The Best Seats
In The House

From where we sit, there is nothing better than witnessing scores of spectators rising from their seats to cheer on their local sports team. Having been involved in the sports infrastructure and equipment industry for over 40 years now, nothing makes us more excited than a well-planned athletic space or outdoor sports field. While we now support all facets of athletic equipment and the design process, our hearts are deeply rooted in the very seating that accommodates a crowd of rabid fans. Having designed bleachers and grandstands of all shapes and sizes over the years, we continue to pay attention to what facility owners and operators need and expect from their sideline seating.

As such, nothing ruins a good day at the field more than a mishap on the bleachers due to a lack of care and maintenance. With this in mind, we wanted to touch on a few easy tips for keeping your bleacher seating in game-day condition for many years to come.

A common problem in the spring months for much of Canada and the United States is the risk of flooding from the melting of snow and the rising of rivers and other waterways. As we are seeing particularly in Canada over the past few weeks, flooding is ravaging communities here in our neck of the woods as well as in many others.

While the priority for assistance is focused primarily on residential properties (as it should be), those working in facility operation or management also know how detrimental Acts of God such as flooding can have on their facility.

That said, flooding from natural disasters is not the only risk these operators face with regards to water damage. Leaking roofs and faulty sprinkler systems, for example, can also wreak havoc on gymnasiums if too much time passes.

As the year progresses and the colder months approach, the need for winterization and protection of athletic fields and equipment must be considered. Regardless of the field’s purpose, be it football, baseball, soccer or any other athletic use, anyone in the athletic industry knows the importance of being vigilant and actively planning and preparing for the winter months is crucial in protecting and prolonging the life of outdoor athletic areas and equipment.

While a large majority of the products on athletic fields are designed to withstand the harsh winter temperatures, there are steps that should be taken to further protect some items.

The playing field itself is one of the most important for outdoor sports venues. Any groundskeeper or coach realizes the need for a field to be kept in optimal condition whether during peak season or any other time. The additional maintenance and investment will pay off.

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.

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.

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.

Together with the aid of a large network of sports equipment dealers, Performance Sport Systems has developed an unmatched maintenance and service program for athletic facilities across North America. By being involved in this program, Sport Systems’ technicians and installers have gone through rigorous training and are experts in the evaluation of your equipment and facility.

Before the bleachers fill up this fall, follow these tips to ensure your educational athletic facilities are in tip top shape with these easy summer maintenance procedures.

Annual Inspections

This one is a given, in addition to your facilities routine inspections and maintenance, it is always a good idea to hire an outside infrastructure company to professionally inspect your athletic equipment and structures at least once per year.

The unfortunate part about human nature is we often fail to see something until it is too late. When everything in your gym or athletic facility moves along smoothly from day to day, it’s easy for us to simply trust that it will stay that way.

The reality is, when something does happen to go wrong in your gymnasium, it often goes very wrong, very quickly.

Eyes To The Sky & Ears On The Ground

Although annual inspections by an external profession are always recommended, completing regular in-house inspections should be done on a regular basis by facility employees.

It begins with informing your staff members of particular areas of interest and items that deserve constant attention and monitoring.

The first step usually being: look up.

A quick visual reference of wall mounted and ceiling mounted basketball systems above eye level are a great starting point. Some other areas that deserve attention are gym divider curtains, batting cages or any gym mats that might be stored in the ceiling high above the playing and spectator surfaces. Looking closely, you can usually identify any items that might eventually fall onto the gym floor or bleachers, protecting everyone inside your gymnasium or facility.