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Taraflex® COURTS AT PLEX INDOOR SPORTS
- Practice Courts for National Volleyball Champions -
ATLANTA, GA, AUGUST 4, 2005 ─ The operators of Plex Indoor Sports in Columbia, SC selected Taraflex® Sports Flooring by Gerflor for their indoor volleyball and basketball courts anticipating local adult and youth leagues would be playing on them. But just months after their installation, the volleyball courts turned into practice facilities for two national championship volleyball teams.
Opened in mid-November 2004, Plex installed almost 8,700 square feet of Taraflex® Sport M Maple Design with blue border and keys for its volleyball and basketball courts. The courts transition from a full-size NBA court to two regulation-size volleyball courts.
Plex General Manager Keith Osman says the courts are specifically designated for those sports and are in almost continuous use by adult and youth basketball and volleyball leagues. He explains Taraflex’s design technology matched their objective to install the best sports surfaces available for their players. Competitive and amateur players alike have been attracted to the Taraflex® courts with impressive results.
“I’m really pleased with the flooring from a durability point of view and maintenance is nice and simple,” says Osman. “I believe Taraflex® has superior grip strength to it so players know they can move accurately. Our teams enjoy playing on it because of the grip strength and its ability to lessen the fatigue factor.”
Prior to their May wins at the 2005 USA Open Volleyball National Championships in Denver, the BAMESO USA men’s and women’s volleyball clubs trained at Plex for two weeks. The BAMESO teams, now based in Columbia, SC, began as an amateur volleyball organization in the Dominican Republic. Heading into the tournament, the BAMESO men’s team was the defending national champion and the first team in its 76-year history to remain undefeated prior to the title matches. Following their victories, matches. Following their victories, BAMESO’s mostly college-age players returned to Plex to conduct volleyball clinics and share their winning skills with younger players.
“Plex is proud of its association with the BAMESO teams and rightly so,” says Stephane Leudet, Gerflor national sales manager. “The owners took the flooring selection process seriously and were intent on looking out for the best interests of their players when they chose Taraflex. Obviously the right decision was made and will benefit volleyball and basketball teams from novice to advanced levels.”
Plex Indoor Sports is an 86,000-square-foot facility located in Northeast Columbia, SC and boasts two regulation enclosed artificial grass surfaces in addition to an enclosed inline hockey rink. Regulation basketball and volleyball courts are located within the climate-controlled facility in addition to the largest indoor skate park in the state of South Carolina. Youth and adult athletic leagues are offered year-round as well as seasonal camps. For more information call (803) 360-7300 or logon to www.plexindoorsports.com. The Taraflex® courts were installed by Southeastern Surfaces & Equipment of New Smyrna Beach, FL.
Taraflex® Sports Flooring by Gerflor continues to gain recognition internationally in 2005. As of January 1, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), based in Lausanne, Switzerland, and Gerflor agreed Taraflex® will be used for every FIVB-sanctioned competition and event worldwide for four years. The ATP and Gerflor agreed to a three-year partnership which designates Taraflex® as the “Official ATP Court Surface.” The ATP also selected Taraflex® as the court surface for the Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai, China from 2005 through 2007. This year Fitness Management magazine announced its readers selected Taraflex® as the recipient of the second annual NOVA 7 Award as the best flooring/surfacing supplier for 2004.
All Taraflex® synthetic floors are designed for safety and comfort. Their multi-layered construction includes 100% pure vinyl, a reinforced fiberglass grid and closed-cell foam backing to provide shock absorption, help fight fatigue and deliver consistent ball bounce. Product treatments ensure easy maintenance, stain resistance and prevention of mold and bacteria growth. Taraflex® floors meet and exceed the stringent performance standards mandated by all major flooring associations. Gerflor Sports Flooring, LLC is the exclusive agent for Gerflor Sports Flooring.
For more information, call 800-727-7505.