October/November 2022 - 30

Don't Underestimate the Power of Quality Surfaces
THE RIGHT FLOORING BENEFITS ATHLETES, CREATES A WEIGHT ROOM WORTH SHOWING OFF
When people think of strength training, what immediately
comes to mind is the equipment and the racks of weights
around the room. But, something often underestimated in
those rooms is the flooring.
Blair Prince, a former strength and conditioning coach at
University of Oklahoma and the Dallas Cowboys, knows how
important quality flooring is in a weight room.
" Athletes train on their feet; everything you're doing
athletically starts with you on that surface, " Prince said. " People
have different ways of training, philosophies and modalities,
but it all comes down to the fact that you're going to be on your
feet on this surface. You'd better get it right. "
Prince is now a consultant with RFS Sports, a distributor for
REGUPOL - maker of high-performance athletic flooring
customized for programs and facilities of all types and sizes.
What makes REGUPOL's flooring stand out in the industry is the
commitment to quality, sustainability and service. As the first
company to recycle tires into rubber flooring, REGUPOL helps
push the elements to provide the best results.
Prince admits he didn't always realize how important quality
flooring was. In fact, he said, it started as an afterthought and
he's learned, through experience, what to do - and what not
to do.
" You put a crummy floor in a room, you gotta stand on it
every day for eight to 10 hours, " he said. " You can always move
equipment around, but that floor is important. "
In the projects Prince has worked on, he knew he wanted to
work with companies he could count on, from quality to service.
" The people at REGUPOL stand behind their product, " Prince
said. " They come up with solutions. "
One such project was at a high school in Texas. The strength
room was almost 20 years old with the wear and tear to show it.
When they went in to look at the floor, they could see its age.
Instead of doing a full demo of the existing floor, they sanded it
down and used REGUPOL flooring on top of that, creating a fully
branded, custom floor in the strength room.
" In the case of this project, having to demo the whole floor, it
would have added at least a week to the project and
tremendous more expense, " Prince said.
There are other ways you can work to improve the overall
strength room, as well, such as pulling equipment out and
putting it back together in different areas that work better for
the athlete. Prince said it can make the room bigger simply by
knowing the flow of the athletes through the room.
Add to that the custom, branded flooring, and it's a weight
room worth showing off.
" From a coach's standpoint, you're worried about your
athletes. When it comes to administration, a lot of times the
weight room is a front porch for their program, " Prince said. " Do
donors, etc., know the thickness of the floor? No. But if it looks
organized, looks good and looks fresh, there's the funds for the
next project. The bottom line is: you screw up the floor, every
time the athletic director's not showing it off. "
For programs considering updating and upgrading their
flooring, Prince recommended making sure everyone is in the
room who should be when the decisions are being made. While
every program is different, those people include the facilities
director, the athletic director, the strength coach and the
other coaches.
" The thing is, if you're not talking to the strength coach or
coach that's on that surface, " he said, " you've got a pretty
strong chance of making a mistake. "
Getting input from those who will be using the floor will keep
you from putting down a surface that " might as well be like
standing on concrete, " Prince continued.
REGUPOL offers a variety of flooring options in a variety of
thicknesses so programs can find the right one for their specific
use and needs. Plus, all of their products are GreenCircle
Certified - a third-party certification for sustainable products
and manufacturing. Affiliated with the U.S. Green Building
Council (USGBC) and the developers of the LEED building rating
system, using REGUPOL products can earn LEED points for a
trainer's building design all while helping the environment.
Learn more about REGUPOL and the difference it can make
for your facility at www.regupol.us.
" Athletes train on their feet; everything you're doing
athletically starts with you on that surface. " - Blair Prince
ADVERTISEMENT | © 2022 REGUPOL
http://www.regupol.us
October/November 2022

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