The latest news from ASBA members.

Action Floor Supplies Playing Surface for Polish Disabled Athletes Competition

Action Floor Systems, LLC, a manufacturer of premium hardwood maple sports floors, responded to a request from Anna Dymna’s “Against the Odds" foundation in Krakow, Poland to provide a sports floor for a charity sporting event held June 2010 in the city’s town square. The 6th annual Nationwide Get-Together Days “Succeed Against the Odds” event brings Polish athletes with physical and visual disabilities together for competition. Working with the Kopp Company, the company’s rep in the region, who provided the sports floor at no-cost, Action Floor supplied a unique solution for the event’s organizers with a portable, hard maple NitroPanel® floor — a quick-assembly, panel-based system. The high-quality, durable NitroPanel Portable Floor System delivers excellent performance characteristics, and features a beautiful surface deck of MFMA grade-marked Action LL (long length) hardwood white maple. Expansion Ridge Technology (ERT)

accommodates expansion incrementally, board to board, offering strength and uniformity.

The NitroPanel subfloor system’s stringers of laminated veneer lumber are stronger and straighter than common softwood lumber. The subfloor deck features strong, stable hardwood 4-ply, 15/32” (12mm) plywood. Concealed steel assembly brackets, laser-cut and precision-formed, along with a four-sided integral tongue-and-groove system ensure exact panel alignment. FEBA-certified, the NitroPanel system meets or exceeds requirements for amateur, international and professional applications.

UBU Sports Wins Largest Synthetic Turf Contract

In spring 2010, UBU Sports won the largest municipal contract for synthetic turf in North America, an unprecedented 16 fields for the Cobb County School District in Georgia. Jimmy Dorsey, athletic director at McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia and a member of the Cobb County School District search committee, described the selection process: "The search committee heard presentations, visited fields installed by the preferred bidders, and considered company history and financial

stability in making their decision. The committee chose its top four turf companies even before knowing each company’s bid, and then awarded the final contract based on the highest score and the lowest bid price." Deluxe Athletics, UBU Sports' official network partner, received a perfect score of 100 points on the RFP process.

Field usage was a key consideration in the search committee's selection of the best turf solution. Dorsey noted that McEachern High was only able to use its grass field 15 to 18 times a year. Now, following the installation of a synthetic turf system, McEachern High has been using its field almost daily. “I don’t know how you put a price on how much you’re going to use that field,” Dorsey said.

The Cobb County School District search committee selected UBU Sports' Intensity Series S5-R system for installation at each school. Every UBU Sports' synthetic turf system is engineered to provide a specific set of performance attributes. The Intensity Series S5-R system is one of UBU Sports' best fields for football because the premium, slit-film fiber, rubber infill turf system provides an extremely safe and long-lasting surface. The density of fiber within the Intensity Series S5-R system ensures its long life, which means the field is in perfect condition every time it's needed. The rubber infill also provides a surface that falls within recommended g-max ratings and remains there, which helps to avoid injury to the athletes.

UBU Sports and its partners completed fields at South Cobb, Walton, Kennesaw Mountain and Pope High Schools for the start of the 2010-11 school year. The remaining fields are scheduled for completion by fall 2011.

UBU Sports is more than synthetic turf, we're ground gear for athletes.

UBU Sports Selected by Superdome

When the Louisiana Superdome decided it was time to replace the field, they invited the leading synthetic turf companies to install test strips so they could evaluate the playing surfaces. When the evaluation was over, the players, coaches, and Superdome management group decided to install the Speed S5-M synthetic turf system by UBU Sports. Randy Philipson, Director of Operations & Engineering for the Louisiana Superdome

said, “Choosing a turf system is like selecting athletic equipment. You want something that keeps your athletes safe, while allowing them to perform like champions. That’s why we chose the Speed S5‐M turf system by UBU Sports”.

The Speed S5-M system features our exclusive Harmony fiber and a finely tuned mixture of rubber and silica sand. “We tune our fields for the optimal g-max ratings that will enhance performance and safety for the players” explained Mark Hill, UBU Sports’ Quality Assurance Specialist.

The Superdome has one of the largest continuous field installations in the NFL, at more than 111,830 square feet. The synthetic turf system will host all levels of football games ranging from High School, NCAA season games, NCAA bowl games and professional games throughout the entire 2010-2012 season, making it one of the busiest game-time playing fields in the world. “We are honored to be the field of choice for the reigning Super Bowl champs,” said Mark Nicholls, president of UBU Sports. “This season will be our first season in the world’s premier football league and the Superdome is our flagship.”


Sportsedge^® Invents Rotating Football Goal

SportsEdge® (Troutman, NC) is manufacturing the first Rotating Football Goal Post – the perfect solution for Multi-Use Football & Soccer Fields. With superior engineering and the highest quality manufacturing, SportsEdge® is proud to produce the best football goal ever made. This revolutionary product was released in March 2010 with a patent pending.

When a soccer goal is put underneath a football goal gooseneck, the soccer goal crossbar is just below the football goal crossbar. This causes a problem for officials during soccer play because the ball can rebound off either the soccer goal crossbar (in play) or off football goal post (out of play), and the officials can not always distinguish between the two. The football goal can also interfere with incoming corner kicks, or when the goal keeper tips the ball over the soccer bar. The only remedy to date had been to pull the soccer goal forward two yards on each end of the field however; this reduces the length of the soccer field by twelve feet, and requires an additional game line across the football end zone and graphics!

The SportsEdge® Rotating Goal solves these problems. The goal is easily rotated 180 degrees facing away from the field of play during soccer games, and rotated back for football games. Operation is extremely simple. It takes less than a minute and little effort to rotate the goals completely with the use of the four foot rotation handle. The goal post locks securely in place in either position. Two pad locks per goal provide tamper-proof security and safety.
 

DecoTurf Celebrates 33 Years at the US Open

The 2010 US Open marked the 33rd consecutive year that the world-renowned Grand Slam has selected DecoTurf as the playing surface.

The US Open was originally played on grass until the original host, the West Side Tennis Club, switched to clay courts in 1975. In 1978, when the event moved to its current home at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the court surface changed again, this time to the current full cushioned Pro DecoTurf.

DecoTurf is selected year after year at the US Open, the best-attended annual sporting event in the world, primarily because the DecoTurf tennis court surface is well suited to many different players and styles.

Jim Curley, US Open Tournament Director said, “The US Open and DecoTurf are a natural partnership, providing the most recognized court surface at one of the world’s most prestigious tournaments.”

ESPN.com has noted that "... the U.S. Open puts competitors on equal footing. Literally. The tournament's DecoTurf II playing surface caters to heavy hitters and speedy scramblers alike."

USA Today in an article entitled “Favorite Surface” said "It suits a lot of players. It yields truer bounces that don't sit up too high or stay too low. It's just a fair surface."

The New York Times commented, "The hardcourt of choice is the Pro DecoTurf system. This surface is selected for its consistency, ease of maintenance and durability. It also offers the ability to control the courts' footing and ball speed."

Tennis Magazine added, “The DecoTurf II courts have come to be seen as the fairest, if not the most appealing surface on which to crown a champion.”

DecoTurf Selected as Surface for Prestigious Events

Olympus US Open Series in Cincinnati

The Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, one of the oldest and most prestigious events in the world of tennis has once again chosen DecoTurf’s cushioned tennis surface. This elite ATP Masters 1000 event, one of the strongest and most important tournaments on the ATP Tour will be played at the Lindner Family Tennis Center August 17th – 23rd. The Lindner Family Tennis Center is the only venue in tennis, outside of the the four Grand Slam tournaments, which utilizes more than two permanent stadiums.

2010 Rogers Cup in Montreal

Continuing a relationship that began more than two decades ago, DecoTurf will once again be the surface of choice for the Rogers Cup WTA tournament in Montreal.

The Rogers Cup rotates annually between Montreal and Toronto and the 2010 event took place August 16th - 22nd at Uniprix Stadium, in the heart of Quebec’s biggest city.

Montreal was the fourth stop in the multi-city Olympus US Open Series, pitting the world’s best players in a summer-long chase for tennis supremacy. Nine of the Series events are played on DecoTurf, including the US Open Grand Slam event.

As in years past, the DecoTurf courts were installed by Terrassement Jopat, a Montreal-based surfacing contractor renowned for their fine workmanship and expertise on sports courts of all types.

Mercury Insurance Open

The organizers of the Mercury Insurance Open have chosen DecoColor, from the makers of DecoTurf, as the Official Surface of their world-class tennis tournament.

The Mercury Insurance Open took place August 2nd – 8th at the LaCosta Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, CA as part of the prestigious Olympus US Open Series. Many of the top WTA professionals, including 2nd ranked Jelena Jankovic and 5th ranked Vera Zvonareva, competed in the tournament.

Tennis Surfacing's Shining Knight has Arrived with a New Shield

Long time tennis surfacing specialty company, NGI Sports, continues to fill customer needs by providing an affordable and durable surfacing option for cracked tennis courts. This unique crack repair system, TitanTrax Shield®-TN, succeeds where others have failed due to the Shield’s unique and proven thermal and dimensional stability. What does this mean for cracked tennis courts?

Changes in weather patterns, specifically temperature change coupled with moisture infiltration, is a main cause for cracks in asphalt and concrete. Short term temperature changes and long term seasonal changes do not affect the size of the TitanTrax Shield®-TN. Size is important to fabric systems as these systems have a tendency to fail when they cannot retain their original size through temperature fluctuations. Shrinkage can occur when materials in the construction of a surfacing system are directly affected by temperature or when the fabric layers themselves deteriorate over time. This common problem has caused the downfall of many of the Shield’s predecessors, but fortunately the Shield is unaffected by Mother Nature’s wavering moods. Field performance spawned an effort to confirm this phenomenon scientifically, and throughout testing the TitanTrax Shield®-TN passed with unprecedented performance numbers in weft and warp when subjected to extreme temperatures.

The weatherproofing feature of the Shield sheets moisture off of the tennis court, thus protecting the underlying asphalt or concrete from moisture infiltration. The TitanTrax Shield®-TN covers the entire tennis court protecting cracked areas as well as sections of asphalt that have not yet cracked. Cracking in asphalt and concrete once it has started will extend to the perimeter of the slab 100% of the time. The Shield eliminates the possibility of new cracks reflecting through a newly renovated court.

The benefits offered by the TitanTrax Shield®-TN are not new, but the availability of these benefits at a reasonable price is current. Not to mention a solid manufacturers warranty that you can count on not having to use. TitanTrax Shield®-TN has been a hot item this summer after its official release in February 2010. Many customers often ask if the Shield is new. The answer is no. The technology was developed by NGI Sports roughly a decade ago and has been in the field since it’s inception. The new spin on the old technology is where comfort for first time contractors and buyers is derived. Fortunately, everyone involved with the Shield has been rewarded handsomely. Contractors and laborers love the Shield due to the ease of installation, cost and workability, while customers love the quick turnaround time, savings and value provided by a surface guaranteed not to crack.

Dover School District and K&W Engineers bring the “stadium feel” to the new High School Stadium.

Walking through a paved grand plaza alongside decorative fencing, retrieving tickets from a pristine, newly built ticket booth, and entering a stadium where your toughest decision is to watch the game from the elevated platform overlooking the state-of-the-art field or the bleachers isn’t what most people experience for a Friday night football game or afternoon track meet. That was, until Dover School District decided to revamp their existing athletic facilities with the help of K&W Engineers and Crabtree Rohrbaugh & Associates Architects.

K&W Engineers provided all site design and civil engineering services in laying the groundwork for this upgraded facility. “Our goal was to give visitors a true stadium experience,” said Marc Kurowski, Principal at the firm. Some might say the goal wasn’t met – it was exceeded. Where fans previously had to walk through the high-jump area and past a chain link fence to enter the football field, they now stand among raised platforms at the plaza, enjoy a new concessions area, and have plenty of room to walk around via newly installed pathways. In addition, K&W provided traffic analysis and studies to enhance the parking areas, which makes the celebratory drive home after a win that much easier.

As a result of an aggressive building climate, Dover School District was able to select top-of-the-line synthetic turf and track surfacing for their players while staying within the planned project budget. Working with K&W to ensure their facility would be top notch for years to come, the district chose to install AstroTurf Gameday 3D on their field and a synthetic Conipur running track. Dover is one of the first school districts in the area to use these premier products.

K&W also installed a sub-surface storm drainage system to keep the field playable even after wet weather, and also made sure all areas of the stadium are ADA accessible. Kurowski continued, “We did everything we could to give Dover a stadium that would be an asset to the school and community for years to come. They understood the importance of developing the entire site – from parking areas, to the field, to the landscaping. Those items all worked together to take this project from good to great.”

A rural school district in York County, Pennsylvania is not the place many would turn to achieve a Texas-size high school stadium experience – but now they should.

Beals Alliance: Napa Memorial Stadium

On October 8, 2010 the newly renovated Napa Memorial Stadium will open its gates for its first football game. The project was born because the former stadium was past its prime with unsafe seating, poor lighting and a Quonset hut for team rooms. Even still, the Stadium was recognized by ESPNRISE.com as the fourth-best facility in the U.S. due to the bleachers close proximity to the field, the overall atmosphere and its pristine turf thanks to dedicated District staff. Memorial Stadium was one of two stadiums in California to make the list.

The District provided program components and support to maximize the same atmosphere for the new stadium. Beals Alliance and Quattrocchi/Kwok Architects took that concept to the highest level to design and build a new state of the art joint-use High School stadium for two high schools to use for all field sport competitions.

A District with a 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 becomes reality.