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Spring is officially here in North America and the annual scramble to get prepared for the upcoming outdoor sports season is in full swing. As facility owners, operators and maintenance staff begin preparations, the necessary checks and maintenance items are often on the top of their to-do lists.
While routine checks can seem daunting and time-consuming, they could be the difference between a safe spring, summer, and fall season or one filled with broken equipment or worse, injured spectators or participants.
With all this in mind, here are a few items your team should be checking on this time of year before outdoor pieces of equipment experience extensive use.
Outdoor Basketball Systems
Mother Nature can be hard on outdoor equipment, especially equipment that is exposed to the elements throughout the four seasons on an annual basis. In many cases, outdoor basketball systems found in community parks, schools and community centres fall into this category.
For wall-mounted units, you will want to quickly check the mounting brackets and hardware to ensure the system has not corroded or loosened since its last inspection. Additionally, the condition of the backboard and netting, if applicable, should also be assessed and replaced if and where needed.
Same goes for in-ground basketball systems, especially those with moving parts such as systems equipped with adjustable backboards. At the very least, moving parts should be properly lubricated to ensure smooth operation.
Outdoor Goals and Uprights
While these products are constructed and installed using the very best methods of protection, they too can be subject to damage from a harsh winter. As the western United States received more snow than usual this past winter, high winds also plagued many other areas of Canada and the United States over the past few months.
In some rare cases, these storms can bend and contort in-ground soccer goals or rugby uprights. For this reason, giving these pieces of equipment a second look before the season begins never hurts.
Seating and Bleachers
Depending on the size and scope of the seating located at your facility, a routine check is a task experienced staff members can tackle. In its simplest form, a quick check on the stability of the structure, checking on all mounting hardware and guardrails is often enough but depends on the age of the structure itself.
When in doubt, always enlist the help of a professional inspection from a company such as ours. Our technicians are backed by over 30 years of experience in the athletic equipment and infrastructure industry and many facilities enlist our inspection services on an annual basis.
