpark in Cincinnati, a

concessions employee was spotted scraping a spatula against the rim of a garbage can, then putting the utensil back to use preparing food. At Jobing.com Arena in Phoenix, ice cream was seen being scooped with a server’s bare hands. One worker at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., got caught snacking on the contents of a fryer basket.

This is just some of the human activity covered (or uncovered) in a list of health inspection excerpts

from all 107 venues that served the four major professional sports leagues in 2009. Compiled by Paula Lavigne and Lindsay Rovegno of ESPN, the list also sheds light on every-thing from insect infesta-tion in liquor bottles (three different venues) to a lack of sneeze guards over buffets (two venues).

Mike Holtzman, presi-dent of Profi table Food Facilities in Poway, Calif., warns against over-sensa-tionalizing the infractions, many of which, he argues, are understandable — if not forgivable — given their

context. While the presence in some venues of roaches and mold gained wide-spread media attention, the most common red fl ag — storing or serving food at improper temperatures (with 28 venues cited) — didn’t particularly shock Holtzman. “It doesn’t make it right,” he says, “but the fact that they aren’t hitting temperature with food at a venue where they’re serving 50,000 people in three hours isn’t all that surpris-ing.” Plus, Holtzman argues, the citation could represent the lone stain on an otherwise spotless record.

“Is it one time in 100 days that they had fi ve hot dogs that were the wrong temperature?” he asks.

The answer should lie in documentation diligently kept by the food-service provider and available upon request to health inspectors. “If the temperature’s down, they’ll say, ‘Show me your check-in sheets,’ ” Holtzman says. “And if you say, ‘Oh, I don’t have them,’ that’s easy to write up. If you can say, ‘Dang it, we didn’t get it in that hour, but here are the 27 days that we did,’ they may say, ‘Okay, we won’t write that up. We’ll just

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GAMEON INSIDETHEINDUSTRY

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THESCORE

49Years between Stanley Cup titles for the Chicago Blackhawks, who claimed the 2010 Cup in June

20Average percentage increase in the price of Blackhawks tickets for the 2010-11 season

4Number of the 20 South African soccer development facilities that FIFA pledged to build through its “20 Centers for 2010” program that will be completed in 2010

0.003Total cost of the 20 Centers project, expressed as a percentage of FIFA’s World Cup revenues

607Number of United States golf courses that have closed in the past fi ve years

19.1 Percentage of athletic directors in all NCAA divisions who are women

4Percentage of athletic directors in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision who are women

536Decrease, from 2008 to 2010, in the number of women holding NCAA administrative jobs

1Number of days after free agent LeBron James announced he had chosen the Miami Heat that the team announced it had sold out its inventory of season tickets for the coming season

20Number of days later that the Heat fi red its entire season ticket sales staff of 30, citing the exhaustion of its season ticket inventory

SOURCES:1-2. CHICAGOTRIBUNE.COM3-4. NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO5. NATIONAL GOLF FOUNDATION (FORBES.COM)6-8. NCAA, UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA (THE ORLANDO SENTINEL)9-10. ATHLETIC BUSINESS

John Phillips is a 10-year trial lawyer and a

rookie sports agent, having just secured

certifi cation through the NFL Players

Association last October. Now he’s trying to

change the corrupt athlete-agent culture

from within — not only as owner of the

Breakthrough Sports Agency (www.mybtsa.

com), but by authoring a law review article

that looks at how his profession has

spiraled out of control to the point where in

May several agents and more than a dozen

underclassmen college football players

fl aunted the rules by partying together in South Beach, Fla.

“Within the past six months, the NCAA’s quote-unquote witch

hunt has transferred from coaches and boosters to agents,” he

told Paul Steinbach, who asked Phillips to comment on a

profession in which $20 and a fi lled-out application form can get

you nearly unregulated access to the amateur talent pool.

Q: What was your reaction to Alabama coach Nick Saban

likening agents to pimps?

A: You can go after Saban all you want, but the fact is what he said — hyperbole or not — is true. Fifty percent of the guys in our business will do anything to get a player and always have. That’s the problem. And for Saban to say, “Look, NFL, if you don’t handle this, we’re not going to let you on our campus,” well, that’s as big a shot across the bow as I’ve seen in sports in years. Q: Is the NFLPA doing enough to rein in rogue agents?

A: The NFLPA has attempted to strengthen its requirements. They’re trying to make it harder for would-be agents to get in, which seemingly is only making it more competitive. If you don’t have a client on a 54-man roster in three seasons, you’re out. So you’ve spent money recruiting guys over three years, and the next thing you know you’re in for $100,000 and you still don’t have a client. It becomes a measure of risk versus reward. Am I going to get caught and what’s going to happen to me? In all probability, no and nothing. And what’s the reward? Well, if you get a fi rst-rounder, you get a six-fi gure pop. There’s motivation to cheat. Even though it’s not a law-making entity, the NFLPA needs to regulate more and have swifter punishment. There needs to be a federal registration or licensing system such that, if you’re rogue and you’re a cheater, you know what’s coming and when it’s coming. As it stands, there’s really no fear of retribution.

Q: How about the campus side of this equation?

A: Compliance departments are slowly implementing agent approval forms. If you’re doing it all the right way — you’re approved by the state, you’re approved by the school, you’ve gotten compliance’s blessing — you can walk in the front door and make an introduction. But it takes a long time, and by that time some of your seedy competitors have already come in and, through runners and dirty networking, stolen your clients. Still, for schools to know and be comfortable with who’s representing their players is healthy, because it shows the NCAA that the schools are taking assertive measures to make sure they’re getting their guys in the right hands. There are some fantastic agents out there. It’s going to take a clean, fresh look at what we all can do to see that the good eggs get rewarded and the bad ones get cracked. Ω

ONEONONEJOHN PHILLIPS


910-GameOn.indd 13 8/11/10 2:48 PM


� operations from page 12

make you aware of it.’ ”Other points outlined in

the ESPN report that concessions operators everywhere should be aware of include the lack in some venues of hand-wash-ing facilities, hot water, hand soap and towels, or inadequately concentrated sanitation solutions; chemicals improperly stored near food or ice-making equipment; raw foods stored in close proximity to ready-to-eat items; unclean countertops, utensils or food-preparation equipment; and inaccurate or ignored expiration dates.

“There are systems to these places, and you have to follow your systems,” Holtzman says. “When inventory comes in, you put your new inventory in the back, and you put your old in front. First in, fi rst out. You’re relying on hundreds of people to follow these systems, and when a group isn’t doing it, it really screws you up.”

Inappropriate behaviors of concessions staff also include not washing hands or changing gloves after handling raw chicken, touching one’s own face or blowing one’s nose; handling ice or drink garnishes with bare hands; and drinking and eating in food-prep areas. Holtzman recommends covering such behaviors in staff meetings — or, in the case of many professional sports settings, 15-minute orientation sessions among volunteer food-handlers. “I would go through all those things and say, ‘Joe, tell me about sneezing at the site. What should you do?’ ” Holtzman says. “You can have some

fun with it, too. ‘Hey, Harry, how about scooping that ice cream by hand. Is that cool?’ Everybody will laugh, and you’ll go, ‘Look, an arena was just nailed for it. How do we learn from that? How do we ensure that it doesn’t happen in our facility?’ ”

Holtzman likes to treat his food service facilities (his company has consulted with or handled the operations of more than 300) with the common sense he applies in his own home. “I don’t have roaches in my house. I don’t have mice in my house. I don’t have bugs crawling on my counters. That’s why those things to me aren’t accept-able,” he says. “But a salad that on one occasion is left out and allowed to warm? We have potlucks at the house, and sometimes we leave the Caesar salad out. That’s where I draw the line on health.” At the same time, he encourages concessions workers to put their vigilance where their mouth is, actually taste-testing food for temperature and quality while also visually inspecting it.

That said, Holtzman appreciates the role of the health inspector in the commercial setting. “Are the violations there? Yes. Are we glad that they come in and show them to us? Yes, because sometimes we forget,” he says. “I applaud that they’re there to catch those things, to make us aware of them and to help us make it better. That’s what the health department is for.

“No one wants to serve bad food,” Holtzman adds. “But it happens.”

— Paul Steinbach

FAN APP-RECIATION

A $100 million

investment

in technological

infrastructure at

the New Meadow-

lands Stadium in

East Rutherford,

N.J., has trans-

lated into 2,200

televisions with

48,000 square

feet of screens

— the most of

any NFL stadium,

according to The New York Times.

In addition, 500 wireless antennas will allow

fans attending New York Jets or Giants games to

access free smart-phone applications that provide

video replays, statistical updates and live video

from other games. Alerts will point fans to the least

populated concessions stands, the location of lost

children (with the help of special security brace-

lets) and the quickest traffi c routes home. Eventu-

ally, the apps will expand to chart the speed of

players and facilitate the playing of fantasy games

against other fans.

Powered by Cisco and Verizon, the wireless

technology will function only inside the stadium.

It’s seen as a way to provide ticket buyers with an

experience they can’t get at home watching the

game on television, which has become an increas-

ingly preferred option in the hi-def era, not to men-

tion a slumping economy. While an average of 16.6

million TV viewers watched NFL regular-season

games last season (the most since 1990), game

attendance has dropped more than 3 percent from

its 2007 pinnacle.

Former television production executive Peter

Brickman, who pioneered the popular red-zone

alerts for DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket before

being hired last year as chief technology offi cer

for the 82,500-seat New Meadowlands Stadium,

estimates that 7,000 to 10,000 fans will utilize the

smart-phone apps this season.

— P.S.

JEFF Z

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CORRECTIONAction Floor Systems is based in Mercer, Wis., not in

Wausau, as was stated in the August Extra Points [p. 16].

The editors regret the error.


GAMEON

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CorporateUnwellnessWhile employer wellness

programs have spread rapidly in recent years,

few fi rms implement comprehensive programs likely to make a meaning-ful difference in employees’ health, according to a new study conducted by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) for the nonpar-tisan, nonprofi t National Institute for Health Care Reform.

Whether employer wellness initiatives are just a passing fad or make a real difference in workers’ health will likely depend on whether fi rms implement customized, integrated, comprehensive, diversi-fi ed programs strongly linked to a fi rm’s business strategy and champi-oned by senior leadership and managers throughout the company, according to industry experts interviewed by HSC researchers. “Many experts told us that employers that lack the ability and commitment to support a comprehensive wellness program may be wiser to stay on the sidelines,” says Ha T. Tu, a senior

HSC health researcher and co-author of the study.

Several common themes emerged based on a literature review and 45 interviews with wellness industry experts and representatives of benefi ts consulting fi rms, health plans, wellness companies and employers sponsoring wellness programs. Here are some of them:

• Programs need to be custom-ized to suit the culture and situa-tion of a particular employer. One-size-fi ts-all programs purchased off the shelf from health plans and wellness vendors are unlikely to make a signifi cant impact either in partici-pation or outcomes. Least likely to make an impact are programs consisting only of online health risk assessments and Web-based educa-tional tools, with no individualized follow-up activities to engage employees.

• Clarity from senior leadership in linking wellness to the organiza-tion’s business strategy is impor-tant. Organizations with successful

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NICKNAME NO-NO

A school district in western

Wisconsin is the fi rst to

be ordered under a new state

law to defend or drop its team

nickname and logo. The Osseo-

Fairchild

School Dis-

trict, whose

prep sports

teams are

known as the

“Chieftains”

and whose

logo depicts

an Ameri-

can Indian

in a feather

headdress, recently was deemed

to promote discrimination and

harassment by the Wisconsin

Department of Public Instruction.

The law, which took effect in

May, allows a district resident

who objects to the use of a

school’s race-based nickname,

logo or mascot to fi le a com-

plaint with the state superinten-

dent. The legislation requires im-

mediate review of the complaint

to determine whether the use of

the nickname (alone or in con-

nection with a logo or mascot)

is race-based. If it is, the school

district in question must produce

“clear and convincing evidence”

refuting that presumption.

The day the new state law

took effect, 15 residents of the

Osseo-Fairchild district (where

the use of Chieftains has been

a bone of contention for years)

fi led a complaint. The district

now has one year to eliminate

the nickname and logo, or the

school board can appeal the

DPI’s ruling.

The Associated Press reports

that 34 other Wisconsin school

districts use similar American

Indian-based names and may be

forced to defend or drop them

— or face fi nes of up to $1,000

a day.

— Michael Popke


GAMEON

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New Jersey-based swimming pool and spa equipment manufacturer Hayward Industries donated $150,000 to the city of Newark to help keep six city pools open for an

additional three weeks this summer. By the end of July, city leaders were considering shutting down the pools to reduce expenses, but the donation helped residents enjoy a full summer swimming season.

ALSO:San Ramon, Calif.-based fi tness club chain 24 Hour Fitness has announced plans to help United States Olympic and Paralympic athletes prepare for the 2012 Summer Games in London. The company is offering elite, one-year memberships to athletes sponsored by the national governing bodies of Olympic sports. Furthermore, the company is developing a 6,000-square-foot high-performance training center located on the campus of the University of East London. The London

Games represent the company’s fi fth Olympic sponsorship of Team USA and its second of the US. Paralympic Team… The National Sporting Goods Association has announced the launch of the Hockey Dealers Association, which will function as an NSGA division. The HDA will create a platform for hockey retailers to communicate, provide information services and market research, and create a collective voice regarding vendor relations… On July 27, the U.S. Senate passed the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (H.R. 4380), which contains duty-suspension provisions that have been advocated by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. The bill, expected to be signed into law by President Obama, would reduce the U.S. duties on sporting goods including volleyballs, basketballs and golf bags… Finally, Champion® Athleticwear, the National Alliance for Youth Sports and a council of key sports industry leaders have launched an effort to create an “Athletes’ Creed,” a belief system designed to inspire players at all levels to reclaim the pure enjoyment of the game, the camaraderie of a team and the spirit of clean competition. The need for the creed became apparent after a national opinion survey commissioned by Champion and NAYS revealed that more than two-thirds of young athletes believe sportsmanship is on the decline. Ω

EXTRAPOINTSBY NICHOLAS BROWN

� Unwellness from page 16

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programs tend to have senior leaders whose championing of wellness is tempered by reasonable expectations and accompanied by an ability to communicate clearly and honestly with employees about shared goals and responsibilities of health and wellness. In contrast, selling wellness to employees as initiatives for their sole benefi t, or selling wellness in an environment of discord or fi nancial turmoil, are likely to be futile. Mutual trust is key to effective wellness programs.

• Effective, ongoing communica-tion is essential at several levels. In addition to strong messages from senior leadership, successful pro-grams tend to have both dedicated wellness staff and informal champi-ons within the company who are able to raise awareness, boost enthusiasm and provide peer support. Communication must be both ongoing and updated to keep the message fresh and keep employees

engaged. Effective communication typically cannot be outsourced to a vendor.

• Programs that are comprehen-sive, integrated and diversifi ed stand the best chance of success. Behavior modifi cation programs offered in isolation don’t have a strong track record. Participants who quit smoking or lose weight often revert to former behaviors. Without broader interventions to change the work environment and promote a culture of health, wellness programs are unlikely to make a lasting impact. Because most employers have diverse workforces, and because individual needs and preferences differ, wellness programs work best when they span a wide range of activities.

• The consensus is that substan-tial cash incentives are needed to achieve strong participation. These incentives should be designed to incrementally reward discrete activities that improve or maintain health. However, some employers

operate successful programs with minimal or no cash rewards attached and believe such rewards to be counterproductive in causing employees to focus on the incentive rather than on health.

• Return on investment is uncertain and measurement poses many challenges. Employers should expect to invest in wellness for several years before achieving a positive ROI, if they achieve it at all. Employers looking to wellness as a quick fi x for high health costs are least likely to see positive returns, as they also are the least likely to have undertaken the measures to gain true employee engagement in health. There are many challenges in accurately capturing ROI or alterna-tive measures of impact, and because wellness programs are often imple-mented simultaneously with other benefi t changes, isolating the impact of wellness programs on an employ-er’s cost trends may not be possible.

— M.P.


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LANDING PADSIn an effort to address the safety needs of sprayground surfaces, RenoSys Corp. has developed SoftSide, a padded foam system featuring high-grade PVC with built-in antimicrobial and UV inhibitors. SoftSide Safety Flooring comes in thicknesses from a quarter-inch to two inches and can be purchased for entire surface area installa-tions. Meanwhile, SoftSide Safety Pads are designed to be attached to RenoSys PVC pool shells and come in thicknesses from a half-inch to six inches. Colors include light blue, medium blue and off-white, with textured or non-textured surfaces. www.renosys.com800/783-7005

FAN SUPPORT The Revolution® SP Fan from Rite-Hite Corp. is designed to create more effi cient and cost-effective air circulation at any health club or sports facility. The high-volume/low-speed fan circulates a large volume of air up to 50 feet from the fan’s center in all directions, for optimum heating and cooling of an area encompassing 7,800 square feet, the company says. Unlike traditional fl oor and ceiling fans, this quiet fan turns slowly to gently move air — reducing a facility’s energy consumption by as much as 30 percent, Rite-Hite adds. The four-blade fan is available in 8-, 10- and 12-foot diameters, and a touchscreen control box operates up to 18 Revolution SP units. www.ritehitefans.com800/465-0600

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INFLATION RATEResearch and development company Primo Sport Inc. has developed Nitroblock, a new type of latex that allows soccer balls to hold their air for months — up to 10 times longer than conventional balls. The balls are hand-stitched (as opposed to molded) with 32 panels, which allows them to fl y straighter and retain superior playability and durabil-ity, the company says. Nitroblock technology is based on NeverFlat technology, which the company previously created for basketballs. www.primosport.com800/399-0244

SHELVING UNITThe new 103P bulk linen transport cart from laundry product manufacturer Meese Orbitron Dunne Co. (MOD) is the fi rst laundry cart featuring the company’s non-removable, hinged, plastic shelving design in a standard size that matches many of the traditional carts used in commercial, institutional and industrial laundry facilities. Standing 65 inches high with a capacity of 37 cubic feet, the 103P features two durable, hinged shelves that move easily from the horizontal to the vertical position. The cart comes in a choice of 16 standard colors, and tow hitches, 8-inch casters, bag hooks, custom colors and molded-in graphics are among the available options. www.modlaundry.com800/829-4535

CURRENT EVENTSThe ExerSwim™ portable swim current generator from Spectrum Products can create a treadmill effect in almost any pool for swimming, jogging or walking in place. The self-contained rechargeable unit does not need to attach to the pool itself, and it requires less than two square feet of deck space. A patented propeller drive controls the turbulence-free current, which can be adjusted incrementally via the unit’s unique Swim Number System. The company also offers the Exer-Swim Protrainer 36, designed specifi cally for athletic training. Featuring a thrust of 101 pounds and a maximum speed of 7 miles per hour, the compact Protrainer 36 measures three by two feet and can be installed in less than 15 minutes. www.spectrumproducts.com800/791-8056


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GAMEON

SPORTSLAWAge of DissentA BOARD OF EDUCATION’S PERMISSION FORM DID NOT INFRINGE ON A PARENT’S FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS, A COURT SAYS. BY JOHN T. WOLOHAN

There is no question that a school district may, without violating the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution, require

students to submit to drug tests before allowing them to participate in any extracurricular activi-ties. However, whether a school district can make a child’s participation in athletics conditional on the parent’s unqualifi ed consent to a school policy that precludes the child from any involve-ment with drugs and alcohol is another ques-tion. That was the issue before the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey in Doe v. Haddonfi eld Board of Education [2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 51666].

The Haddonfi eld Board of Education adopted a policy addressing the use of drugs and alcohol by middle and high school students. Referred to as the “24/7 Policy,” it prohibits students from ever consuming, possessing or distributing drugs or alcohol, or attending any gatherings or activities where the presence of drugs or alcohol is reasonably likely to occur. For those students who violate it, the policy mandates punishments that may include suspension from extracurricu-lar activities or the imposition of counseling or community service.

In the spring of 2010, Jane Doe (as the courts called her) wanted to play lacrosse for her school team. Before being allowed to participate in any extracurricular activity, the board of education required all students to sign a “Student Activities Permission Form,” which contained the 24/7 Policy. In addition to the student’s signature, the board also required the student’s parents to sign the form. H owever, when John Doe (the stu-dent’s father) signed and submitted the form, he attached a cover letter in which he explained, in part, that he “believes the 24/7 Policy is illegal and unenforceable but have fi lled out the form under duress.”

The board rejected the form. In particular, the board was concerned that the use of the term “duress” could render the form unenforceable. The board suggested that, instead of duress, Doe use the phrase “reservation of rights,” which it

felt would still enable both parties to later assert their positions with respect to the policy and the enforceability of the form. Doe rejected the suggestion, and replied that the board of educa-tion was coercing him to sign the form, and that he would not agree to be bound by a policy he believed to be illegal. The board then sent Doe a letter explaining that the form he signed “under duress” was invalid and unacceptable, and that Jane Doe would not be permitted to play lacrosse unless John Doe either unconditionally signed a new permission form, rescinded in writing his previous statement, or amended the correspon-dence to indicate “with full reservation of rights.”

Refusing the board’s suggestions, Doe fi led a complaint in federal court in which he

alleged that the board had infringed his First Amendment right to dissent by refusing to accept his permission form and cover letter. Doe sought a preliminary restraining order compelling the board to allow Jane Doe to play with the school’s lacrosse team.

Before any court can grant a preliminary injunction, the party seeking the injunction must show: 1) a likelihood of success on the merits; 2) that the party will suffer irreparable harm if the injunction is denied; 3) that granting preliminary relief will not result in even greater harm to the


When John Doe signed and submitted the form, he attached a letter in which he explained that he believed the 24/7 Policy was “illegal and unenforceable” and that he fi lled it out under duress.

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GAMEON Sports Law

nonmoving party; and 4) that the public interest favors such relief.

In reviewing whether Doe was likely to succeed on his First Amendment claim, the court ruled that notwithstanding the constitu-tional proscriptions against censoring or coercing speech, the board’s conduct in this case di d not offend the

First Amendment or its guarantees. In particular, the court held that the board’s refusal to accept Doe’s permission form was not intended to (nor would it) chill, squelch or compel speech. Rather, the court held, the request for Doe’s unequivocal consent to the 24/7 Policy was merely a reasonable effort to enforce the policy

uniformly as it applies to student-ath-letes. Barring Jane Doe from playing lacrosse was not imposed by the board as a punishment for or deterrent to Doe’s dissent; it was simply a conse-quence of the policy’s mandates, which require parental consent from all student-athletes on the lacrosse team. The board, the court ruled, was entitled to ask of Doe the same thing they asked of all other parents — a legally valid permission form.

In addition, the court noted that Doe had and was continuously offered every opportunity to exercise his constitutional right to free speech. The board did not object to his criticism or disapproval of the policy in his cover letter, even when he characterized the policy as illegal and unenforceable. Nor did it attempt to quell his opposi-tion, offering him the option of qualifying his signature with “full reservation of rights.” Instead, the board’s only concern was the possible

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GAMEONSports Law

legal ramifi cations of designating his signature as being written “under duress.” Since the board has the right to predicate a student’s participation in extracurricular activities on a parent’s consent to the enforcement of a reasonable drug and alcohol policy, so long as the board had a rational basis to execute the policy, John Doe would not be likely to prevail on the merits of the case.

Since Doe was unable to show that his First Amendment rights had been violated, the court also ruled that he was unable to show that he would suffer irreparable harm if injunctive relief were denied. With or without an injunction, the court held that Doe could express his opinion of the policy, pursue legislative, administrative and judicial relief, and otherwise challenge the policies of the board of education.

Next, the court weighed the possibilities of harm present in this case. That Jane Doe could not play lacrosse was unfortunate, but as the court noted, it did not represent the loss of a protected interest. Moreover, the court held that any harm to Jane Doe was readily and immediately cured by her father’s simple pledge to abide by the collective rules of society applicable to juveniles. On the other hand, the court held that injunctive relief would hinder the board’s ability to administer the policy evenhandedly and effectively. Allowing even one student to opt out, the court held, would complicate enforcement and defeat the powerful message the board sought to send to its students and the community.

Finally, the court concluded that the public interest would be best served by not issuing any preliminary relief against the board’s efforts to deter illegal drug use and underage drink-ing. With the court’s denial of this motion, the policy will remain in full force and effect, and be applied equally to everyone who participates in Haddonfi eld sports — including Jane Doe, if she so chooses.

With this ruling, th e court sent a powerful message to school

districts and local communities that

schools have the right to not only test student-athletes for drugs, but also to condition a child’s participation on the parent’s unqualifi ed consent to a school policy that precludes the child from any involvement with drugs or alcohol. By allowing schools such free-dom, the court believes that schools can help protect the health of young

athletes from the abuses of drugs or alcohol, and ease the social pressures on them and other student leaders. Ω

Attorney John T. Wolohan ( [email protected]) is a professor of sports law and chair of the Sport Management & Media department at Ithaca College.

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MADE IN CHINAPlaygrounds for seniors in Beijing successfully mesh recreational users of different generations.


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HyHyy d de e PaParkrk SSenenioior r PlPlayaygrgrg ououndnd e eveventntuauallly y mamadede 5 50000 n newe spspapappererererssss, bbbbb b tututututut aa asss hththe e rerererefefefefeferrerererences to “swinging LoL ndon”” multiplied in print andd onliline ( (despite no swings insttalled)d), itit w wasas e easasy y tot miss the wider story. Over the past six years, senior playgrounds have been constructed on at least fofour continents and are becoming moree abundant — eveven n inin tthehe U Uniniteted d StStatateses, , whhere they may well bee aaboboutut t to o bubust out of the confin nese of f ses ninioror l livivining g fafacicililititieses.

ALTHOUGH THEY’RE ALREADY CONSTRUCTED ON FOUR CONTINENTS, SO-CALLED “PLAYGROUNDS FOR SENIORS” ARE MAKING NEWS AS A POTENTIAL WORLDWIDE TREND. BY ANDREW COHEN

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Senior Circuits

At tempts to pinpoint the genesis of the senior play-ground concept have targeted Finland and, specifi cally, the University of Lapland, where research into “three-

generational play” revealed that three months of regular play at a prototype playground helped older people build muscle, reduce fat and improve their coordination, speed and balance. It appears, however, that Asia has outpaced Europe in the development of senior playgrounds, and may well be the true originator.

“T hey’re all over the place in China and Japan,” reports Colin Milner, CEO of the International Council on Active Aging, who recently visited, fi lmed and photographed a number of installations in Beijing. “They have everything from fi tness-style equipment, such as a fl y or lat pull-down, to parallel bars. The social aspect was one of the biggest things; on one side you’d fi nd young people on children’s playground equipment, and on t he other side, older people on fi tness equipment and playing table tennis. It really meshed the generations.”

The social aspect was one of the primary objectives in Nürnburg, where lawn bowling and a giant chess set eventually trumped the more active areas (such as a jogging track, roller-skating path, soft badminton court and trampoline) that were initially under consideration by Horst Förther, Nürnberg’s head of sport and deputy mayor. Bocce, bowling and chess became the centerpiece of senior citizens’ playgrounds in several German cities. Manchester’s playground, supposedly based on the German concept and built next to a children’s playground by the residents’ association in Dam Head Park, Blackley, for £15,000 (around $22,500), nonetheless tilted toward fi tness — including skate, ski and press machines, and stations for pull-ups, push-ups and pedaling. But even as this fi rst UK playground was providing the blueprint for the second, researchers out of Wiesbaden Polytechnic in western Germany were calling into question playground proponents’ assumptions about usage among older people.

They observed play at six senior citizen playgr ounds in the region and surveyed 180 older people in nearby Frankfurt. One-third of survey respondents said they liked to exercise and half said they could imagine occasionally using the playgrounds, but not with children present. The researchers’ observations in the fi eld bore this out — while many seniors found it embarrassing to exercise in the presence of younger people, in more private playground settings, exercise machines were being used regularly. Moreover, more-challenging machines, such as those that test users’ balance, were largely avoided by seniors, who preferred more low-key components — mini golf, gravel beds to massage feet and Kneipp Cures (a form of hydro-therapy developed in Germany).

Differences in the way each country’s facilities have been received by potential users may be cultural, and may also refl ect under what rules different playgrounds are operated. By all accounts, the Manchester playground is seeing regular use, and fi ve of the Hyde Park playground’s six pieces of Xercise equipment from the UK subsidiary of

Denmark-based Kompan Inc. — including a cross-trainer and a stationary bicycle — are proving popular. Although they appear wary of the sit-up apparatus, seniors there are exercising without embarrassment, even with most ages welcome — a notice is posted that specifi cally excludes children under 15. (Senior citizens’ playgrounds in Germany are even more exclusionary; a facility in Neukölln, Berlin, bears a sign warning that people under 65 may only use the

playground if given explicit permission or if under the supervision of a doctor or pharmacist.)

A question for purists is whether, with the grandkids barred, these facilities can rightfully be called playgrounds. Julie Rearick, direct sales and business alliance manager for Lewisburg, Pa.-based Playworld Systems, notes that the European playgrounds are at least co-located with play-grounds for kids, allowing for what you might call “parallel play.”

“How do seniors really play?” Rearick asks. “Exercise, being active, is certainly one of the values of play. But to put seniors on a slide and have them going up decks and ladders, that kind of thing, I wouldn’t think that they woul d use it.”

Japan boasts the longest life expectancy in the world, and its roughly 36,000 people over 100 years old (as of September 2008) make it second to the United States

in centenarians per capita. With fewer Japanese people having children and more than 20 percent of the popula-tion over the age of 65, many local governments have begun dis assembling children’s playgrounds and converting them into exercise parks for retirees.

Tokyo’s Nursing Care Prevention Parks began appearing in 2004 and, according to a recently published online interview with a representative of equipment manufacturer Takao Corporation, feature workout stations that share certain movements (obstacle course steps) and colors (rainbow handles) that would not be out of place in a children’s playground. A report last fall on New Tang Dynasty Television showed older adults at one Tokyo park swinging on a jungle gym made especially for seniors,

(())


On one side you’d fi nd young people on children’s playground equipment, and on the other side, older people on fi tness equipment and playing table tennis. It really meshed the generations.



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Senior Circuits

walking on balance beams and ut ilizing a stretching apparatus. Classe s held at the parks, which teach proper movement and equipment usage, are conducted by groups such as the Association of Physical Fitness Promotion and Guidance, and are funded by local governments.

Closer to home, the province of British Columbia has spent $2 million on outdoor playgrounds for older adults, Milner says. But these facilities are “way more prevalent in the United States than anywhere else,” he adds, even if senior playgrounds in the U.S. have been funded and developed almost exclusively by retirement communities, with those under the purview of municipal agencies located at senior centers rather than in public parks.

Another major difference in U.S. senior playgrounds is in their design. Exercise stations spread alongside walking paths — in the manner of ’70s-era Parcourses, another European concept that made its way over the pond — remain the most typical layout. Ft. Payne, Ala.-based GameTime, which purchased Parcourse Ltd. in 1995, still offers that line of equipment; Grover Beach, Calif.-based TriActive America offers both fi tness trails and trademarked Fitness Zones™; while Playworld Systems’ line targeting seniors bears the name LifeTrails®.

Rearick is quick to downplay the conceptual connection to Parcourse — “It’s not even on our website anymore,” she

says — but, in fact, the site notes that the “LifeTrail Advanced Wellness System” can be mixed and matched “to create up to seven three-sided outdoor fi tness stations, which can be confi gured in clusters for circuit training, or along a path to give users the added health benefi ts of walking.”

“We develo ped the fi rst one to go on a trail because in our research we found that the preferred method of exercise for a senior was to walk,” Rearick explains. “But now, we’re fi nding that people want to group them and use them more for circuit training.”

That shift — from older people walking to olde r people working out — suggests that an expansion of senior play-grounds into U.S. public parks could be just around the corner. Public agencies are increasingly focused on the needs of the Baby Boom generation as the fi rst Boomers turn 64 this year, and the cost of outdoor equipment represents an infi nitesimal percentage of the cost of indoor fi tness and recreation components.

Equipment manufacturers, meanwhile, are gearing up for the fi rst generation of American seniors to have enjoyed health club memberships beginning in their 30s and municipal recreation center memberships beginning in their 40s and 50s. Of these lifetime exercisers, Rearick says simply, “They’ll be ready for this.” Ω




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As junior infi elder Scott Wingo touched home plate in the bottom of the 11th inning

on June 29, his University of South Carolina teammates stormed the fi eld to celebrate not only the school’s NCAA College World Series title, but its fi rst men’s national championship in any sport.

Despite that feat, the game story in the next day’s sports pages focused more on the venue in which it was accomplished. The baseball game was the last ever played at Omaha’s iconic Rosenblatt Stadium, the site of the CWS for each of the past 61 years. Also the former home of the minor league Omaha Royals, the stadium is expected to be demolished upon next year’s opening of TD Ameritrade

Park Omaha, a $130 million, 24,000-seat amenity-fi lled stadium with the capacity to expand to 35,000 seats.

Although it has been criticized by the more nostalgic fans of America’s pastime, the move on behalf of the NCAA and the City of Omaha is nonetheless representative of the facilities arms race that’s occurring throughout college baseball. “The evidence of change is in Omaha,” longtime University of Minnesota baseball coach John Anderson says of Rosenblatt’s replacement, which as of this writing was not expected to host a professional baseball tenant upon its opening. “I’m on the NCAA baseball committee and we’re building a $130 million stadium for essentially two weeks worth of baseball.”

Those winds of change have for years been blowing through the hot-beds of college baseball — the South and the West Coast — where universi-ties have been competing to woo the nation’s top high school baseball tal-ent away from other programs or even the pro ranks. LSU, Texas and Florida are just three of the traditional pow-erhouses th at have invested millions of dollars into lavish new or renovated stadiums in recent years.

But the change has been appar-ent north of the Mason-Dixon line, too. More than half of the baseball programs in the Big Ten Conference alone, which actually boasted 10 teams this season (Wisconsin axed its varsity baseball program in 1991) and will have 11 with the addition of

PurchasingGuideDiamond MiningINVESTMENT IN FACILITIES HAS MADE THE BIG TEN A PLAYER IN THE SEARCH FOR COLLEGE BASEBALL TALENT. BY NICHOLAS BROWN

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DOUBLE PLAYThanks to a partnership with a professional baseball team, Penn State now boasts one of the most lavish on-campus baseball facilities in the North.


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PurchasingGuide The Stadium

Nebraska next year, either have new or renovated stadiums, or they are in the fundraising or construction phases.

All this despite the fact that no team representing the conference has won it all at Rosenblatt since Michigan (1962), Minnesota (1964) and Ohio State (1966) took home national titles. And only one other school north of the Mason-Dixon line, the Pac-10’s Oregon State, has won the national tournament since.

Why the sudden capital invest-ment in Big 10 baseball facili-

ties? In some cases, they’re among the last venues on campus in need of replacement or modernization. At Purdue, for example, a $21 million project that will add a new baseball stadium with 1,500 permanent seats and full press facilities came about in earnest only after the university determined that it wanted to use the land currently being occupied by the Boilermakers’ Lambert Field — built in 1955 — as part of a larger football stadium and arena expansion project.

At Michigan, $14.5 million worth of renovations to the university’s base-ball and softball complex — unveiled

for the 2008 season — were added on to an extensive facilities master plan that features bigger-ticket items in-cluding a $21 million football practice

facility and a $226 million renovation of the football stadium.

And at Minnesota, the athletic department is in the process of raising the approximately $7.5 million needed to build a new stadium to replace 39-year-old Seibert Field. The fund-raising has picked up pace since the Gophers realized they may not be able to play home games at the off-campus Metrodome, the future of which is tenuous since the Gophers’ football team and the Minnesota Twins have

moved into new stadiums. “People are realizing there is some urgency here,” says Anderson, the winningest coach in Big Ten history, who has been advo-cating for a new on-campus baseball home for years. “We might not have a place to play, and our current facility on campus is in bad shape.”

John H. Kobs Field, the home venue for baseball at Michigan State University, was similarly in bad shape until a sizable donation from Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane — now the stadium’s namesake — made possible more than $4 million worth of renovations last year. “There were some schools, us included, that were falling behind in the race, and it was time to do something — not only just for us, it helps the whole Big Ten,” says MSU head coach Jake Boss.

Purdue assistant athletics direc-tor Tom Schott, who acknowledges the diffi culties inherent to running a northern baseball program in a lim-ited spring season, likewise sees mod-ernized baseball facilities as essential to keeping a program viable, even if the facilities aren’t competing with some of the glitzier stadiums found in the South. “We’re not building the fanciest stadium, but we are build-ing contemporary, attractive facilities that fi t in with the campus architec-

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We’re building a $130 million stadium for essentially two weeks worth of baseball.( )

THE LEADERS INVESTThe University of Michigan recently spent $14.5 million to renovate its baseball and softball facilities to include state-of-the-art amenities.




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ture,” he says. “We have some bells and whistles, but we’re not trying to outshine everybody.”

The stadium that most escalated the baseball facilities race in the confer-ence, however, is by all accounts Penn State’s Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, a $31 million, 5,400-seat stadium with room for 600 more standing specta-tors. Prior to the venue’s opening for the Nittany Lions’ 2007 season, Penn

State was yet another Big Ten school with outdated baseball facilities. “As a university, we embraced baseball just as America has, historically,” says Penn State associate athletic director Greg Myford. “But from a resources standpoint, I don’t think we’ve ever committed to baseball like we have in recent years.”

The project was only made viable through an operational partnership

with the State College Spikes, an A-level, short-season minor league team that was previously located an hour’s drive away in Altoona. The teams share the fi eld, as well as under-ground batting cages, a players’ lounge and locker rooms, and the Spikes gen-erate a signifi cant amount of revenue, although the facility remains under the university’s ownership.

“The overall experience of attend-ing a Penn State baseball game now is dramatically different,” says Myford, adding that some of the program’s longtime supporters struggled at fi rst to come to terms with paying for ad-mission to games that were previously

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The Stadium PurchasingGuide

free. “It has ended up that attendance for our baseball games is far exceed-ing what it was in the past. We need to continue to grow, and certainly the recipe for that isn’t shocking — it’s the combination of a winning pro-gram and putting adequate resources into marketing and promoting the program.”

Only time will tell whether the new facility and related market-

ing efforts will translate into more on-fi eld success for Penn State and other cold-weather schools. Myford and others, however, seem to agree that living with outdated facilities is

one way to guarantee limited success, even by Big Ten baseball standards.

“Times have changed in college baseball,” says Anderson, who has only had the opportunity to host a four-team regional once despite leading the Gophers to the NCAA

Tournament 17 times. “Even within our league, we’re seeing new facilities built and the competition for play-ers continues to increase. And your facility, in my opinion, is a big state-ment about your commitment to your program.” Ω

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BOILER ROOMA larger football stadium and arena

expansion project at Purdue’s campus necessitated that the baseball program

fi nd space for a brand new venue.

tel 800-DAKTRONICS (325-8766)www.daktronics.com [email protected] Scoring, Video & Sound. For All Levels of Sport.

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ACO SPORTA new modular jump pit system by ACO SPORT includes EPDM rubber-capped polymer concrete curbs with an inside ledge to hold modular aluminum covers. Optional sand traps around outside edges catch sand splash. The units can be confi gured to create standard high school, NCAA and IAAF jump pit sizes without the need for custom parts or modifi cations, thus saving on-site construction time and cost.www.acousa.com888/490-9552

ALL AMERICAN SCOREBOARDSFor more than 70 years, All American Scoreboards has offered scoring systems to fi t customers’ needs, budgets and timelines. All American representatives listen and respond with exceptional service, with the goal of exceeding expectations, the company says.www.allamericanscoreboards.com800/356-8146

ARTISTIC COVERINGS INC.Sports Venue Padding, a division of Artistic Coverings, utilizes advanced printing technology for wall pad and dugout rail pad graphics. Patented gate padding, for outward swinging gates, includes fi rm high-impact foam and wrinkle-free vinyl. U-shaped rail padding or rail wraps that cover existing

pads can include team logos, sponsor logos or advertising. The vinyl is an outdoor fabric with high UV-resistance against fading, and comes standard with a fi ve-year manufacturer’s warranty. www.artisticcoverings.com877/599-9343

BEAM CLAY/PARTAC PEAT CORP.Beam Clay® has supplied products to every Major League Baseball team, more than 150 minor league teams, more than 700 colleges and thousands of towns and schools from all 50 states and worldwide. Beam Clay supplies special mixes for infi elds, pitcher’s mounds, home plate areas and red warning tracks. Other infi eld products include infi eld conditioners and drying agents, as well as regional infi eld mixes blended for every state and climate from bulk plants nationwide. www.beamclay.com800/247-2326

BIG ASS FANSAvailable in models from 8 to 24 feet, the Powerfoil® X™ is a strong, adaptable, industrial ceiling fan for stadiums. Backed by a 100 percent, non-prorated, 10-year warranty, the Powerfoil X creates a breezy atmosphere throughout the stands and concourses, keeping spectators and employees safe from heat-related illnesses. Powerfoil X is fully customizable with team colors. www.bigassfans.com877/244-3267

BISON INC.Bison’s versatile combination high school/college goalposts are composed of 5 9⁄16-inch schedule-40 steel goosenecks, available with 96- or 72-inch setbacks. The 41⁄2-inch steel tube crossbar adjusts to either 18 1⁄2 feet or 23 1⁄3 feet. Bison’s PerfectGoal features make for easy, accurate installation, and 20-foot uprights feature a white powder-coated fi nish. www.bisoninc.com800/247-7668

CARRON NET CO. INC.For any stadium, safety and ball containment are two very important issues. Carron Net specializes in made-to-order nets for fi eld goals, backstops, foul balls or any other barrier netting. Carron can custom manufacture netting to any specifi cations and for any application, no matter the size. www.carronnet.com800/558-7768

CENTURY INDUSTRIES INC.Century Industries’ new 15-row series of TranSport mobile grandstand bleachers offers an expanded dimension for temporary event seating. Boasting





50 percent more seating capacity, the 15-row series features the fast and easy one-person setup that is used for Century’s popular 10-row highway mobile bleachers.www.centuryindustries.com800/248-3371

CLARIN SEATINGClarin provides professional-looking, high-quality chairs for a range of applications. The chairs are ideal for benches, locker rooms, VIP seating areas and more. Free quotes and virtual samples can be found at the company’s website. www.clarinseating.com800/323-9062

COLORADO TIME SYSTEMSColorado Time Systems offers a variety of products for basketball, football, baseball, softball, soccer, hockey, swimming and multiple-sport applications. Systems range from fi xed-digit scoreboards to animation boards, full-color video displays and ribbon boards. The company strives to deliver high-impact visuals through state-of-the-art displays for indoor or outdoor use. www.coloradotime.com800/279-0111

COMMUNITY PROFESSIONAL LOUDSPEAKERSR-Series speakers deliver high intelligibility, good musical sound quality and long-term dependability. From high schools to professional organizations with cutting-edge venues, hundreds of Community loudspeaker systems have been installed throughout the United States. www.communitypro.com800/523-4934

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COVERMASTER INC.Covermaster Inc., a leading supplier of protective sports surface covers, has provided products to 90 percent of NFL and MLB stadiums, as well as to 70 percent of MLS venues. Covermaster offers a range of products for natural or synthetic turf protection for sports venues at all levels, from high school to professional leagues. www.covermaster.com800/387-5808

COVERSPORTS USACoverSports USA has expanded its line of Fieldsaver® Outdoor Protection products to include football sideline tarps made with ArmorMesh fabric. At 14 ounces per square yard, ArmorMesh is a heavy-duty woven fabric with extrusion-coated yarns providing outstanding abrasion resistance with excellent tear strength, and the fabric does not absorb water. Available in eight colors, ArmorMesh is also used for windscreens, baseball infi eld protectors and weighted jump pit covers. www.coversports.com800/445-6680

DAKTRONICS INC.Daktronics’ high-quality scoring, audio, video and messaging systems are designed to give fans the ultimate game-day experience. Daktronics provides experienced local service, helping customers create lasting solutions.www.daktronics.com888/325-8766

EVERSAN INC.Eversan’s state-of-the-art HD-22 Video Display offers superior technology and color depth while creating realistic and exciting visuals. The screen is capable of displaying any visual application, including instant replay, crowd pans, player bios and more. With more than 35 years of manufacturing experience, Eversan combines technology and innovation to meet the high demands of athletic programs, providing dependability, user-friendly operation and affordability.www.eversan.com800/383-6060

FAIR-PLAY SCOREBOARDSFair-Play’s new MP-70 and MP-50 controllers and handheld wireless control are designed for scoreboards, statistics panels and timers. The MP-70 and MP-50 controllers feature Fair-Play’s SmartSelect technology, which allows for comprehensive control of multiple scoreboards, can be confi gured to work in multiple facilities with previously installed Fair-Play scoreboards with new wireless receiver cards, and can change confi gurations for different sports.www.fair-play.com800/247-0265

FUTURE PRO INC.The 15-foot Big B bench includes a heavy-duty structure of 2-inch-square

tubular steel and a 20-inch-deep seat of extruded aluminum. The steel structure is available galvanized or powder-coated in black or white. The seat, seatback and rear shelf can have a clear anodized fi nish or can be powder-coated in a selection of colors. www.futureproinc.com800/328-4625

GILMAN GEARThe Cool Zone portable fog cooler lowers ambient temperature by as much as 35 degrees without wetting the area being cooled. Eight stainless steel misting nozzles and a quiet, oscillating two-speed fan generate 6,500 to 9,500 cfm of cool air, enough to cool a 15-foot bench area from a stationary location. Adjustable in height from 59 to 70 inches, the unit comes fully assembled and mounted on heavy-duty solid rubber tires for ease of movement. A water line and 20-amp electrical line hookup are required.www.gilmangear.com800/243-0398

H & H ENTERPRISES INC.Expanding an existing football stadium is an economical way to increase seating capacity for a growing student population and fan base. H & H Enterprises can install new bleachers that will look like part of the existing stadium, while continuing to enhance and improve overall appearance. School colors can be specifi ed on outdoor aluminum seating at minimal additional cost, the company says.www.bleacherpeople.com800/878-7777




JAYPRO SPORTS LLCSoccer uprights and crossbars from Jaypro Sports are made of 4-inch-round extruded aluminum and feature the Easy Track™ net attachment system, including a removable standard or European soccer backstays. Ten-foot-high football uprights are available in 2 3⁄8 -inch-round aluminum, and in a powder-coated white fi nish. The durable goals meet NFHS and NCAA specifi cations. www.jaypro.com800/243-0533

KAY PARK-RECREATION CORP.The highway-towable Speedy Bleacher 108 from Kay Park is an economical seating solution. Seating as many as 108 people and featuring an aisle and a handrail, the foldable bleacher system can be easily moved from one fi eld to another with a conventional vehicle. Complete with electric folding mechanism and telescoping tongue, the seven-row system measures 27 feet long and less than nine feet tall, and can be assembled by one person. www.kaypark.com800/553-2476

KWIK GOAL LTD.The Pro Premier® European Match Goal by Kwik Goal offers the complete

goal package. Meeting both NCAA and NFHS specifi cations, the system is appropriate for all surfaces and includes nets, net clips, anchors, wheels and the Kwik Goal Lifetime Guarantee. This goal is ideal for teams that need to move goals on and off a fi eld often. www.kwikgoal.com800/531-4252

MUSCO LIGHTINGLight-Structure Green™, Musco’s complete foundation-to-poletop lighting system, is designed to reduce operating costs related to energy consumption, while all maintenance costs, including lamp replacements, are eliminated for 25 years through Musco’s Constant 25™ product assurance and warranty program. In addition, off-site spill lighting and glare are reduced by 50 percent, and constant light levels are guaranteed, the company says. www.musco.com800/825-6030

NATIONAL RECREATION SYSTEMS INC.National Recreation Systems is a leader in design, manufacturing and project management in the angle-frame aluminum bleacher industry. With a nationwide dealer network and nearly 100,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehousing space, the company is able to provide fast and accurate shipment of quality bleachers. All bleacher systems, from small bleachers to large elevated systems with ADA handicap-accessible seating, are IBC 2006 code compliant (the industry’s latest).www.bleachers.net888/568-9064


uality is a tradition at Sturdisteel.From our Permanent Grandstands to our Portable Bleachers, every

detail of a Sturdisteel product is durableand reliable. Modern techniques in manufacturing and engineering give all Sturdisteel products the strength to provide extra years of service, yet aredesigned with comfort and ease of use in mind.

“Quality from the Ground Up”

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NATIONAL SPORTS PRODUCTSNational Sports Products fi eld covers are made from high-quality polyethylene. The strong yet lightweight material is UV-, mold- and mildew-resistant. All seams are heat-sealed and perimeters are reinforced for extra durability. Tarp rollers and custom protective covers also are available.www.nationalsportsproducts.com800/553-8907

NEVCO INC.The Frontier League’s Traverse City Beach Bums upgraded their scoring system at Wuerfel Park in Traverse City, Mich., with a video display and scoring system from Nevco. The product includes a 12-by-16-foot full-color LED display integrated with a model 1503 inning-by-inning LED scoreboard. Nevco manufactures LED video display and scoring solutions for schools, colleges, universities and professional sports teams throughout the world. www.nevco.com800/851-4040

ONE SYSTEMS INC.One Systems manufactures a complete line of sound systems for any stadium application. The speakers deliver an optimum combination of sound quality,

coverage and weather-resistance. The 212CIM model delivers high-fi delity sound with extraordinary intelligibility and high output level from a compact chassis, the company says. A range of confi guration and installation options is available.www.onesystems.com866/846-1284

PERMA-CAP BY AVCONPerma-Cap® is an acrylic-based, maintenance-free seat cover made to retrofi t over existing wood or aluminum bleachers. Perma-Plank® is a galvanized steel bleacher board designed to accept the Perma-Cap cover, replacing the bleacher seat while reusing the existing bleacher structure. Suitable for indoor or outdoor use and available in 14 standard colors, the Perma-Cap® bleacher cover system is an environmentally friendly, cost-effective alternative to full bleacher replacement. www.perma-cap.com732/286-9496

PUTTERMAN ATHLETICSPutterman Athletics offers a variety of custom-made athletic fi eld covers to fi t specifi c sizes and budgets. Available with custom logos, elite vinyl covers are available for the entire fi eld or just the mound and bases. Putterman also offers its cost-effective Rainbuster Series polyethylene covers. www.puttermanathletics.com800/621-0146


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QUALITE SPORTS LIGHTING INC.Qualite Sports Lighting systems incorporate some of the most effi cient fi eld lighting fi xtures in the industry, the company says. The company designs all of its sports fi eld installations to provide optimum light uniformity and superb spill-light control.www.qualite.com800/933-9741

SAFESOCCER GOALSSafeSoccer Goals recently introduced what the manufacturer is calling the industry’s fi rst “truly safe,” easily movable soccer goal. The simple but distinctive patent-pending design is available in full- and youth-size goals and utilizes durable, sand-fi lled polyethylene rear rollers that provide the proper ballast to prevent accidental tip-overs. When the goal’s front is lifted off the playing surface, the rear rollers allow for easy transport to another location. www.safesoccergoals.com877/311-8399

SIGNCOEDSThrough structural design expertise and advanced LED technology, SignCoEDS provides programmable, crisp video displays. The bright, contrasted visual image makes the product a great choice for a variety of venues and applications. Available in 12-, 16- and 20-mm pixel

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pitches, the displays can show scores, statistics, replays, advertisements, animations and announcements, and they can be custom designed to fi t with a venue’s architecture and aesthetics. www.signco-eds.com866/848-6646

SINCLAIR INDUSTRIES INC.Sinclair Industries’ redesigned products include portable tilt-and-roll bleachers, permanent bleachers made of galvanized steel and aluminum understructures, elevated and non-elevated bleachers and team benches. The company also offers customizable options including choice of structural and seating materials, portability kits and additions to existing seating. www.snclr.com800/247-5946

SOFT TOUCH BASES Soft Touch® progressive-release bases are molded from durable cut-resistant polyurethane and are designed to fl ex and absorb energy as a player slides into the base. In case of uncontrolled slides, the progressive-release action allows the base to fl ex until enough force is applied to pop the base free from the mount.www.softtouchbases.com866/544-2077

SOUTHERN BLEACHER CO.With more than six decades of experience manufacturing bleachers,

grandstands and stadiums, Southern Bleacher brings innovative components and a wealth of insight to every job. From the initial planning stages to completion, Southern Bleacher helps clients create venues that will stand the test of time, season after season. www.southernbleacher.com800/433-0912

SPECTRUM SCOREBOARDSSpectrum’s video scoreboards are designed for appearance and performance. This custom design is 39 feet wide by 57 feet tall and features a high-resolution Spectrum video display for live feeds, instant replays, ads, game stats and animations in sharp, crisp color. Other features include a secondary color display, backlit signs and captions, 30-inch clock and score digits, 24-inch ultra-bold digits and programmable team names in 18-inch characters.www.spectrumscoreboards.com800/392-5050

SPORT FENCE INTERNATIONAL INC.Sport Fence International manufactures a totally portable fence system. Safety features reduce the risk of injury and organizational liability while turning any ball fi eld into a “fenced” ballpark in minutes. Sport Fence can also be used for many other athletic and recreational applications, such as crowd control, running/obstacle courses, temporary traffi c barricades, golf tournaments or safety stations. www.sportfenceinternational.com303/622-6777

SPORTABLE SCOREBOARDSScoreRestore™ from Sportable Scoreboards is a patent-pending green process whereby an outdated scoreboard can be rejuvenated, eliminating the need for replacement and associated transportation and installation costs. ScoreRestore features lightweight, easily interchangeable components and is available in numerous heights and widths to fi t over virtually any existing unit. www.sportablescoreboards.com800/323-7745

STURDISTEELFrom grandstands to bleachers, every detail of a Sturdisteel product is durable and reliable, the company says. Modern manufacturing and engineering techniques give Sturdisteel products the strength to provide years of service — yet they’re designed with comfort and ease of use in mind. www.sturdisteel.com800/433-3116

VALMONT SERVICESValmont Services offers sport lighting pole safety inspections, repairs and replacements. Unchecked corrosion, wind-induced fatigue and a number of other factors may contribute to an increased risk of pole failure. Valmont’s inspectors assess safety risks and help facility operators take appropriate corrective actions. www.valmontservicesgroup.com402/359-6761




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Take comfort to a new dimension.

Set your gym apart from the crowd by offering truly comfortable bleacher seats. Hussey’s backrests and seat spacers are just the ticket for seating spectators in comfort and style.

Our seat spacer—available with optional cupholder—offers an extra measure of comfort. The Courtside XT seat spacer creates nearly 25% more personal space, a benefit that sits well with all spectators, especially larger adults.

Hussey’s Courtside CB contoured backrests are ergonomically designed for maximum comfort. While cheering the team, spectators can lean back and enjoy ideal low- and mid-back support.

Our backrests and seat spacers work beautifully with Hussey’s Courtside 10”

and 12” seat modules. Choose either or both for

an enhanced level of comfort on any or all of your bleacher

seats. A truly comfortable gym seat will be a welcome surprise for your fans, and remember—comfortable seats can be reserved for VIPs as a way to generate revenue.

Support your fans in comfort.

Don’t settle for less than truly comfortable seating when planning a new gym. Contact your local Hussey Seating Dealer for expert design assistance. We have a solution to fit your budget—comfortably!

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>CONVERSIONCONVENIENCE<

Ever stop to consider how much movement takes place in a gym? We’re not talking about the running, jumping, dribbling and bumping, but rather the shuffl ing of

various pieces of equipment needed to accom-modate such activities — sometimes simultane-ously. Modern gyms are rigged to convert from basketball to badminton, or from softball prac-tice to a commencement ceremony — always with effi ciency, safety and the maintenance of the hardware in mind.

Basketball goals designed to come and go as demand dictates are either suspended from the gym ceiling or wheeled in as freestand-

ing backstops. Ceiling-suspended units are by far the most widely used (one manufacturer esti-mates they represent 85 percent of the market), with several operational advantages.

Touchscreen or keypad control can drop ceiling-suspended goals into place in minutes, and once deployed, they are ready for action. They also allow for abundant run-out space (provided there’s no obstruction immediately beyond the court’s baseline) and optimal sightlines among spectators in the fi rst rows of end-court seats. Portable goals, like those seen in most competi-tion arenas, are a bit more labor-intensive — at 2,500 to 3,000 pounds, they have to be moved manually into position by two individuals (a process that can take the better part of an hour) and adjusted for appropriate rim height. They also require accommodating door-jamb widths and ample storage, with two collapsed goals consuming roughly the space of a one-car garage. That said, portable goals allow courts to be confi gured in limitless directions and dimen-sions. Backstops can even be set up side-by-P

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NEW TWEAKS TO FAMILIAR TECHNOLOGIES ARE MAKING IT EASIER FOR GYMS TO ACCOMMODATE VIRTUALLY ANY COMBINATION OF ACTIVITIES. BY PAUL STEINBACH

ABOVE BOARDS Basketball goals that drop into position from the ceiling dominate today’s gymnasium market.


910-FEAT-Gyms.indd 47 8/11/10 2:48 PM



side for a free-throw contest during basketball practice, if desired.

Volleyball, another gymnasium mainstay, allows for similar conver-sion options. Ceiling-suspended net systems are becoming increasingly popular within recreation centers as a quick-change alternative to stan-chions manually mounted within fl oor

sleeves, though drop-down units have not yet gained widespread rulebook acceptance for competition. Floor-mounted stanchions are available in a variety of materials, from lightweight aluminum to rigid steel, and some are designed to support two nets serving side-by-side courts — a confi guration that requires only three fl oor sleeves.

Still, the fl oors in some gyms are outfi tted with more than a dozen sleeves to accommodate multiple matches simultaneously. These same sleeves, combined with special stanchions featuring sliding net collars or rails, can also be used to accommodate indoor tennis, though a volleyball court’s width will only allow for the playing of singles tennis.

Where fl oor sleeves are in short supply, portable stanchions can be wheeled into place. Tip-and-roll models featuring 145-pound cast-iron bases have remained unchanged for decades, but one manufacturer has patented a system in which a foot pedal engages wheels underneath the base. One steerable caster among the three wheels allows a single individual to transport the unit while it remains upright, thus eliminating much of the awkward steering and toe-pinching risk associated with tilting units.

However, volleyball is somewhat unusual in that the hardwood found in most gyms, while applicable to the sport, is not necessarily the preferred surface. Seen particularly at elite levels of competition, snap-together synthetic tile surfaces provide greater resilience and a more forgiving coeffi cient of friction than hardwood. (Players tend to dive and roll on wood, yet slide on tile.) The tiles also provide the cleaner appearance of a dedicated court uncluttered by game lines of multiple sports. Roughly 6,700 square feet of tile is needed to completely cover a collegiate hardwood basket-ball court (most high schools still play directly on hardwood), and an experienced team can assemble a modular volleyball court of that size in less than two hours, according to one tile manufacturer. Net heights need to be adjusted to account for the half-inch profi le of the tile, as well as the thin rubber layer that often separates the wood and tile surfaces. Tiles can either be cut to accommo-date fl oor sleeves or simply removed, since stanchion padding typically obscures the missing squares completely.

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going to the mat for this particular gym conversion can be just as easy as most other equipment switches. Wrestling mats stored on racks mounted high on gym walls or from

the ceiling can be lowered using the same touchscreen or keypad control that operates everything else found in elevated storage. Some racks now come with the type of safety feature

seen on retractable basketball goals — a seatbelt-like catch mechanism that will lock the unit up if for some reason it begins to descend too rapidly. In the case of multiple wrestling mats, the device, which employs a wide strap independent of the actual lift cables, can prevent 10,000 pounds of polyethylene from falling to the fl oor. With basketball backstops, it can prevent a unit from swinging down and striking open bleachers — or worse, bleacher occupants.

In cases in which multiple activities are occurring simultaneously, gym divider curtains and nets can separate

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sports participants and protect them from errant objects. Large fi eld houses, common in northern regions where weather can prohibit outdoor practices, often employ netting around the entire interior of a running track, as well as several linear nets within the track oval to break up court space. One manufacturer boasts an installation in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for which 27 separate nets were specifi ed.

Netting designed to serve more specifi c functions can be lowered from the gym ceiling, as well. Indoor batting cages are common, and indoor throwing cages for shot put and discus practice are available, too. One collapsible unit comes complete with operable gates that allow just enough room for true throws to exit the cage while protecting other gym users from wayward shots and discs.

On occasion, a gym may be called on to host a non-athletic event. All the

aforementioned equipment can more or less retract into the ceiling or up against a wall, or disappear into storage. But the one constant, the court, will have to be protected against everything from table legs to high heels. This is usually accom-

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employed in community gyms that serve as a polling places on election days, according to one distributor.

Arguably, more is asked of today’s gyms than ever before. Moving equipment in and out, or up or

down, has become standard weekly — if not daily — procedure. And as anyone who has ever operated a gym reiterates, rare is the gymnasium that has too much storage space.

That’s one reason, along with conversion convenience, that ceiling-suspended equipment has gained such favor in facilities designed with adequate load-bearing properties in the roof and spatial relationships in the ceiling, where stored equipment must coexist with lighting and air-handling hardware. Touchscreen control of ceiling-suspended equip-ment, which in some cases has gone wireless, has also evolved to the point where every individual piece can be programmed to go up, down or remain in place before a fi nal single touch sends them all in simultaneous motion, thus offering the ability to change an entire gym confi guration in less than three minutes.

The next logical step, then, is preset

programming, which would allow for automatic gym conversion to varsity basketball, for example, at 5 p.m. on Fridays. One manufacturer says this upgrade is only months away, but it will come with a familiar caveat. Most systems in place today, including those still employing individual key switches, require continuous contact with the controller while the equip-ment is in motion. If at any point a button or key is released, the equip-ment stops instantly — a handy feature when a potential obstacle has been spotted. Without direct visual

connection between the equipment and its operator, though, prepro-grammed conversions might be deemed too risky by some. This is the primary reason why bleacher manu-facturers have been slow to embrace integrated touchscreen operation of their equipment, preferring instead more hands-on (and eyes-on) pendant control when moving telescoping bleachers in and out.

Regardless of what comes next, it’s clear that the movement toward making gym conversions ever easier shows no signs of slowing down. Ω

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college sportsTHEFIELD

The Minneapolis Community and Technical College men’s basketball team spent seven straight weeks of the 2008-09 season atop the National Junior College

Athletic Association Division III rankings. The Mavericks fi nished that season 33-2, with their second loss coming by a single point in the NJCAA Division III championship game. Head coach Jay Pivec was named the division’s coach of the year, and the city council declared June 12, 2009, Minneapolis Mavericks Day.

Today, the program doesn’t exist.Less than two weeks removed from

Mavericks Day, the MCTC Intercollegiate Fundraising Committee launched a campaign to cover operating costs for the 2010-11 men’s and women’s basketball seasons, but having failed to reach a target of $118,000 by March 1 of this year, the school dropped athletics altogether. By April, Pivec, who had gone 452-115 at MCTC

and amassed 563 career victories, was both in the NJCAA Hall of Fame and out of coaching.

This is the economic climate many commu-nity colleges are now forced to endure, if endurance is even possible. Erie Community College in Buffalo, N.Y., cut eight teams in March. A year earlier, North Iowa Area Community College, faced with an $800,000 shortfall in state aid, saved $250,000 by elimi-nating football. Last fall, Mississippi governor Haley Barbour suggested that the state’s 15 community colleges either downsize athletics substantially or dissolve their programs.

Compared to athletics on four-year campuses — where ticket, booster and sponsorship dollars fl ow more freely — community college sports can make for an easy target when times get tough. The irony is that, in this recession (and indeed because of it), enrollment at two-year institutions is booming nationwide. “When you

Two-Year ForecastSOME COMMUNITY COLLEGE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENTS ARE STRUGGLING TO WEATHER THE ECONOMIC STORM. BY PAUL STEINBACH

LAST SHOT Two years ago, Minneapolis Community and Technical College played for the NJCAA Division III championship, but the school has since dropped the program for economic reasons.

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look at explosive growth in the number of students who are coming to your campus, and you look at diminishing support from the state for your campus, you simply have to look at slicing your pie in a way that benefi ts most of those new students,” says Mark Estepp, president of Southwest Virginia Community College, which suspended its lone sport — men’s basketball — this year because of a lack of private funding. “Sadly, athletics often looks like a piece you can take out.”

“We don’t give degrees in basket-ball and volleyball,” adds Missouri State University-West Plains chancel-lor Drew Bennett, of his school’s bare-bones sports offerings, “so they’re always on the chopping block when we face budget cuts.”

Like many two-year schools, MSU-West Plains has been forced to reduce athletics salaries and trim

budgets in an effort to ride out the re-cession. Taken somewhat by surprise by the severity of Barbour’s state-ment, athletic directors in Mississippi presented cost-cutting recommenda-tions to the Mississippi Association of Community & Junior Colleges in February. Measures in place for this academic year include: starting the football season one week later, thus reducing meal and housing expenses related to athletes on campus before classes actually begin; a 10 percent reduction in scheduled games for all sports except football and soc-cer, which have not restored games since adopting a similar reduction in 2001; elimination of all pre- and post-season scrimmages and games; exploration into the consolidation of athletic insurance or the increas-ing of deductibles; and exploration into the possibility of a mutual spring break for all MACJC schools, during which all athletic events would be suspended.

“I think schools are going into this year with a very good sense of doing things that are going to reduce costs for these next few years, and hope-fully we’ll get out from under this recession that we’re in,” says Jim

Southward, director of athletics activities for the Mississippi State Board for Community & Junior Colleges. “But at the same time, we still realize that community and junior college athletics is a vital part of our educational system.”

“Certainly, there are some colleges that are trying to weather the storm at this point in time, but there are also colleges that if it weren’t for athletics, their doors might not be open,” says NJCAA executive director Mary Ellen Leicht. “Athletics brings in full-time

enrollment for those institutions, allows them to build their student population. Oftentimes, two-year college athletics is a rallying point for communities and a way for the college to reach potential boosters and sponsors. There are a number of reasons why athletics, while they do certainly cost some money, don’t have to be fi nancially detrimental to the institution itself.”

NJCAA membership data, at least, don’t appear to be sounding a death knell for junior college athletics anytime soon. In fact, 13 schools joined the association this year, and overall membership, which has fl uctuated only slightly in recent years, stands at a solid 513. While MCTC and Southwest Virginia Community College dropped their NJCAA memberships, three other schools did so only to gain entrance into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Moreover, the 1,816 men’s teams sponsored by NJCAA member schools this year is down by only four from 2009, while the number of women’s teams has grown by 12, to 1,780. (In what he calls

an “ironic twist to the story,” Pivec, the displaced MCTC coach, has been hired to help start a men’s basketball program at a Minnesota State Colleges & Universities System sister institu-tion that’s adding sports, even while he remains on the faculty at MCTC.)

At MSU-West Plains, situated in the 10th poorest congressional district in the United States yet home to the second-ranked women’s volleyball team in NJCAA Division I last season, Bennett would much rather hold on to his two sports than fold them. “I think

it’s easier to try to maintain them at a reduced level than it is to cut them and try to bring them back, for two reasons,” he says. “Number one, there’s the hiring of personnel. But number two, there’s the community support. We are beating the bushes for booster members and tournament sponsors and to get people to buy tickets and come to the games, but that still does not cover the cost of the sport. If we cut the sport, we lose all that support. I think trying to win it back is much more diffi cult than maintaining sports at a bare-bones minimum to see if we can survive the lean years.”

Despite its long track record of on-court success, the basketball program at MCTC was no longer

viewed as vital. According to Dawn Skelly, the school’s director of mar-keting and communications, surveys conducted over three years revealed that MCTC students, many of whom come from low-income backgrounds, placed a higher priority on campus health services than intercollegiate athletics. With enrollment up 50

We don’t give degrees in basketball and volleyball, so they’re always on the chopping block when we face budget cuts.( )




college sportsTHEFIELD

percent over the past six years and declining state funds dictating $2.5 million in budget cuts, only private donations could have saved the Mavericks, who historically owed their existence to student fees. But four months into the fundraising campaign, a mere fi ve gifts had been secured. “This has led and will con-tinue to lead to diffi cult decisions for the college,” Skelly says of the economics of the situation. “There is no doubt that the basketball program has been important in many of the players’ lives.”

Likewise, suspending the Southwest Virginia basketball team’s operations was not something Estepp, who resurrected athletics upon his arrival three years ago, took lightly. “The thing I hated about it is we had, in three short years, grown that program into a really fi ne basketball program,” he says. “We had great athletes. More important, they were

great student ambassadors. And we had a great coach.”

But the fragile reality of running an athletics program at the junior college level became evident almost as quickly. Estepp’s mandate that athletics be funded only through private benefactors worked fi ne the fi rst two years, but as the economy continued to head south, donor dollars dried up. Meanwhile, basket-ball games were lucky to attract two dozen onlookers, most of whom were

players’ relatives. The team’s head coach was moving on, as well. “It was as good a time as any to close the window,” says Estepp, who little more than a year earlier had shuttered SVCC’s baseball program. “That being said, they are suspended, not elimi-nated. I would love to bring them back once the economy improves.” Ω

Paul Steinbach ([email protected]) is senior editor of Athletic Business.

Certainly, there are some colleges that are trying to weather the storm, but there are also colleges that if it weren’t for athletics, their doors might not be open.

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As a fi rst-timer, the Athletic Business Conference exceeded all expectations I had going into it. I defi nitely plan on attending the conference/trade show every year from here on out.

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Getting Employer Support to Attend ABCABC has created a Justifi cation Package to help you explain to your supervisor how important it is to attend the Athletic Business Conference & Expo. Visit www.athleticbusinessconference.com and go to “Getting Employer Support” on the Home toolbar. There you will be able to modify the forms in order to meet your needs.

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high school sportsTHEFIELD

Citing a $6.5 million budget gap for the upcoming school year, Tolleson (Ariz.) Union High School District administrators were forced earlier this year to eliminate

swimming, cross country, golf and tennis at the district’s fi ve high schools — sports strategically chosen to impact the fewest participants. But when swimmers and their parents at Westview High took it upon themselves to raise the esti-mated $25,000 needed to save the Knights’ swim team, the school board stymied their efforts, stating it would be unfair to reinstate one team with outside funding if dollars couldn’t be found for Westview’s other eliminated programs or for swim teams at the other four schools.

“It’s not fair to allow some kids to have greater opportunities than others,” Kim Owens, a member of the Tolleson Union High School District board, told The Arizona Republic, citing concerns about Title IX and providing similar opportunities for students on all fi ve campuses. She added that the board agreed in April that donations would not be accepted for a particular

sport or school. Superintendent Margo Olivares-Seck said that principals don’t want to rely on outside organizations to raise money to save athletic programs. They only want the sports reinstated “if the district provides the funding,” Olivares-Seck told the paper.

“The last thing we want to do is beat up a school board, but it’s sad that there’s an auto-matic reaction of trying to put down the power of the parents,” says Steve Beden, executive director of the Kennewick, Wash.-based North American Booster Club Association. “Parents are very passionate about supporting their kids, and they really do have the ability to step up and make some pretty dramatic enhancements for helping these programs.”

Fundraising for specifi c athletic programs is legal in Arizona and is done at many high schools in that state and around the country.

In Mesa, Ariz., for example, money raised by private groups is accepted by the local school board each year and applied to sports or other

The New DependentsAT SOME SCHOOLS, SPORTS TEAMS OWE THEIR EXISTENCE TO OUTSIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT. BY MICHAEL POPKE

LEGWORKBooster groups are being relied on like never before to keep sports alive.

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programs. Last fall at Sebastian River High School in Sebastian, Fla., athletic director Michael Stutzke informed coaches of the boys’ and girls’ golf, bowling, cross country and lacrosse teams, as well as those of the weightlifting, competitive cheer and girls’ rugby squads, that their teams had only a few days to become self-suffi cient. If they could not, those sports would be eliminated. The golf, lacrosse and rugby teams were able to generate the money and meet the deadline.

In Tolleson, a local businessman and city council member chipped in $1,000 to help members of the Westview swim team join the Southwest Valley Family YMCA’s swim club, which also offered students a discount. But the fees are still double that of high school swimming fees, and club swimmers are ineligible to participate in meets sanctioned by the Arizona Interscholastic Association.

Beden predicts there will be more situations in which signifi cant outside funds will be needed to keep certain interscholastic programs alive, as districts continue to lose state and federal funding and eliminate athletics and other extracurricular activities. But so far in 2010, high school booster clubs are noticing a signifi cant decrease in contri-butions — including an 82 percent drop in the average donation amount over the previous 12 months, according to NABCA’s research. And 62 percent of all donations

received have totalled $10 or less. In such a tumultuous economy, Beden thinks districts

like Tolleson Union High School should take what they can get. “I understand what they did, but I don’t agree with what they did,” he says. “They gave no solutions, no support.” He suggests that school boards in similar crises convene a mandatory all-district parent meeting, in which administrators talk openly about the uncertain future of specifi c sports. Then they should offer to work with parents to develop strategies to maintain those programs — perhaps via a district-led steering committee or even an outside organization that can rally parents. “But if a school district comes back and says parents have to raise money for the entire district, it will never happen,” Beden says. “The district has not taken a proactive role in trying to help ensure the continuation of those programs, which really hurts the kids.”

One possible solution that NABCA encourages is the creation of an executive booster club to oversee a school’s individual booster groups. Such an organiza-

tion can serve as a reporting agency, as well as mediator and mentor — helping generate fair opportunities for booster clubs of smaller sports and training all new mem-bers in proper policies and procedures.

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high school sportsTHEFIELD

The Saugerties (N.Y.) Booster Club represents an example of the power a single, all-inclusive booster organization can exert. Over the summer, the club, whose website states that its purpose “is to support all interscho-lastic sports in the Saugerties Central School District” for grades seven through 12, raised more than $150,000 to match a private donation — thereby saving the entire slate of sports programs at the junior and senior high schools for the 2010-11 academic year. The money will go toward transportation, offi cials’ fees and coaches’ stipends, district athletic director Lee Molyneaux told the Kingston Daily Freeman. No new uniforms or equipment will be pur-chased. (Meanwhile, fundraising continues in an effort to save the district’s music, arts and library programs, which also were axed.)

“Unfortunately, those type of executive booster clubs are in the minority,” Beden says. “But that’s really the ideal format. That’s the one we preach and teach, because it helps to bring about a lot more involvement, a lot more structure. It brings together an organizational body that can really help oversee all of the challenges.”

If that approach is so effective, why don’t more schools follow it? “It’s a slow transition,” Beden admits, suggesting that an executive booster club could be implemented with a set of freshman parents who slowly build the base and

culture of the club over a four-year period. “The booster club industry has been sort of like the Wild West. There are a lot of independent organizations out there, and they are somewhat disorganized. They really focus on their own special needs. Until there becomes a greater demand for getting them together in larger groups, it’s going to be tough.” Ω

Michael Popke ([email protected]) is managing editor of Athletic Business.

The last thing we want to do is beat up a school board, but it’s sad that there’s an automatic reaction of trying to put down the power of the parents.

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910-TF-HS.indd 62 8/11/10 2:49 PM



recreationTHEFIELD

Found fl oating face down and unconscious in a Providence, R.I., city pool on a balmy day in August 2009, 9-year-old Jameson Auciel went into a coma and died four days

later. In its investigation of the incident, the city determined that Auciel and his 8-year-old cousin Gamaelle Bazelais, who was also found face down but regained consciousness after a fi ve-day coma, were two of approximately 70 patrons using McGrane Pool, which at the time was being overseen by three lifeguards and nine other staff members. It was more than adequate staffi ng for the situation, according to the city’s own guidelines.

The problem was that the two children, along with Auciel’s 5-year-old brother — none of whom knew how to swim and none of whom were under the supervision of a parent or guardian — were allowed in the pool in the fi rst place.

It’s a problem the city set out to address this summer through a set of strict rules regarding pool usage among children — rules that have been criticized by some people as being too preventive. But the mayor’s offi ce contends that the new measures provide a comprehensive, enforceable framework to help streamline the city’s recreation program and, more important, keep accidents such as last year’s from recurring.

“We did an instant review of our rules after the tragedy happened last year,” says the city’s director of operations, Alix Ogden, adding that the safety precautions in place during the tragedy were, although inadequate, actually being followed. “We’re also in the process of merging our parks and our recreation depart-ments. As part of that process, we ended up sitting down during the winter and thinking, ‘We have six pools and nine waterparks. How do

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recreationTHEFIELD

we set up a recreation management system around all our water facilities that lets people know about those facilities and standardizes the procedures within them?’ ”

To that end, Ogden’s staff began researching city- and town-wide pool rules in place at agencies throughout the region and country. “Based on the research we

did, it looks like each city and town struggles with this individually, doing the best they can given their own circumstances,” says Ogden. “We didn’t fi nd a lot of nat ional-level guidance.”

After its research, the city adopted the following rules: • Upon their fi rst visit to a city pool, all patrons —

adults and children alike — must take a swim test. To pass, they must swim the width of the pool without touching the bottom. Results are recorded.

• Based on the swim test results, patrons are given color-coded wristbands on each subsequent visit to a city pool. Wristbands identify swimmers, non-swimmers and adult guardians of non-swimmers.

• All children under 42 inches tall (3 ½ feet) are prohibited from using city pools. (Although the city’s pools and pool decks come in various shapes and sizes, all shallow ends are 42 inches deep, while deep ends bottom out at 54 inches.)

• Children and all non-swimmers between 42 and 54 inches tall must be accompanied by an adult swimmer.

• Children who are 54 inches or taller must pass the swim test to be admitted without an accompanying adult.

• Adults are prohibited from accompanying more than two children per visit.

• Bathing suits or shorts with a T-shirt are required. • All patrons must provide and sign emergency contact

information upon entering the pool.After the rules were published at the beginning of this

swimming season, some aquatics experts leveled criticism toward the city for going too far in excluding young children. “The height factor totally eliminates young families from enjoying the public pool,” Robert Ogoreuc, incoming president of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, told the Providence Journal in July. “It goes from one extreme to another, from letting too many people in to not letting anyone in. It’s unfortunate, but I think they will be eliminating a whole user group. What happens if I’m a [single] parent with one kid under 42 inches and one over 54 inches? How do I split the time?”

Ogden, for one, says the rules remain feasible since city pools staff can direct non-qualifying patrons to any of Providence’s sprayground-style waterparks, many of which have opened in the past fi ve years. “That’s a part of our recreation system that we’ve been focused on expanding, so families of all ages or without swimming abilities can use those facilities,” she says. “We’re trying to avoid the situation where, frankly, our lifeguards are serving as babysitters, rather than water safety personnel.”

The city has also fi elded some complaints for qualify-ing patrons based on height, rather than age, but Ogden contends that enforcing age-based rules simply isn’t viable, for the fact that “we don’t have kids walking around the city with photo IDs showing their ages.”

To augment the effectiveness of the new rules, the city also developed a new training program and manage-ment structure for its lifeguards, creating a higher-

paid “senior lifeguard” position in the process. “In Rhode Island, we’re competing with the lifeguard staffi ng at our state beaches,” Ogden says. “Our pay structure wasn’t really competitive with that, so we created the new position and tried to make our lifeguarding opportunities more attractive to a wider variety of people.”

The new pay structure, wristbands, revised rules signage and a small marketing campaign — fl iers outlining the rules were sent home with every elementary school student a week before pools opened for the season — required very little capital outlay, according to Ogden, although developing the rules and educating patrons on them has demanded a lot of staff time.

After the fi rst two days of the season, when the rules indeed took many pool patrons by surprise, Ogden says there has been very little backlash from the public. “Most of the comments we’ve received have been from people who are really glad we’re taking these steps,” she says. “The people who seemed to be most angry were those who were just interested in dropping their kids off at the pool for the afternoon, whether or not their kids could swim. And that’s exactly what we were hoping to get away from.” Ω

Nicholas Brown ([email protected]) is associ-ate editor of Athletic Business.

{ }We’re trying to avoid the situation where, frankly, our lifeguards are serving as babysitters, rather than water safety personnel.

910-TF-Recreation.indd 64 8/11/10 2:50 PM



World Cup fever, which this summer was at a pitch not heard in the United States since the U.S. hosted the Cup in 1994, could mean a big jump in the

number of adult players and even in the already huge number of youth players. But what will happen to all those newly minted footballers when their fi rst kick-around is interrupted by inclement weather? Or, worse, winter?

In the large majority of communities, they’ll get a shock the fi rst time they step on an indoor soccer fi eld. Despite using the same basic equipment and sharing the same objective of putting the ball in the back of the net, the games are fundamentally different because of the smaller fi eld and the presence of dasher boards. The indoor game is faster-paced, with few of the out-of-bounds moments that allow outdoor players to catch their breath, and one-twos off the boards and rebounds from near-goals are among the unique skills needed to play the game well.

It’s for this reason that the 2010 World Cup

could spur continued development of the boardless variety of indoor soccer, which is in ascendance in certain communities and regions, or even alter the basic layout of existing boarded indoor soccer facilities to accommodate both styles of play.

Indoor soccer began with an 1885 match at Newark (Ont.) Roller Skating Rink and saw early development on 200-by-85-foot rinks

intended for hockey, and indoor pitches have also been constructed inside converted tennis clubs, abandoned big-box stores and a variety of other pre-engineered, warehouse-style buildings. Indoor soccer has its own trade association, but in a possible indication of the sport’s future, it’s in the process of morphing from the United States Indoor Soccer Association to the United States Indoor Sports Association.

“We sort of, not really, changed our name,” avers Don Shapero , the USISA’s founder and president. “We have changed our branding such that the trade aspect of our organization is going

Boards of TradeINTEREST IN BOARDLESS INDOOR SOCCER IS RISING, BUT FOR MANY FACILITY OWNERS, THE NUMBERS DON’T ADD UP. BY ANDREW COHEN

WIDE OPENAn advantage of boardless soccer is that players can practice their throw-ins and touch-line ball handling just as they would on an outdoor fi eld.

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by ‘Sports,’ and the sports side, for fans and coaches, is going by ‘Soccer.’ ” Beyond such parsing, it is a step that suggests a shifting landscape. “The reason is to refl ect the identity of our members as they’ve changed from soccer-only facilities,” Shapero says.

The alterations have tended toward the programmatic rather than the physical, however. In most existing facilities, Ultimate Frisbee, fl ag football and lacrosse teams simply take to the fi elds, with the boards irrelevant to play. Facility owners who take this route do (or should) have one area of concern — nets strung in order to loosely corral soccer balls will pose a danger to spectators if counted on to stop stray lacrosse balls.

Accommodating other sports safely will also typically mean marking off fi elds of play inside the dashers, leaving an out-of-bounds area beyond touch lines and end lines. An often-cited advantage resulting from such a move is that players can practice their throw-ins and touch-line ball handling just as they would on an outdoor fi eld.

Shapero, however, downplays such a training benefi t.

“T ouches on the ball are a lot more important than whether there’s a board or not, and the indoor style, with boards, vastly increases the number of touches,” he says. “There are also certain drills you can run off the boards. I think it can be argued both ways, but I think it’s ridiculous to think boardless play is superior in terms of player development.”

The question is, player development for which sport? The fact is that for all the players who will come to The Beautiful Game from their World Cup-fueled awareness, there are an equal number who view indoor soccer as the better game. “There’s a bit of a purist element coming into the indoor game,” Shapero says. “The indoor game

is characterized by fun and recreation, and those who play with boards tend to feel very strongly about that.”

Facility owners feel most strongly about turning a profi t, and Chris Guertin, founder of rink and indoor soccer supplier Sport Resource Group, believes that boarded fi elds offer the best opportunity to maximize revenue. “To me, it’s a space issue — you can get more boarded fi elds into an area,” Guertin says. “Trying to replicate the outdoor game indoors just takes up too much space.”

As with repurposed tennis clubs, many of which were built with eight courts set astride a central corridor, big-box stores or supermarkets used for indoor soccer will often feature rows of supporting columns, making repl icating the outdoor game impos-sible. The owner or builder of a long-span fi eld house may not be able to resist the lure of an outdoor-style soccer pitch, but the building shell or operational budget might conspire against those plans (the minimum European dimension is 100 yards long by 50 wide; the maximum 130 by 100 yards). Shapero says that facility owners who try to fudge things — by creating an outdoor-style fi eld that isn’t of outdoor dimensions — might just be frustrating their most ardent user group. Owners do have the option (and most take it) of employing movable or retractable divider curtains to accommodate, when desired, a large

number of small fi elds — but that won’t satisfy fans of the boarded indoor game.

The Calgary Minor Soccer Association is one group that has experimented with both styles of play. A one-year trial in 2006-07 that saw U14 and U16 Tier I and II teams play with touch lines and end lines set within boarded fi elds was followed by an analysis of play — injury levels stayed the same, fi tness levels of players dropped and games slowed signifi cantly as many players had trouble controlling the ball around touch lines. Afterward, a survey of all facility users showed that 75 percent wanted to retain the boards, especially over-45 teams and Calgary’s fastest-growing soccer demographic, coed teams. Boardless soccer’s most enthusiastic players were U18 and U16 boys. “We thought we had a win-win, but we had a very divided group,” says Daryl Leinweber, CMSA’s executive director.

Yet, three years after tallying the questionnaires, CMSA is now consid-ering doing away with boards entirely, just as soccer associations in Saskatchewan have done. “Even playing on boarded fi elds, kids essentially play boardless; it isn’t until they’re 10 that the boards start to become part of their game,” Leinweber says. “We have to identify our objec-tive — if it’s to get kids active, we should leave the boards in, and if it’s to

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THE WALLOne-twos off the boards and

rebounds from near-goals are among the unique skills needed to play boarded

indoor soccer well.




improve the technical component of the sport, we should take the boards out.”

“The overriding element in the decision about boards is, who’s going to play there?” says Norm Gill, founder of indoor sports facility consultant Pinnacle Indoor Sports. “Are they playing indoor for fun, or training for outdoor? From an owner’s standpoint, you have one commodity: time. How do you fi ll the facility as close to 365 days as you can? You can put in a large turf fi eld with touch lines and have soccer, lacrosse, fl ag football, Ultimate and whatever else you want to put out there. Or you can put in a lot of boarded fi elds and be the place for indoor soccer. You have to know your clientele.”

There are areas — southern Ontario, suburban New Jersey, Minneapolis — where boarded

indoor fi elds hardly exist. But, as

noted, there’s a reason boards are used in 60 percent (Shapero’s estimate) to as many as 80 percent (Guertin’s estimate) of the U.S. and Canada’s 650 indoor soccer facilities: Money.

“I’m sure there are some successful outdoor-style indoor facilities,” Shapero says, “but I would imagine it’s a much more diffi cult business proposition. Because you have half as many teams playing and longer game times, there are fewer rental periods.

To compensate for that, you would have to charge signifi cantly more than what you would normally charge an indoor soccer team. And then, in season, you start having to compete with outdoor leagues. As you go further into this analysis, the market seems to get smaller and smaller.” Ω

Andrew Cohen ([email protected]) is editor of Athletic Business.

(( ))Touches on the ball are a lot more important than whether there’s a board or not, and the indoor style, with boards, vastly increases the number of touches.

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Aacer Flooring LLC ............................................................53

AAE (Aluminum Athletic Equipment Co.) .....................51

Action Floor Systems LLC ...............................................48

AEDSuperstore ..................................................................51

Aeson Flooring Systems, Div. of Stagestep ................55

American Public University System ...............................58

Athletic Business Conference .................................31, 59

Beam Clay/Partac Peat Corp. ........................................41

Beynon Sports Surfaces Inc. ............................................ 5

Bison Inc. .............................................................................51

Centaur Floor Systems LLC ............................................52

ClearSpan, Div. of TekSupply..........................................55

Courtclean ...........................................................................52

Covermaster Inc. ................................................................25

Covermaster Inc. ................................................................75

CoverSports USA ..............................................................43

Cybex International Inc. ...................................................... 9

Daktronics Inc. ....................................................................37

Dri-Dek .................................................................................10

Entre Prises Climbing Walls ............................................76

FieldTurf ................................................................................11

Gopher Sport ......................................................................58

Grid Concepts ....................................................................50

Hussey Seating Co. ..........................................................46

InCord ...................................................................................55

Infl ate & Go..........................................................................35

International Council on Active Aging ...........................29

John Deere............................................................................. 3

Kay Park-Recreation Corp. ..............................................30

List Industries Inc. ..............................................................24

M.A.S.A. Inc. .......................................................................39

Mondo...................................................................................15

Musco Lighting ...................................................................32

National Alliance for Youth Sports .................................69

National Federation of State High School Associations ..................................................61

National Recreation Systems Inc. ..................................45

National Sports Products .................................................50

Polytan-USA ........................................................................23

Rec-Turf Inc. .......................................................................... 6

Salsbury Industries ............................................................10

Sinclair Industries Inc. .......................................................36

Sink Combs Dethlefs ........................................................50

SnapSports Inc...................................................................51

Soft Touch Bases...............................................................36

Soundsphere, Div. of Sonic Systems Inc. ....................42

Southern Bleacher Co. .....................................................39

SportInstall LLC ..................................................................43

Sports Imports (Senoh) ....................................................49

Sports Tutor Inc. .................................................................35

Sprung Instant Structures Inc. ........................................19

Stabilizer Solutions ............................................................45

Sturdisteel............................................................................41

Synthetic Surfaces Inc. .....................................................17

Technogym USA Corp. ....................................................... 2

Valmont Services................................................................35

Varco-Pruden Buildings ..................................................... 4

Yeadon Fabric Domes LLC ..............................................45

Zogics LLC ..........................................................................30

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Avanti Fitness ......................................................................21

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National Swimming Pool Foundation ............................20

Primo Sport Inc. ................................................................21

RenoSys Corp. ...................................................................20

Rite-Hite Corp. ...................................................................20

Spectrum Products ...........................................................21

PURCHASING GUIDE

ACO Sport ..........................................................................38

All American Scoreboards ...............................................38

Artistic Coverings Inc. .......................................................38

Beam Clay/Partac Peat Corp. ........................................38

Big Ass Fans .......................................................................38

Bison Inc. .............................................................................38

Carron Net Co. Inc. ...........................................................38

Century Industries Inc. ......................................................38

Clarin Seating .....................................................................39

Colorado Time Systems ...................................................39

Community Professional Loudspeakers .......................39

Covermaster Inc. ................................................................40

CoverSports USA ..............................................................40

Daktronics Inc. ....................................................................40

Eversan Inc. .........................................................................40

Fair-Play Scoreboards ......................................................40

Future Pro Inc. ....................................................................40

Gilman Gear ........................................................................40

H & H Enterprises Inc. ......................................................40

Jaypro Sports LLC .............................................................41

Kay Park-Recreation Corp. ..............................................41

Kwik Goal Ltd......................................................................41

Musco Lighting ...................................................................41

National Recreation Systems Inc. ..................................41

National Sports Products .................................................42

Nevco Inc. ............................................................................42

One Systems Inc. ...............................................................42

Perma-Cap by Avcon ........................................................42

Putterman Athletics ...........................................................42

Qualite Sports Lighting Inc. .............................................43

SafeSoccer Goals .............................................................43

SignCoEDS .........................................................................43

Sinclair Industries Inc. .......................................................44

Soft Touch Bases...............................................................44

Southern Bleacher Co. .....................................................44

Spectrum Scoreboards ....................................................44

Sport Fence International Inc. .........................................44

Sportable Scoreboards ....................................................44

Sturdisteel............................................................................44

Valmont Services................................................................44

910-Index.indd 68 8/11/10 4:00 PM


AB09_NAYS910.indd 1 8/9/10 7:27 AM


FORWARDPROGRESS BY NICHOLAS BROWN

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Construction is under way on a new $16.7 million recreation complex at O’FALLON PARK on St. Louis’ north side (right). Designed by St. Louis-based KAI, the two-story, 79,000-square-foot recreation center will feature an aquatics center with an indoor splash pool and a triple-loop slide, a motion pool, a children’s pool, a sauna, a steam room, a spa and an outdoor lap pool. The facility will also include a gymnasium, an indoor track, a fi tness center, locker rooms and a community multipurpose room… In late July, ground was broken at the joint U.S. Naval base Pearl Harbor-Hickman for a centralized fi tness facility that will boast state-of-the-art

fi tness amenities. The 63,636-square-foot center will serve as many as 18,000 patrons per month from more than 200 area commands. Honolulu, Hawaii-based NEXT DESIGN consulted on the design, and KIEWIT BUILDING GROUP has been awarded the design-build contract for the $24.4 million,

two-story facility that will showcase numerous sustainable features, including recycled construction materials, photovoltaic arrays and drought-tolerant landscaping. Amenities will include a large gymna-sium, a cardio and strength training area and two racquetball courts.

First PitchAbout 40 people in Hamilton, Ont., attended the fi rst community meeting to help plan a $132.5 million aquatic center and sports institute that will be located in nearby Scarborough. The venue is expected to be the largest featured in the 2015 Pan Am Games… Recreation offi cials in Sprinker, Wash., have determined that $6.1 million in renovations to the town’s 34-year-old recreation center might be more practical than an originally proposed $34 million remodel… East Chicago, Ill., has decided to invest $5 million into new track and soccer facilities at East Chicago Central High School… After years of holding some of their biggest athletic competitions at other sites, school offi cials in Jefferson County, Ky., are considering building a 32,000-seat arena, part of a $26 million proposal that would also add a new auditorium… The Spotsylvania, Va., county board of supervisors has reached a deal with two local nonprofi t sports organiza-tions to develop 80 acres of unused land into a 17-fi eld soccer complex… $15 million in state funds has been allotted to West Virginia State University to help renovate Fleming Hall, which houses athletic offi ces and the school’s health and human performance program… The University of Michigan board of regents has approved the schematic design of a new, $2.5 million, 10,000-square-foot golf practice facility… The Norton Shores, Mich., city council has given its blessing to a proposed 2,500-seat ice arena that would serve the community and also be home to the West Michigan Blizzard of the All-American Hockey League… Offi cials at

Prairie View A&M University have unveiled a $60 million capital improvement plan that includes a new $34 million football stadium, new athletic department offi ces and upgrades to basketball facilities… The Florida Atlantic University board of trustees has approved a fi nancing plan for a new 30,000-seat, $70 million football stadium… Mississippi State University is currently developing a master plan for its football venue, Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field, that could expand the seating capacity to 75,000… In mid-August, residents of Southlake, Texas, got their fi rst look at plan alternatives and artist renderings of a new municipal multipurpose center… The Fergus Falls, Minn., city council is in the approval process for a new $6 million community ice arena… Town offi cials in East Fiskhill, N.Y., are considering using $500,000 from a trust account to buy 20 acres of land as the site for a proposed community recreation center… North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue has signed a bill that includes a funding plan for on-campus football stadium construc-tion at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The school is hoping to construct a $40.5 million stadium and football complex, and fi eld a football team as soon as 2013… Offi cials at Tulane University announced plans for a $13 million, 43,000-square-foot basketball and volleyball practice facility, and the university said it also plans to include an additional $2 million per year to the athletics operations budget and as much as $2 million per year in athletics scholarship funding relief.

910-FP.indd 70 8/11/10 2:50 PM



FORWARDPROGRESS

Envisioned in the town of Christianburg, Va.’s master plan since 1994, a 64,000-square-foot, two-story aquatics center (right) opened in July. The facility features a 50-meter pool with a diving well, a leisure pool with a water slide and numerous water play features, a heated therapy pool and an aquatic fi tness area. The $17.9 million center also has the capability to host local or regional competitive swim meets. Nearby Virginia Tech University will have exclusive privileges at the center for 25 years, including reserved pool times for team training and rights to host Atlantic Coast Conference swim meets. In return, the university has agreed to pay the town $5 million, in $250,000 annual payments, over the next 20 years.

In plenty of time to accommodate

fall’s mass arrival of students, the University of Iowa Campus Recreational and Wellness Center opened Aug. 2. The $70 million, 215,000-square-foot facility (below)includes offi ces for both the UI Wellness and Health department and the department of Recreational Services, and will be the home

location for the UI swimming and diving teams. Highlights of the recreation center include a 52 1⁄2-foot climbing wall, a 20,042-square-foot fi tness area with equipment on three levels, competition pools, a leisure pool and spa, two gymnasiums, a 1⁄9-mile indoor track, a multipurpose court, three multipurpose activity rooms, steam and sauna rooms, a café and locker rooms. Artwork featured prominently in the facility includes a bronze relief of NCAA champion UI swimmer Jack Sieg, who was instrumental in developing the butterfl y stroke, and two elaborate fl oor mosaics.

To accommodate an infl ux of soldiers to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, the U.S. Army has opened its largest fi tness facility to date — the 96,000-square-foot Joshua W. Soto Physical Fitness Facility. Named in honor of a soldier who died last summer during a roadside bombing in Iraq, the $22 million facility includes $2 million worth of fi tness equipment alone. Other amenities include a 10,000-square-foot weight training room, a group cycling room with 60 bikes, and a cardio area with 60 treadmills, 60 elliptical trainers, 20 stair-steppers and 10 rowing machines. The facility includes a 1⁄10-mile running track, a combatives room, two basketball courts, a fi tness assessment room, a concessions area, and locker rooms and showers that can accommodate 130 people at a time. Ω

Grand Openings

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Because everyone moving between fl oors of a building is funneled

through the same narrow path, staircases often are places of

spontaneous social

interaction. Open

staircases, meanwhile, are

sometimes designed to serve as

the focal point of a space —

centrally located, lavishly

appointed and in full view of

building occupants on both fl oors.

Grand staircases don’t get much

grander than the one at Club H

Fitness in Jersey City, N.J. The

central element of a narrow space

that spans hundreds of feet along

a busy thoroughfare, the curved,

freestanding stair features three

12-foot-diameter social “pods,”

two of which are cantilevered

and appear to fl oat over the

fi tness center. Outfi tted with

plush chairs and small tables, the topmost pods are used by salespeople

when making their pitch to prospective members, according to architect

Fabiano Designs of Montclair, N.J., as well as by members looking to

socialize, see and be seen. Ω

DESIGNDETAILS BY ANDREW COHEN

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MEMBER

Simply the Safest!Covermaster's Ultima Series

PROTECTIVE GYM FLOOR COVERSThese ADA compliant, slip resistant covers are

designed for ultimate SAFETY!

SEE A COVERMATE II™ VIDEO ATcovermaster.com

E-MAIL: [email protected]

ULTIMA 5000™

HEAVY DUTY COVER WITH A RIPPLE PATTERN ON ONE SIDE

ULTIMA 4000™

HEAVYWEIGHT COVER WITH A DIAMONDTREAD-PLATE PATTERN ON ONE SIDE

ULTIMA 3000™

DELUXE COVER WITH A HOLOGRAPHICCUBE PATTERN ON ONE SIDE

Safety outriggers for increased stability Non-slipping, positive floor locks Roller collars to avoid finger pinching Six casters to reduce point load and improve mobility Safety bolt prevents roller 'pop-outs'

SAFETY 1ST

Call 1-800-387-5808 to learn more!

Many other cover models also available

COVERMATE II™The ONLY certified, professionally engineered handling systemspecifically designed for safety.THERE IS NO SAFER SYSTEM!

OTHER SYSTEMS JUST CLAIM TO BE SAFE, WHILE COVERMATE II™ IS CERTIFIED TO BE SAFE!

Certified engineer designed

AB01_CovMas110.indd 1 12/15/09 12:15 PM

MORE THAN 25 YEARS

OF EXPERIENCE

OVER 4000 CLIMBING WALLS

COMPLETED WORLDWIDE

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

Contact us to receive our newcatalog or visit our new website

800-580-5463 WWW.EPUSA.COM

U.S. NATIONAL WHITEWATER CENTER

ESPN X GAMES

NIKE WORLD CAMPUS

CHELSEA PIERS

LAKESHORE ATHLETIC CLUB

MULTNOMAH ATHLETIC CLUB

REI LOCATIONS

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WHITMAN COLLEGE>

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ENTRE PRISESCLIMBING WALLS

ENTRE PRISES –THE COMPANY THAT STARTED IT ALL

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