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For many people, a reference to the “saints” may conjure up a very specific image. For example, some might associate the title with religious beliefs or medieval artwork. Others, however, may connect the word to a pop culture or sports reference -- such as the film Rudy or the New Orleans Saints. For the people of Thunder Bay, Ontario, however, the term serves as a reminder of St. Patrick High School.

One of our recent projects brought us to the picturesque Canadian prairies to the Athol Murray College of Notre Dame located in Wilcox, Saskatchewan.  Wrought with humble beginnings back in the 1920’s, today this high school is one of the premier private Catholic education institutions in the country, committed to developing young men and women to become purposeful leaders with virtuous character and a global mindset.

Known for their competitive spirit and propensity for victory, the Notre Dame Hounds are renowned for their athletic prowess.  In 2006 the school’s athletic programming yielded more than $1.6 million in academic and athletic scholarships to American and Canadian universities.

If you’re a small business owner, you’ve likely experienced the pinch of tight budgets.

After inventory, fixed costs and wages, little capital remains for new or used equipment that will help your business operate and grow.

Thankfully, equipment leasing is a handy alternative to paying a lump sum upfront, dipping into your line of credit or trying to meet the sometimes stringent lending standards for a loan. Below are the five reasons why you should lease your next equipment acquisition and relieve some of that financial pressure on your business’s bottom line.

Sure, we do a lot of work in the athletic and sports industry.  Our company name and tagline firmly reflects it.

While we do handle a great deal of projects in the athletic industry varying from municipalities, colleges, universities to private athletic institutions, our products can be found in more places than most might think. As we continue to establish our growing brand and reputation, we are constantly moving the needle on the expansion of our stellar product line.  As our selection and capabilities grow, not only are we able to serve more of our traditional customers, we are able to expand our offerings into new industries and sectors.

With that in mind, here are five areas in which we operate our business that many of our customers might be surprised to hear us being involved in. 

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.

It’s no secret that being active is good for you. Getting the blood pumping even just a few times a week has been proven to benefit the heart and mind, as well as overall mood. For many people of all ages, the most fun way to stay active is to participate in a favorite sport. No matter what you play, sports are the perfect way to get up and get moving on a regular basis, providing a fun way to reap all the known health benefits of exercise.

While all of this might be old (good) news, what would you think if we told you that sports can also keep you looking forever young?

The search for the fountain of youth is as old as mankind, and despite our best efforts, it still has yet to be discovered. There might not be a magic fountain you can drink from to guarantee your eternal youth, but one recent study does offer such hope to the athletes among us.

For generations, women have been striving for an equal playing field with men - first in the voting booths, then in the workplace, and now literally on the playing field. When it comes to competitive and professional sports, women often have their own corresponding leagues to match the men’s, but there is an ongoing question as to the equality between the separate leagues.

The fact that women and men are physically different is not up for debate; in many cases, like with hockey, it would be unsafe for men and women to compete when physical contact is such a big part of the game. The natural size and strength imbalance between the sexes would have dangerous implications for checking, a standard part of the game

During the long winter months, when one snow storm after another is bringing us down, it sometimes feels like we’ll never see the spring. The best way to beat the winter blues is to stay active - lucky for athletes and sports fans, the gym provides a warm, dry indoor space to for running around until the snow melts.

So, as winter drags on outside, this is an ode to the gymnasium. Let’s pay due tribute to the space that is the home of sports when it rains and snows!

From November to April, weather rarely permits outdoor training for most sports. Nearly half the year we are driven off the fields and out of stadiums, with snow drifts hardly welcoming to a running back, let alone a rolling ball.

For our friendly neighbors to the south, The Super Bowl is the sporting event to end all sporting events - and it comes but once a year! Everything about the Super Bowl makes for the ultimate sports experience for spectators. Whether you are die hard football fan, or just in it for the halftime show, the Super Bowl has a little something for everyone!

Super Bowl’s Roots

It all began in 1966, when the National Football League and the American Football League decided to put aside their rivalry, agreeing instead on a merger of the two leagues set to begin in 1970. To kick off this historic union of the two biggest football associations, the number one contenders from each league went head-to-head for a 1967 “world” football championship showdown, which later became known as the Super Bowl I.

The rest, as they say, is history. Since that first epic matchup in 1967, NFC and AFC champions have met every year to contend for the title of NFL Champions. During Super Bowl season, American sports fans pull out all the stops to celebrate this annual football contest.

It’s February, and Major League Baseball fans know what that means...it’s Spring Training time!

Our favorite MLB players have been working hard all winter long during off-season training.  Though they have been out of the sight of fans since October, our teams were always on our minds.  It is finally almost time again for nightly baseball broadcasts!

Spring Training is not just a time for Major Leaguers to suit up and take to the field for a new season.  It is also an exciting time for MLB fans to get a first glimpse of their favorite teams’ rosters, uniforms, batting orders, last-minute trades, and all sorts of surprises before opening day this year.

As we approach the start of the 2014 baseball season, it seems that Toronto Blue Jays fans in particular can hardly contain their excitement for the start of regular season games.  On January 31st, tickets for the Blue Jays home opener went on sale to the public, and on January 31st the tickets completely sold out.