by Larry EderI recently returned from the ASBA Technical Meeting in New Orleans. The American Sports Builders Association is an example of the kind of groups who can help a sport if one only looks for them.
I found out about the ASBA, then called US Tennis Courts & Track Builders Association in the early nineties, doing some research on how a coach could know the difference between a bad product and a good product for their track. It was then I met with Carol Hogan, who was the person running the trade group.
Our relationship with the group is now that we have six columns on track construction topics in ATF each year, plus in 2008, we did, for the first time, a Track Facilities Resource Guide, which was quite the success.
The ASBA is all about getting out good information on track surfaces, field surfaces, proper certification of the various players in the market and building it (your facility) right. I encourage you to a) send for a copy of our TF Resource Guide-email me at larry.eder@gmail.com. and b, check out their website (http://www.sportsbuilders.org).
I was lucky enough to give out the Awards for the best Track and Multi use Facilities in the country for 2008. I was also able to sit in on several of the technical meetings on track surfaces and their acclaimed track manual, which is in final revisions.
In looking out over the three hundred-plus builders, suppliers and architects, I told them the story about a phone call I received about ten years ago in my office. ” Is this Larry Eder?” the phone call went. ” Well, this is mmmm, and I just wanted to thank you for teaching my son about the javelin…” . My comment was, ” Great, I am glad he likes it.” I was not sure where the conversation was going, nor who the call was coming from.
Little did I know that Tom Carleo, then at Nike, now at New Balance, had me on loud speaker with the entire running staff listening in..” Hey, Mr. Eder, I do have a problem. You see, my son just put the javelin through his sisters leg and she is bleeding, and I want to know what you are going to do about it….”
Now, I was brought to the present. Going through my head was, how I was going to be sued, how little we had and what I could have said that got a young man to put a javelin through his little sisters’ leg. The silence was deafening, as the voice came back, ” Hey, Mr. Eder, do you have any suggestions? ” Well, before I could respond, I hear this roar of laughter and finally, Carleo goes, ” Larry, it is me, Tom Carleo, I had you scared didn’t I? ”
He did have me scared, but he also got me thinking. My next phone call was to a friend who studied catastrophic injuries in sports. He then told me that most javelin injuries were with another kid standing behind the javelin thrower and the javelin being thrust into their legs, hands, etc.
My response, after I started breathing again, was to develop a series of articles on prevention of injuries. Jan Johnson did the pole vault series that we did for a long time. My theory has always been that knowledge is power. The ASBA gives you, the coach or administrator access to information that is invaluable in making the decision about a great facility.
Well, the ASBA attendees roared over the javelin story and Tom Carleo is again famous outside of his environs, but, in fact, Tom did me a huge favor. It is always
something that goes through my mind on any story in our publications. How does it help the coach or athlete? Is there something that they can use right away from the article and where can the reader find more information if they want more details?
The ASBA has been a great resource and in 2009, we will be expanding their articles into Cal Track, Latinos Corriendo and Coaching Athletics.
(Special thanks to Cynthia Jordan, Fred Stringfellow, Carol Hogan, Judi Mellendick, Eileen Laidler of the ASBA, and Mary Helen Sprecher, former ASBA lifer, who now is a free lancer and is responsible for the columns in AT&F magazine. The ASBA staff, now lead by Fred Stringfellow, did an amazing job organizing the event in New Orleans, and should be applauded for keeping the events on schedule and interesting!)
In the end, the ASBA, like so many organizations in our sport, is filled with good people who love what they do and want to do it right. We are lucky to have such resources…
ASBA Honors Distinguished Sports Facilities
Ellicott City, MD – The American Sports Builders Association (ASBA), the national organization for builders and suppliers of materials for athletic facilities, has announced the winners of its annual awards. Awards are presented each year to facilities built by ASBA members, which best exemplify construction excellence.
Winners are announced in the fall, and presentation of award plaques is made at the Technical Meeting, recently held in New Orleans, LA. A panel of ASBA members judges entries anonymously. Projects are scored individually based on considerations such as layout and design, site work, drainage, base construction, surface, amenities, innovation and overall impression. Winning entries are those whose cumulative scores meet or exceed the standard. This year’s winning projects are as follows:
Distinguished Tennis Facilities
RESIDENTIAL TENNIS FACILITIES
Private Residence
Boca Raton, FL
New Construction: Fast-Dry Courts
Private Residence
Las Vegas, NV
New Construction: Fast-Dry Courts
CONSTANT at Diamond Mountain Vineyards
Calistoga, CA
New Construction: Vintage Contractors, Inc.
Private Residence
Napa, CA
New Construction: Vintage Contractors, Inc.
Ortwein Residence
Magnolia, TX
New Construction: Patriot Court Systems
Pasternack Residence
Orange County, CA
New Construction: Zaino Tennis Courts, Inc.
OUTDOOR TENNIS FACILITIES
Tennis Facility at Brian Piccolo Park
Cooper City, FL
Upgrade of Existing Facility: Fast-Dry Courts
Tennis Facility at Turnberry Isle
Aventura, FL
New Construction: Fast-Dry Courts
Homewood Middle School
Homewood, AL
New Construction: Holcombe Norton Partners
Outdoor Tennis Facility at Samford University
Homewood, AL
New Construction: Lower Bros. Co., Inc.
Pine Canyon
Flagstaff, AZ
New Construction: General Acrylics, Inc.
Paseo-Ft. Myers
Ft. Myers, FL
New Construction: Welch Tennis
City of Auburn/Auburn University Yarbrough Tennis Center
Auburn, AL
New Construction: Welch Tennis
Islandwalk at the West Villages
Northport, FL
New Construction: Welch Tennis
Palm Coast Tennis Center
Palm Coast, FL
New Construction: Welch Tennis
Greeneville-Greene County, TN Tennis Center
Greeneville, TN
New Construction: Baseline Sports Construction
Fertita Tennis Complex at University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV)
Las Vegas, NV
Upgrade of Existing Facility: L.E.R. Inc. dba Renner Sports Surfaces
Southeast Park & Tennis Complex
Columbia, SC
New Construction: Global Sports & Tennis Design
Pilara Tennis Club
Pilar, Argentina
New Construction: Global Sports & Tennis Design
Palmilla Tennis Club
Los Cabos, Mexico
New Construction: Global Sports & Tennis Design
INDOOR TENNIS FACILITIES
Indoor Tennis Facility at Samford University
Homewood, AL
New Construction: Lower Bros. Co., Inc.
Distinguished Indoor Multi-Purpose Facilities
Jamestown College, Larson Sport Center
Jamestown, ND
New Construction and Upgrade of Existing Facility: Kiefer Specialty Flooring
Distinguished Track Facilities
OUTDOOR RUNNING TRACK FACILITIES
Running Track Stadium Facility at Middleton High School
Middleton, WI
Upgrade of Existing Facility: Rettler Corporation
Cloudcroft High School
Cloudcroft, NM
Upgrade of Existing Facility: General Acrylics, Inc.
Mount Holyoke College Track and Field
South Hadley, MA
New Construction: Stantec
Mount Holyoke College Track and Field
South Hadley, MA
New Construction: R.A.D. Sports
INDOOR TRACK FACILITIES
Kent State University Fieldhouse
Kent, OH
Upgrade of Existing Facility: Kiefer Specialty Flooring
Distinguished Multi-Purpose Turf Facilities
Manheim Township Multi-Purpose Facility
Lancaster, PA
New Construction: ELA Sport
Doral Meadows Park Soccer/Football Facilities
Doral, FL
New Construction: Recreational Design & Construction, Inc.
Turf Field at Memorial Stadium, USD 443
Dodge City, KS
Upgrade of Existing Facility: Schwab-Eaton, PA
Brown University Practice Fields
Providence, RI
Upgrade of Existing Facility: R.A.D. Sports
St. Sebastian’s Multi-Sport Athletic Field Renovations
Needham, MA
Upgrade of Existing Facility: Stantec
Amherst College Gooding Field
Amherst, MA
New Construction: Stantec
New York Athletic Club
Pelham Manor, NY
Upgrade of Existing Facility: DeRosa Tennis Contractors
King & Low-Heywood Thomas School Athletic Field
Stamford, CT
Upgrade of Existing Facility: DeRosa Tennis Contractors
Forney High School Football Stadium
Forney, TX
Upgrade of Existing Facility: Texas Sports Builders
Artificial Turf Football Field: Royse City High School Track & Field
Royse City, TX
Upgrade of Existing Facility: Texas Sports Builders
Durfee High School Athletic Campus Redevelopment
Fall River, MA
Upgrade of Existing Facility: Gale Associates
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Synthetic Field & Track
Worcester, MA
Upgrade of Existing Facility: Gale Associates
Multi-Purpose Turf Facility Eschenberg Field
Flooresville, TX
Upgrade of Existing Facility: Hellas Construction, Inc.
Riverton High School Track & Field, Freemont County School District #25
Riverton, WY
New Construction: Hellas Construction, Inc.
Distinguished Sports Fields
Sports Field Stadium Facility at Middleton High School
Middleton, WI
Upgrade of Existing Facility: Rettler Corporation
Coatesville Area High School Stadium
Coatesville, PA
Upgrade of Existing Facility: ELA Sport
Morris “Moe†DeFrank Stadium Field
Glenn Mills, PA
Upgrade of Existing Facility: ELA Sport
Weatherby Park (Softball Facility & Park)
Canton, GA
New Construction: Sports Turf Company
East Carrollton Park Softball/Skate Park Facility
Carrollton, GA
New Construction: Sports Turf Company
Shiprock High School
Kirtland, NM
Upgrade of Existing Facility: General Acrylics, Inc.
Kirtland High School
Kirtland, NM
Upgrade of Existing Facility: General Acrylics, Inc.
Teddy Ebersol Red Sox Fields
Boston, MA
Upgrade of Existing Facility: Stantec
Phillips Academy Phelps Field
Andover, MA
Upgrade of Existing Facility: Stantec
Brown University Athletic Field
Providence, RI
Upgrade of Existing Facility: Gale Associates
Red Mountain Middle School Synthetic Turf Field
Deming, NM
New Construction: Lone Mountain Contracting
Sports Field Facility at Roosevelt High School
Honolulu, HI
New Construction: Applied Surface Technology
Bellarmine College Preparatory Turf Fields
San Jose, CA
Upgrade of Existing Facility: Verde Design, Inc.
Within each category, one facility was chosen from among all winning entries to represent the best of athletic facility construction. The winners were as follows:
TENNIS FACILITIES OF THE YEAR:
RESIDENTIAL:
Pasternack Residence
Orange County, CA
New Construction: Zaino Tennis Courts, Inc.
OUTDOOR:
Pine Canyon
Flagstaff, AZ
New Construction: General Acrylics, Inc.
INDOOR MULTI-PURPOSE FACILITY OF THE YEAR
Jamestown College, Larson Sports Center
Jamestown, ND
New Construction and Upgrade of Existing Facility: Kiefer Specialty Flooring
TRACK FACILITIES OF THE YEAR:
OUTDOOR:
Running Track Stadium Facility at Middleton High School
Middleton, WI
Upgrade of Existing Facility: Rettler Corporation
INDOOR:
Kent State University Fieldhouse
Kent, OH
Upgrade of Existing Facility: Kiefer Specialty Flooring
SPORTS FIELD OF THE YEAR:
Coatesville Area High School Stadium
Coatesville, PA
New Construction: ELA Sport
MULTI-PURPOSE TURF FACILITY OF THE YEAR:
St. Sebastian’s Multi-Sport Athletic Field Renovations
Needham, MA
Upgrade of Existing Facility: Stantec
The ASBA is a non-profit association helping designers, builders, owners, operators and users understand quality sports facility construction. The ASBA sponsors informative meetings, publishes newsletters, books and technical construction guidelines for both tennis courts and running tracks, and keeps its members abreast of the latest developments in the industry. Available at no charge is a listing of all publications offered by the Association, as well as the ASBA’s Membership Directory, its publications, activities and upcoming meetings, please contact the Association at 8480 Baltimore National Pike, Suite 307, Ellicott City, MD 21043. The toll-free phone number is 866-501-ASBA, the local number is 410-730-9595, and the fax number is 410-730-8833. The ASBA also may be reached electronically via its website: www.sportsbuilders.org, or via e-mail at info@sportsbuilders.org.
