School Gym and Athletic Equipment
By: Ron Ensz
Is your current gymnasium meeting your school's particular needs? Are you looking to expand or refurbish your athletic facility? Having worked with sports, churches and schools for many years, I have some tips for you before you build or renovate your school gym.
First, you need to ask a lot of questions. Get all of the applicable people involved to discuss the following questions.
* What is the purpose of this facility, and how will it be used?
* Are you trying to keep it flexible for multiple purposes (such as banquets, sports and meetings, school and church use, multiple sports)?
* Who will control the facility?
* Who will be using the facility?
* Will you need equipment for different age groups?
* Will two sports be played in the same space or at the same time (i.e., basketball and volleyball)?
Flooring
Many sports traditionalists like a floating maple floor. Those who are more cost conscious may be more interested in one of the new tile sport flooring surfaces. After choosing the surface, you will then need to think about marking the floor. Determine if you will mark the floor for basketball, volleyball, badminton, etc. What colors will you use? Do you want a matching color scheme for safety wall padding under the backboards, doors, etc.?
Basketball Equipment
Most facilities designate a basketball court as their first floor priority. Find out what size court is needed. Determine what "official" games will be played by the school. For school or league competition to be played, you need a regulation size court, 50 feet x 94 feet, and official-size backboards and goals. Don't forget to plan for out-of-bounds space.
Most of us are familiar with wall-mounted basketball structures used in many gymnasiums. They come in three styles: stationary, sidefold and swing up. Some companies custom make these structures to exact measurements of the wall-to-boundary distance, but I recommend you look for a structure that telescopes, or adjusts to fit. It will make the process easier for the person measuring and the installer. Plus, standard telescoping equipment is much less expensive than custom made.
There are more wall structure questions to ask. Will the structure be manual or power adjust? Do the structures need to be height adjustable for various ages? Here's a word of caution-ask a contractor if the walls will support the weight of the unit over a long period of time. Do you need to budget for extra support bracing?
Portable basketball systems allow more flexible use of the space than wall structures. They raise just as many questions. Do you have enough room for the base to be off the court? Can you still walk behind it? How much overhang does it have? Do you have storage for these units?
Keep the future in mind; as your facility grows and ages, you accumulate items, and you will need more storage space. Are there double doors for getting a portable into the facility, onto the court, and in and out of the storage space? Is the storage area close to the court? Will you need to move tables, chairs, or other furniture to get the goals in and out? Is more than one person available to help move the unit? The floor surface, thresholds and corners all make a big difference when moving goals.
Then, there is safety. How sturdy is the unit? Can kids dunk on it? Adults? Will all play be supervised? I'm not discouraging portable basketball units. In fact, I think they are terrific for multipurpose areas. Just keep in mind that being portable has its advantages and disadvantages.
There are many options for the backboards and rims on both wall-mount and portable systems. Competition play requires an official-size 42-inch x 72-inch glass backboard with backboard padding. Don't worry about the glass. Look for a system that connects the rim directly to the pole with bolts through the glass. That's so the glass won't absorb the shock of a slam dunk. Do this, and make sure you get 1/2-inch tempered safety glass, and you'll be fine. Backboards not used for competition can have smaller boards that might be steel, aluminum or acrylic.
Breakaway goals are another must. After all, what player, of any age, doesn't want to try a slam dunk and go for a little hang time on the rim? By the way, hanging from the rim is not to be encouraged.
Other Sports
Most of you will also want to consider using your facility for other sports, including volleyball, pickleball, badminton, shuffleboard, and even indoor soccer.
Volleyball is a game that has potential for both recreation and league play. If you are building, you have the opportunity to incorporate floor sockets for the volleyball posts, or more appropriately, "standards."
Some of these must be up to 14 inches below the floor surface, so the knockouts need to be in place before pouring the floor. Different floors require different kinds of sockets, and different volleyball systems require different sizes of sockets, from 3 inches to 4.5 inches in diameter. It pays off to research the type of system you want before putting in the sockets.
Volleyball standards come in various materials, most commonly aluminum and steel. Steel has traditionally been considered the most rigid material, but that strength also makes the standards very heavy to transport to and from storage. There are now new aluminum and carbon fiber materials that are much lighter weight but still maintain rigidity similar to, some even better than, steel.
Then, there are portable volleyball systems. There are several available that are freestanding, much like portable basketball systems. Some are stood on the floor and have ceiling anchors, with accompanying weights, cables and cranks. If you are going portable, I recommend the freestanding systems.
You need to ask the same type of questions as you ask about portable basketball systems. Do you have adequate storage? Will doorways and thresholds cause a problem? Is the system easy to set up and move? Is it sturdy enough to hold the net taunt? How many courts do you need? Do you want adjustable net height for multiple ages or games?
Getting your game equipment is just the beginning. You will also need scorer's tables, as well as player seating and bleachers. And, you must consider the impact of the facility on parking. If you put in a concrete pad, put up outdoor basketball systems on the edge of the parking area. Use portable scorer's tables, player seating, and tip-and roll portable bleachers indoors, and they can be moved outdoors for street-style tournaments. Add a tetherball pole for the younger ages to keep busy. Again, you have in-ground and portable options. Other outdoor games generally are field related, such as soccer, field hockey, lacrosse and football.
Before you turn the page or start planning your sports area, I would like to address safety padding. Sports facilities need padding on walls behind basketball backboards and along wall corners and the edges of stages. It does not matter what sports are played or what ages play. Safety is essential.
Ron Ensz is owner and president of Future Pro Inc., www.futureproinc.com, a sporting goods equipment dealer that serves churches, schools, camps and recreation centers.
