The Best Seats
In The House

Despite an unfortunate loss on opening day at the newly-revitalized Richardson Stadium, the Queen’s Gaels, Queen’s University and the city of Kingston all remain winners.  What currently stands as one of Canada’s premier collegiate football stadiums, Richardson Stadium is a sight to behold now that it is finally complete.

We began the preliminary stages of this project over a year ago and since have been involved with one of the most talked-about and memorable stadium openings in eastern Ontario.  As crews demolished this historic stadium, we were more than proud to be a part of the re-designing and re-building of such an iconic athletic institution.

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.

When it comes to versatility, our design and manufacturing team strives to innovate and create usable solutions for our customers on a daily basis.  With a growing need for a one-size-fits-all solution, many organizations and facilities are looking for new ways to utilize their current equipment or customize new purchases.

While our line of highway towable grandstand bleachers or transportable bleacher kits serve the purposes of a variety of facilities, we still felt there was a gap in the mobile bleacher space.  In evaluating our past and current customer’s orders, feedback and expressed needs, our team set out to revolutionize the industry once again.

Tractors and trucks are typically readily available to many of our customers and with a tow kit, they can easily move their bleachers when needed.  That being said, those operating with the use of forklifts were without a truly unique solution that could adequately suit the design and function of this machine.  

Located just north of the city of Brampton, our latest project brought us to Caledon, a small town in the Greater Toronto Area.  The site of the project took place at the Mayfield Recreation Complex, nestled along the border between Brampton and Caledon.

This facility is home to a 180’ x 80’ ice hockey arena, a 25 metre, 6-lane pool and a community room that can accommodate up to 40 patrons.

Earlier in the summer, key stakeholders with the town of Caledon came to us to discuss the possibility of removing their existing retractable bleachers, which were described to be “at the end of life,” as well as replace them with a brand new system that would fit the existing space.

Here we are a mere few days ahead of the kickoff of the Queen’s Gaels home opener football game slated for this Saturday, September 17, 2016 in Kingston, Ontario.  It feels like just yesterday that our crews began to break ground at this historic site at Queen’s University and what has been erected is nothing short of breathtaking.

The 8,000 seat stadium, which rose from the demolition over the past few months will arguably stand to be Canada’s premier collegiate athletic stadium, boasting an innovative top-loading bowl seating design.

While this project initially kicked off in early 2016 with the demolition of the old grandstands and press box in the bitter cold of winter, we are now beginning to see what will be a new era of Queen’s Gaels football.

As we rolled into the summer months, the framework that will soon become one of the premier collegiate athletic venues in Canada began to take shape.  As the framework of what will soon house 8,000 avid fans was erected during the late spring, the past few months saw the stadium truly take shape.

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.

Donated in 1908 by John Walter Lyon, Lyon Park, located in Guelph, Ontario has come a long way over the years, due in part to the original agreement set forth by John Walter Lyon.  As part of the donation, Lyon added a condition to the agreement between himself and the City of Guelph.  His condition required that the city spend a minimum of $250/year towards upgrading the space over the course of 10 years.  He agreed to match the very same contributions that the city made in an effort to see this beautiful space upgraded over time and maintained regularly.

Much like the bulk of our athletic equipment and infrastructure products and solutions, customization to fit any use or facility is in most cases, possible.  The very same can be said about our telescopic bleacher seating structures. 

To the surprise of some, these seating structures are actually available in a wide variety of configurations and some variants are specifically designed to fit certain spaces and unique design elements found in gymnasiums and athletic complexes.

As one of the most practical and versatile indoor seating structures on the market today, these foldable seating structures allow for additional use of space, clean design and safe operation.  Here are a few of the different ways we can configure retractable bleachers for your next project: