The Best Seats
In The House

As with any equipment or technology, after any given number of years of repeated use it can either become worn out, out of date, obsolete or downright unsafe. Gym dividers and partitions that are out of date can quickly become an area of concern for facility managers and operators, and maintenance or replacement should be considered as your divider or partition gets older.

This was true of our latest project we completed for Holy Trinity High School in the Ottawa Catholic School Board. We were commissioned to remove and dispose of their existing folding partition and supply and install a new state-of-the-art gym divider curtain for the local high school.

Our team quickly and safely removed the old partition and began preparing the space for the new divider curtain to be installed. Once the removal was completed, we were to supply and install our highly-popular top roll gym divider curtain, with a touch of customization.

As we go about our everyday lives, we strive both as individuals and businesses to use and provide eco-friendly or ‘green’ products to make the planet we call home a better place.

Our newest product line aims to do just that, as well as offer a tough and durable product for a variety of facilities around the world. Our offerings of plastic benches that have just recently been made for sale are constructed entirely of recycled materials and are virtually indestructible.

These benches come in a variety of configurations, lengths and sizes and are primarily found in wet or damp areas like pool decks, change rooms and saunas, but can be used in outdoor settings as well. Their rugged design allows them to withstand any punishment damp conditions or Mother Nature can dish out.

Earlier this month a less-than-ordinary request came in to one of our sales people via our online chat. The prospective customer found Sport Systems online and was busy researching products they could use for an upcoming theatrical performance in Toronto, Ontario.

After some conversing, we learned that the customer was seeking something to aid them in creating a boxing ring area for their upcoming production. The initial thought was to use our custom padding or gym mats, until our sales team suggested the use of one of our Residential Rink Kits, typically used to enclose hockey rinks.

Over the past decade, there have been some much needed changes and updates applied to major legislation here in North America regarding accessibility for people with disabilities. These changes have paved the way for facilities to create environments that go well beyond simply retrofitting a physical location with wheelchair access.

These changes take into account those living with disabilities by allowing all participants and spectators equal access to our sports equipment and infrastructure, providing a safe and inclusive environment for all.

Ramps, Landings Stairs and Guard Rails

These are obvious areas of concentration when converting an existing bleacher system to meet current requirements or designing a new bleacher system. Ramps are designed to provide adequate space and access to those in wheelchairs or scooters and should be equipped with a slip-resistant coating and provide ample protection along edges.

Although our industry keeps us busy year round, this time of the year is an especially busy time.   After spending the better part of the past few months buried in snow, the spring thaw brings a renewed opportunity for facility managers and operators to assess their outdoor equipment and get ready for spring and summer sport seasons.

It is also the time of year we hit the road and take part in numerous industry tradeshows, expanding our knowledge, creating new connections and showcasing our talented team and stellar product offering.

In the immediate months, we will be attending two major tradeshows in Ontario:the 2015 Parks and Recreation Ontario Educational Forum and Trade Show and the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association’s Annual General Meeting.

The larger the property and the greater number of venues on it, facility operators are presented with the challenge of providing spectator seating where and when required. While it is possible to install bleachers at each and every venue, for many budgets, it just simply is not a feasible option.

Transportable bleachers provide a solution to this problem, as they can be easily hitched to a maintenance vehicle and towed to the selected location. These mobile bleachers are available in 5 and 10 row heights and are safely equipped with chain link guardrail systems when configurations exceed 5 rows in height.

In the event, however, your facility did not initially purchase a mobile bleacher system, we do have a unique solution to quickly retrofit your existing bleachers into a safe and easy-to-move transportable seating system.

Effectively converting your existing bleacher seating into a mobile seating solution involves two bleacher tow kits; a bracing kit and a wheel and tongue kit. Here’s how they work:

With spring officially starting tomorrow, many soccer associations and organizations are quickly preparing for the upcoming seasons. In addition to ensuring substantial registration numbers, many soccer clubs are busy performing inventory and maintenance checks on their current gear and thinking about possible upgrades as the weather becomes more pleasant.

Some upgrades may be as simple as upgrading smaller accessories like corner markers, balls and goal anchors, but many organizations take a careful look at aging soccer goals and begin exploring options for replacement this time of year as well.

Over time the elements can take their toll on outdoor goals and rusting and corrosion can become not only unsightly, but unsafe for players on the pitch. If you do notice that there is some wear and tear on your goals, or they just might simply be out of date, below is a few of our most popular soccer goal options for both permanent and portable configurations.

When you first begin your research on a new set of soccer goal anchors, we always recommend taking the following three factors into consideration:

• Anticipated Goal Usage - semi-permanent vs. portable
• Type of Playing Surface – grass vs. artificial turf.
• Soil Type of Grass Fields - sand vs. loam vs. clay.

We proudly carry a wide variety of goal anchors. Below are some of the main categories with descriptions to help you choose the anchor type that is right for you.

In addition to offering our customer base the very best in athletic infrastructure products, we also boast a number of services to compliment them as well. Covering everything from basketball backstop installations, annual facility inspections or customized design work, there isn’t much we can’t make happen.

Depending on the size of the seating project, our bleachers are often delivered with our detailed assembly instructions and drawings, allowing trained facility staff and operators to assemble the bleacher system on-site.

In some cases, however, time constraints, staff shortages and other outside influences can make on-site assembly a challenge for some organizations. Given these unique circumstances, we have developed a service program allowing our end users to receive their bleachers in a ready-to-use state, without any time investment and the hassle that can sometimes accompany in-house assembly.

A common problem facing educational and community based facilities is the usability of their basketball systems by players of all ages. With the regulation height of basketball systems hanging at 10’, this can eliminate a number of users depending on their age and size. Organizing basketball games and exercises across all ages has been a problem faced by many for years, but with the addition of our newest basketball system designed specifically for youth, it is bound to level the playing field...or court!

The newest addition to our basketball line is our Junior Jammer. This innovative product easily and quickly attaches to any previously installed basketball hoop and backboard and brings the basketball goal into play for younger age groups.