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Athletic facilities are popular for a variety of events. Some facilities are designed for multi-purpose use while others are designed specifically for sporting events. Regardless of how your facility is used, safety is always a key concern, especially considering the high volume of people using the equipment.

From spectators using the bleachers to athletes using the basketball backstops again and again, routine inspection and maintenance is a must. Just as wear and tear occurs on a vehicle, any athletic facility also requires attention.

When you consider the frequency, weight and movement that occurs on bleachers during an event, the necessity of routine maintenance quickly becomes apparent. Basketball backstops, which can weigh several hundred pounds, also pose a great concern if neglected. 

With some American high schools having more than 4,000 students enrolled, not to mention the numbers in the primary and post-secondary education facilities, it’s no wonder safety is a priority. As each of these students is bound to cross through the facility’s gymnasium at least once during their tenure at the school, the chance for injury is great, especially with poorly serviced equipment.

As more gymnasiums are becoming multi-sport and multi-use facilities, now more than ever the inspection services of a trusted industry partner are needed. With busy schedules, staffing issues and hoards of students to service, today’s facility staff cannot always keep up with the maintenance side of things.

Image: Cheap Snow Gear

As we ease into the month of October, the coming cold winter months are undoubtedly approaching faster than most of us would like.  Despite being treated with football seasons and October baseball, all of us in the athletic industry must be vigilant in preparing for the winter months, particularly in protecting and extending the life of any outdoor equipment.

While most of the products we market for outdoor use are more than capable of withstanding everything Jack Frost can throw at it, some preventative maintenance and small tweaks can certainly help certain pieces of equipment brave the elements.

With a new school year just around the corner, athletic directors, planners and maintenance staff are busy preparing for the upcoming term.  With a new influx of students, programming and amenities, now is the perfect time to quickly inspect your athletic equipment.

While in most cases, a professional inspection is always your best bet, they are not always entirely necessary, especially if your facility is diligent about year-round maintenance.  If however, you are unsure as to the condition of any piece of equipment, we urge you to schedule an inspection with a certified professional.

Here are few quick checks you and your staff can make in a number of different areas to ensure your athletic equipment such as basketball systems, bleachers and other sport-oriented products are ready to roll for the 2016-2017 season.

We all love the roar of the crowd while taking in a football game, or the rush we get while watching players blaze down a basketball court.  The sensations that sports illicit in both spectators and participants can sometimes make us forget about everything that went into the design and production of the courts, bleachers and other athletic products used on a daily basis.

Before these products hit the floor of any gymnasium or grace the sidelines of any football field or soccer pitch, they oftentimes have gone through years of research and development.  While technological and design elements are forever changing, making our lives easier, safety is still the top priority for equipment and infrastructure manufacturers like us and the customers we serve.

A large portion of our business is the design, manufacturing and installation of bleacher seating structures in Canada and throughout the United States.  While these large structures are marvels to observe (at least we think so), there is a great deal of technical knowledge that goes into both their design and construction.

A chief concern of ours and that of our customers when it comes to bleachers is spectator safety.  Serving as the backbone to any athletic event, bleachers can however, be hazardous if certain precautions are not taken during the design and construction phases and also when these structures are in use.

While we are not in the turf or athletic surface business, we do care greatly about both spectators and participants of the sports played here in North America. Over the years we have been involved in a large amount of stadium builds or redevelopments and a topic of conversation that always comes up with regards to artificial turf is its safety.

While artificial turf has come a long way over the past number of years, there are still those who believe it leads to a myriad of sports injuries such as knee injuries, ankle injuries and toe injuries. As manufacturers and installers undoubtedly pay a great deal attention to the reports of these injuries and how they can aid in preventing some of them, in today’s contact sports, no other injury gets more attention than the concussion.

With the release of Will Smith’s new movie “Concussion” this holiday season, these serious head injuries are in the spotlight, perhaps more than they have ever been. Parents, sports fans, participants and professional leagues are pouring an endless amount of resources into attempting to find more ways to prevent these injuries, especially in our youth.

As we all know, the safety of our participants, staff members and spectators is always priority number one with facility managers and operators. With so many moving parts, different pieces of equipment and a variety of users, there is a great deal of monitoring and maintenance that goes into the smooth operation of any athletic facility.

In addition to routine maintenance, there are a number of products on the market today that are designed and manufactured to add another level of safety to the already well-designed equipment found in most gymnasiums. Here are a few products we have handpicked as recommendations for your gymnasium moving forward:

As with all athletic facilities, the safety of participants, staff and spectators is always priority number one. When it comes to ceiling or wall mounted basketball equipment like backboards and backstops, the Aut-O-Loc system is the industry leader, providing a new standard in gymnasium equipment safety.

This safety strap is engineered with safety in mind; this basketball backstop strap operates much like a seatbelt in your vehicle.

The patented inertia plate in all systems can automatically sense a centrifugal force of fall. When sensed, the Aut-O-Loc instantly stops the backstop from falling with help of its steel paws and locking teeth located in the housing. This system prevents both damage to the basketball system, as well as any inherent danger to participants and spectators below.