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Father Christopher Phillips
Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church in San Antonio, TX
ATONEMENT ACADEMY GYM FLOOR MEETS ALL EXPECTATIONS
ATLANTA , GA, February 6, 2006 - When the time came to select flooring for the brand new gymnasium for the Atonement Academy, the pre-kindergarten through high school program of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church in San Antonio, TX, Father Christopher Phillips knew he wanted a traditional look without the typical time-consuming upkeep.
He looked for a floor with versatility and simplified maintenance. Father Phillips researched sports and multipurpose flooring and spoke with numerous other people. The product he kept hearing about was Taraflex® Sports Flooring by Gerflor.
What he was told about Taraflex® matched the flooring priorities he had set.
"The way it (the floor) plays was the most important thing to me," says Father Phillips. "That certainly was essential. The look and durability was important too. Now that Taraflex® is installed, I can't speak highly enough about it."
5,600 square feet of Taraflex® ® Sport M Plus Maple Design flooring with red and black game lines was installed in the high school regulation size gym. The school's 450 students use the gym for all their physical education classes, basketball and volleyball games and practices. Father Phillips likes the cushioning of the floor for the younger students and notes the boys' basketball teams and their competitors are equally enthusiastic about the floor.
"The basketball players have found any time they bounce balls on it, it's as good as wood," he says. "They think it's fantastic. They love it."
After a game, it's common for Father Phillips to receive a call from the opposing team asking about the gym floor.
But usage of the floor doesn't stop with athletic activities; concerts and spaghetti suppers have taken place in the gym. Father Phillips explains, "We needed something that was really multipurpose. There's no worry whatsoever about people walking across it." When Atonement's parishioners are not utilizing the space, it's rented out to neighboring parishes. Again, he says that results in phone calls inquiring about the Taraflex® floor.
"The Sport M Plus floor at the Atonement Academy is being used to its fullest advantage," says Stephane Leudet, national sales manager. "It was designed to be the best combination of a sports floor and multipurpose surface."
The gym is part of a 70,000 square foot expansion of the church started in early 2005 and completed in September. The gym floor is ADA compliant with transitional materials installed around its perimeter. Visit Our Lady of the Atonement Church web site at www.atonementonline.com . The Taraflex® floor was installed by Vector Concepts, www.vcfloors.com, of Irving, TX.
Taraflex® Sport M Plus was introduced in 2005 with an enhanced shock absorption rate exceeding that of thicker floors made from other materials. Sport M Plus possesses a 35% shock absorption rating when tested according to DIN V 18032-2 (April 2001). This performance floor benefits the user because it deforms only around the point of impact. With this restricted area deformation, there are no vibrations, injuries or "dead spots." Seven-millimeter-thick Sport M Plus comes in 17 colors including Maple and Oak designs and solid shades.
For more information, call 800-727-7505.