The latest news from ASBA members.

Putterman Athletics and Pro-1 Sports Join Forces

In August 2010, Putterman Athletics and Pro-1 Sports entered into a joint venture. Putterman Athletics (M. Putterman & Co. LLC) has been the leading manufacturer of recreational and industrial products for over ninety years. Putterman and its ownership continues as before, but now Putterman is also a partner of Pro-1 Sports, which has been renamed Putterman/Pro-1 Sports, LLC. Putterman/Pro-1 Sports, LLC offers a complete portfolio of high quality indoor and outdoor tennis court products including but not limited to tennis windscreen, tennis nets, backdrop curtains, court covers, scoreboards, court dryers, wall padding, divider nets and benches. The driving force behind this partnership is a combined loyalty to our customers and a desire to respond to and support their needs. The joint venture will operate from Chicago, Illinois and Marietta, Georgia. For additional information please contact Pete Harvey on 773.330.3027 or visit www.puttermanathletics.com.

Plexicushion Prestige Selected for WTA Championship

The Women’s Tennis Association Championships Doha 2010 featuring the Top 8 singles players and Top 4 doubles teams, has chosen Plexipave’s Plexicushion Prestige tennis surface. This season-ending WTA tournament was played at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex in Qatari, Doha from October 26 to October 31, 2010.

"Plexipave is pleased and honored to be the preferred court surface for this prestigious WTA event" said Art Tucker, Plexipave’s Vice President. “We are grateful to be teamed with Al Ghorairi & Partners of Doha, Qatar, the outstanding contractor who installed the Plexicushion Prestige tennis surface.”

Plexicushion Prestige has been the official surface of the Australian Open and the Australian Open Series since 2007. Plexipave tennis surfaces have been regularly selected for use at the world's most prominent events including the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, Davis Cup, Fed Cup, and at many of the leading facilities around the world. Plexipave tennis surfaces have been classified by the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) Court Pace Rating system. Plexipave has authorized applicators around the globe that are trained to install the surface that is known for its consistent speed of play, true ball bounce, durability, low maintenance, vibrant long lasting colors, and overall customer value.

Plexicushion® Prestige Selected for WTA’s ASB Classic

Plexipave Sport Surfacing Systems has announced that their Plexicushion Prestige surface has been chosen for the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. This Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tournament was played at the ASB Tennis Centre from January 3 to January 8, 2011. Several top performing players will be competing in this Australian Open lead up event, including Grand Slam champions Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova.

“We are pleased that the tournament and the tennis center selected Plexicushion,” said Art Tucker, Vice President of Plexipave. “Not only do they get a great “grand slam” surface that will bring the top players to New Zealand, but they also have a surface that is comfortable and predictable. This surface will provide a great experience for players of all levels.”

Plexicushion, a full-cushioned tennis court surface, is highly regarded for its medium speed of play as well as its shock-absorbing properties. This tennis surface responds to body impact and reduces fatigue on the players’ legs, knees, ankles and feet. The Australian Open and lead up tournaments have all selected Plexicushion Prestige for the best in uniform and consistent conditions. The surface truly makes a difference.

Plexipave is the world's largest manufacturer of acrylic sports surfacing systems and surface preparation products. Plexipave Systems are also used at ATP and WTA Tournaments such as Del Ray Beach, Memphis, Indian Wells and Los Angeles. Plexipave’s tennis surfaces are known for their durability, low maintenance, vibrant long lasting colors and overall customer value.

Australian Open Series to be Played on Plexicushion®

Plexipave is pleased to announce that the Australian Open will once again be played on their Plexicushion Prestige surface. Tennis Australia and the Australian Open selected Plexicushion as the tournament’s surface for its ability to meet the consistent playing characteristics and quality requirements of the Australian Open. The well known signature Australian Open “True Blue” courts are bright and distinctive, helping enhance ball visibility for players and spectators. The Grand Slam tournament will be taking place January 18 to January 31, 2011 in Melbourne, Australia.

Tennis Australia has been working on a national training program focusing on the upgrade of tennis facilities throughout Australia. Funded by Tennis Australia from the National Court Rebate Scheme, the total program investment to date is approximately $8 million. Over the past three years, 371 Plexipave and 227 Plexicushion new and resurfaced courts have been installed through this program.
“It is a real honor to be a part of Tennis Australia’s surfacing program,” said Art Tucker, Plexipave’s Vice President. “Our Authorized Applicators have insured that each facility is similar to the surface at the Open. This allows for a truly national direction in programs.”

The lead up events in Auckland, Qatar, Sydney, Hobart, and Brisbane also selected Plexicushion to provide the best in uniform conditions for the athletes as they prepare for the Australian Open. Plexipave is the world's largest manufacturer of acrylic sports surfacing systems and surface preparation products. Plexipave Systems are also used at ATP and WTA Tournaments such as Del Ray Beach, Memphis, Indian Wells and Los Angeles. Plexipave’s tennis surfaces are known for their durability, low maintenance, vibrant long lasting colors and overall customer value.

For more information on Plexipave visit www.plexipave.com or call 978-623-9980.

Hinding Tennis Completes Vermont Tennis Center

Hinding Tennis Recently Completed the New Bennington Tennis Center in Bennington, Vt. Owner  Richard Ader who also owns the Randalls Island in NY (Facility of the Year 2010) couldn’t be  more pleased. “The workmanship that Hinding Tennis demonstrated was a first class  experience. Our facility is truly one of a kind. We were hoping to sell out membership within our  first year and after the first 2 months we are already sold out.”

We completed this project in 3 weeks. The surface is Deco Turf and we constructed 3 Full Size  78’ courts as well as 1 60’ Quick Start and 1 36’ Quick Start. “They will do very well in  Bennington, it is a very good and populated tennis community. I think when the members see  these first rate complex, they will not only join for themselves, but there are now courts that can  be played on all levels. I am very happy for them.” Noted Tom Hinding



NGI SPORTS Announces Eco Friendly Celceram^TM

NGI SPORTS announces the use of Celceram™ with BIOBALANCE™ polymers in our Nova’Pro Tennis and TitanTrax Shield products. This exciting green technology compliments the existing soybean-based technology utilized in production of our sports surfacing systems.

Celceram™ is a highly-refined recovered mineral compound endorsed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is carefully selected and processed for its component and performance characteristics. It is then combined with BIOBALANCE™ polymers containing soybean oil, a 100-percent renewable resource, to replace a portion of the system used in the production of our tennis court surfacing systems.

Celceram™, with BIOBALANCE™ polymers was developed in response to market demand for a sustainable resource for the production of high-performance component materials. This ecologically sound process reduces dependency on petroleum-based products and supports both the American agribusiness community and the EPA’s initiatives for high performance, sustainable products in industry.

For over 20 years, NGI Sports has supplied the sports surfacing industry with innovative, high performance sports surfacing systems. The introduction and production of eco-friendly surfaces is a major focus in our corporate vision. Committed to the principles of sustainable development, NGI Sports and its employees seek to balance the economic, environmental, and social responsibilities of implementing change while maintaining high standards of quality and performance.

 

LSI Introduces AeroPro High Performance Full Cutoff Sports Lighting

LSI introduced the new Aeropro product line at the recent ASBA Technical Meeting. The Aeropro features PSV Technology (Vertical Burn Pulse Start Metal Halide) which provides up to 45% more light than conventional fixtures with improved lumen depreciation and longer lamp life. Available in 750W, 875W, and 1000W options, the Aeropro is a full cutoff light fixture which meets all dark sky requirements. The first Aeropro installation will take place at 6 new courts in New Albany, MS this spring.

A District with Sustainable Vision

Sacramento City Unified School District leads the way! Working closely with their design team, they developed the equivalent of a LEED Silver site project. Designed to USGBC site guidelines, the District will begin construction this fall on the first of 3 phases at Luther Burbank High School. The students and the community will be the beneficiaries of this joint use facility/regional park that includes 16 acres of recreational space designed with sustainability in mind. In compliance with the District’s board policy 3511 Grimes/Kennedy Green & Grid Neutral

Model Schools Policy Initiative, the site design and construction documents for Luther Burbank High School have been assembled to implement “…effective and sustainable resource practices, renewable and clean energy technologies, reduce in energy and water consumption, minimize utility costs, reduce of the amount of waste of consumable materials, lowering vapor emissions, encouraging recycling and green procurement practices, and promoting conservation principles…”. The Luther Burbank High School project has set the bar not only for SCUSD but similar projects worldwide and establishes a standard for which all future site and athletic projects can be measured.

The following measurable results are examples of the benefits realized on the Luther Burbank High School project under the BP 3511 initiative over a 20 year life cycle;

• Upon completion, the Master Plan will include 12.8 acres of synthetic turf, resulting in;

  • Water savings of 268 million gallons (35.8 million ft³) with a metered rate value of $267,963. This is based on City of Sacramento Department of Utility water rates for FY2011 for monthly metered water use rate of 0.7485/100 ft3.

  • Annual maintenance savings of $5,000/acre for labor, fertilizer, pesticide, herbicide, top dressing, over seeding, mowing, striping and aeration for an equivalent level of natural grass for a life cycle savings of $1,280,000. This is based on data compiled by PRZ for maintenance practices of natural turf athletic fields.

  • 1,999,500 lbs of recycled SBR rubber, the equivalent of 71,413 passenger tires, used as infill.

  • Composite base materials result in a decrease field stone profile of 6,982 yd3 with a material savings of $209,460.

• 120,000 lbs of recycled SBR rubber, the equivalent of 4,285 passenger tires, are used in the all-weather track surfacing.

• Landscape irrigation will utilize water retained from the synthetic turf drainage system for ground water recharge, field cooling and irrigation of drought tolerant landscape plantings.

• Subsurface irrigation in lawn areas will utilize 70% less water than surface irrigation, saving 17 million gallons (2.2 million ft³) of metered water with a value of $16,747.01.

• Sports field lighting systems operate at 50% less consumption over traditional systems resulting in savings of $46,400/field for a total energy savings of $324,800 over a 20 yr. span. Beals Alliance is to pursue alternative methods and funding for production and use of solar power in pursuit of grid neutrality per BP 3511.

• Irrigation controllers, soccer, baseball and softball scoreboards are 100% solar powered.

• Playground equipment will utilize 1,200 lbs of recycled steel, 256 lbs of recycled aluminum and 240 lbs of recycled plastic.

• Ornamental fencing will contain 77 tons of recycled steel.

• 1.5 miles of recycled plastic lumber will be used for synthetic turf edge connections.

• All benches, tables and trash receptacles are constructed of 100% recycled aluminum or steel and are 100% recyclable.

• Shade structures will use 100% recycled fabric material and are 100% recyclable.

In addition to the USGBC LEED criteria, we have examined and aligned the project with the goals and objectives set forth in the CBSC California Green Building Standards Code, the City of Sacramento Master Plan to Move the City of Sacramento Towards Sustainability, and the City of Sacramento Department of Parks & Recreation Sustainability Plan. As the project continues, we will monitor local, regional and national standards for methods to keep the Sacramento City Unified School District at the forefront of implementing sustainable practices to meet the strategic and measurable goals of the District. The vision become reality.

J-DRain Goes Pro

As you can see, joining ASBA this year is just one of many J-DRain accomplishments in 2010. J-DRain, a 25 year manufacturer of high strength 3-D drainage composites, enlarged their sports division this year by adding new products and personnel dedicated exclusively to athletic field drainage. The new sport position, National Product Manager & Sales, was filled by Brian Oliver, a seasoned salesman from the industry. Brian works closely with Claudia Bravo out of J-DRain’s corporate office in Alpharetta, GA. Claudia pioneered the first direct sport sales starting with J-DRain’s leading flat strip drains for sub-surface drainage. J-DRain SWD and MVP strip drains are rated #1 in their category for strength & flow rates.

NEW - J-DRain Turfcore w/Flex Control synthetic base drain mat. Flex Control is a unique system used to eliminate issues related to expansion & contraction typically found in older generation drain mats. Turfcore is the only dimple style synthetic drain mat made with the combination of Polypropylene, a polymer which never ages or gets brittle combined with heat-fused filter fabric, eliminating all glues and adhesives from the synthetic base. Offered at a competitive price, Turfcore reduces both construction time and cost while increasing flow rates up to 15 gal/min/ft. Turfcore installs quickly because the rolls are 8.5 ft wide and up to 220 ft. long. Turfcore was recently installed in several prestigious schools including the King Kamehameha Stadium in Hawaii, the University of Maryland baseball field, the University of North Dakota Memorial Stadium in addition to several other high schools across the country.

NEW - J-DRain’s newest breakthrough in 2010/11 is the Patent Pending J-DRain TurfEdge. TurfEdge is synthetic turfs first generation of a engineered perimeter drain combining a drain with a built-in turf nailer and offering the capability to drain both the turf and the track. The Patent pending design combines slots at the nailer ledge to drain the turf with optional slots in the top for track drainage. TurfEdge is made of modified PVC, comes in lengths of 8 ft, can be easily installed free standing or attached to a concrete curb, and is install in 2 days or less. Regardless of the age or type of base, or the brand of turf, J-DRain TurfEdge perimeter drain & nailer guarantees no more rain delays or side-line puddles for the life of the field.

New/Modified - J-Drains new “Ultra MVP” flat polyethylene strip drain now combines the highest flow rate with the highest compressive strength, greater than 12,000 PSF.