Fitness Center Renovation Includes New Athletic Surfaces

“Everything starts with the flooring,” says Dana Ridenour, director of advancement at Calvary Christian Academy (CCA), a pre-K3–12 school located in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and committed to excellence in academics, athletics, arts, technology, leadership and ministry. “Then you can start building and painting; but, you have got to have a great floor first.”

CCA recognized the significance flooring has in a space. So, when CCA renovated its fitness center in the spring of 2017, school leadership listened to the recommendation of Legend Fitness, a fitness equipment manufacturer involved with the project, and specified Ecore Athletic surfacing.

“When I visited the site for the first time, I saw a student trying to push a sled on concrete, and it wouldn’t move,” says Troy Kelley, director of Athletics for Ecore. “It’s impossible to push a sled on that surface. It’s not good for the sled, the athlete or the floor.”

That’s because the surface of the entire fitness center, which is housed inside a former warehouse adjacent to the campus, was concrete. Kelley suggested four surfaces that provide safety, ergonomic and acoustic properties for this 3,774-square-foot space, which is used by more than 200 students and student athletes daily.

CCA had 1,482 square feet of Monster Roll installed in the weight lifting area, which features 14 racks with custom, in-laid platforms for Olympic-style weight lifting. Monster Roll is a 22.5-millimeter system designed to provide the footing desired in strength training with the ergonomic demands of functional training. “It’s going to save us so much on weights and other equipment, because all that stuff is no longer getting banged up,” says Ridenour.

Adjacent to the weight lifting area, 495 square feet of Speed & Agility Turf was installed. This surface features a 3-millimeter tight nap fusion bonded to 12-millimeter performance backing. The result is a surface that is ideal for CCA students’ sprint drills and sled pushes.

The multi-performance area, which is primarily used by CCA cheerleaders and wrestling team, had 869 square feet of Bounce 2 installed. Prior to this, the floor consisted of wrestling mats on top of concrete. “This was very advantageous for the wrestling team, but the cheerleaders couldn’t do what they needed to do,” says Ridenour. “The cleanliness of the mats was also an issue.”

The Bounce 2 surfacing features a synthetic wood-grain surface fusion bonded to a 5-millimeter performance backing. The surface looks like real wood, but is ergonomic and durable.

The last type of surfacing installed was one of Ecore’s heritage products, 928 square feet of Everlast. This roll good was installed in the cardio equipment area and at the entrance to the fitness center, and features a custom eagle head logo, the CCA mascot.

CCA is happy with the outcome of the renovation and all of the surfaces in the fitness center. “We waited a long time to get this project done,” says Ridenour. “The products are just fantastic. For the first time, we have safe and slip-free surfaces.”