The Best Seats
In The House

The 2014 Winter Olympics are fast approaching! Opening day is February 7th, and athletes and sports fans alike are counting down the days to the Sochi games. For hockey fans, the winter games bring fond memories of the the US victory over the Soviet Union during the 1980 games. A true underdog story: the game that will be forever known as the Miracle on Ice led the US national hockey team to win legendary Olympic gold that year.

The Soviet Union national hockey team had a reputation. They were the biggest and the best team of players in the world, winning nearly every Olympic gold and world championship since 1954. Everyone expected the same at the 1980 games.

The ragtag assemblage of amateur and collegiate players that comprised the United States national team supplemented their lack of experience with an abundance of spirit. But still, by the time they reached Lake Placid in 1980, it had been 20 years since team USA had last won hockey gold.

The best part about seeing a live sporting event is feeling like you are a part of the action, in the middle of every play.  While being in the trajectory of a puck or a pop fly can be thrilling, sustaining an injury as a spectator is not.  Millions of people attend live sporting events each year, eager to be close to the action - and the danger.

In the NHL, stray hockey pucks injure spectators at a rate of nearly one per game, with some fans requiring urgent medical attention.  At baseball games, catching a foul ball is an opportunity for a free souvenir and a few glorious seconds on the Jumbotron.  But when uncaught, these projectile baseballs can cause serious injury as well.

While there is a certain assumed risk and responsibility for sports fans sitting by the field, rink, or court, liability to the venue is always a concern.  Watch out for your fans as well as yourself by installing safety netting in your sports facility from Sport Systems.

These days budgets are particularly tight, especially for school athletics.  Luckily, budget cuts don’t have to mean cutting corners; Sport Systems can get you set up with the high quality products you need at highly competitive prices.

When you are looking to invest in your facility, look to Sport Systems.   We will work closely with you every step of the way, handling your project from soup to nuts, saving you time and money!

Design and Build

We are happy to customize any order, specializing in customizing grandstands, press boxes, and barrier netting systems.  University and High Schools turn to Sport Systems for all their sports facility needs.  No matter the size and specs of the job, we will design and build to meet your needs.

Manufacturing

The Sport Systems welding plant is the cornerstone of our manufacturing operation.  Certified by the Canadian Welding Bureau to the highest levels of the Canadian Standards Association, our experienced craftsmen will ensure your stadium equipment is sturdy, safe, and supportive.

With modest Canadian roots, broomball is gaining serious global momentum as a popular on-ice recreational sport. It seems that wherever there is free ice time, there is a competitive broomball league taking to the rink. With broomball sweeping the nation, now is the time to find out what on earth this sport is all about!

History

Originally played with soccer balls and corn brooms - hence the name of the game - broomball as we know it has come a long way. The details of the origins of the sport are not well documented, but it is said that the first games were played around the turn of the 20th century by Canadian street car workers, passing the time during long winter shifts. While broomball may not be new to the world of sport and recreation, it is now continuing to grow in popularity, making history worldwide.

Nothing brings the student body together like a good old fashioned pep rally! No matter the sport, pep rallies have long represented the tradition of unity and community pride in a group of students that together are more than just a team.

The esteemed student athletes who are lauded at a pep rally represent the highest potential of the student body, and without the warm and enthusiastic support of their peers, their success would not be as sweet. In a gymnasium full of young people, all bathed in school colors and gushing with school spirit, it is impossible not to be a fan of the home team!

Although not limited to athletics, school pride has strong roots there. Students leave the gymnasium after a pep rally newly inspired, ready to uphold their school’s reputation of excellence. Some might be prompted to challenge their local rival to a charity food drive contest; others might be raring to bring home that Math trophy for Hometown High; others will be proud to sport school colors while volunteering in the community for the National Honor Society. Not every student is an athlete, but every student benefits from the boost in self-esteem that comes with being a part of a winning team. Pride in one’s school means pride in oneself.

From pee-wees to the big leagues, and even sandlots and pick-up games, a competitive edge is in our nature as humans. It drives and motivates us to be our best, and it makes games fun! Youth competitiveness in sports is healthy, but it can lead kids to injury. By taking the necessary safety precautions in your sports facility, you can help prevent your players from getting hurt during gameplay. 

Millions of high school students take to the field every year for a season of their favorite sport that always feels like it ends too soon. Of the many virtues of youth is the raw passion that embodies young people in all that they do, especially on the playing field. During an eight-week season, student athletes will give 100% every day. While participating in youth sports does come with its long list of benefits - improved physical fitness, lessons in sportsmanship, character building, scholarships - the unbridled energy of youth also contributes to an estimated two million injuries in high school sports each year.

It’s getting late in the game. The starting lineup has been running up and down the court for what feels like an eternity. It’s time to sub out the first string and get them off their feet for a couple minutes. Where can they take a load off when they are tagged out of the match? The floor is no place for your team! I hope your second string players had a nice place to sit for the first half! Make sure your athletes have a proper place to rest their legs: on a sturdy aluminum and steel bench!

A solid in-ground players bench is the backbone of any strong team. Not only does it provide support for a winded player, but it also keeps your team organized on the sidelines. Nothing looks more professional than having the whole team lined up together on the bench in uniform, eyes on the action and waiting to sub in. Whether basketball or field hockey, football or tennis, a team bench will ensure your sideline players are rested as well as focused on the in-game action.

The great Bobby Hull's reputation precedes him when it comes to his legendary hockey slapshot.The NHL superstar, widely known as the "Golden Jet," raised the bar for the future of hockey during his career half a century ago. In his time on the ice, before face masks and curved sticks, his rifle of a shot was a rare and dangerous weapon. Today, a killer slapshot is a the kingpin of every hockey player's artillery.

In 2012, Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins fired a puck at 108.8 mph, the NHL's fastest recorded slapshot. The world record for the hardest shot in the game is currently held by the KHL's Alexander Ryazantsev, clocked at 113.2 mph. Legend has it that Hull's were even faster than that, his hardest estimated to have been a 119.5 mph rocket. These guys are tough acts to follow, but the newest batch of future hockey stars are training hard to compete with these epic puck speeds.