June 05th, 2012

Shopping for Equipment

Today, the school principle and I had a meeting with a sports equipment manufactuer from Moscow. We have decided to purchase a foam matting cover for the basketball court. This cover will turn the court into a multi-purpose/ multi-sport court. This matting is very important to the project for multiple reasons. First, the new sports court will not only be used by the students of the school's new sports programs, but also by the kindergarten located behind the school. The cover will make the surface much more forgiving than the asphault beneath. This way even smal children can roll around and play on the court with out ripping up there hands and knees as they do on the current terrain they play on in the school yard. Secondly, the matting is made by a Russian company, which has designed it to hold very well in the winter. It is made from a material that hardens and becomes very tough and durable in the winter and during snowfall. Thirdly, this matting surface will have lines designated by color marking out a basketball court, volleyball court, and indoor soccer arena. It will turn a basketball court into a multi-purpose recreation area. There will be an area of open asphault for playground games like hopscotch and jump roping. Basketball hoops, a fold in volleyball net, and indoor soccer nets will make this an unbelievable resource to jumpstart the schools new sports programs. The principle and I were able to negotiate good prices and it looks like the money that SHCAB raised is going to do even more than we had hoped!


Every night this week I have walked down by the schoolyard after dinner and I have been surprised to find many young people kicking about soccerballs on the torn up asphault. The point is that the renovations to the school yard are going to serve the school's athletic programs, the kindergarden, and the entire community of Suzdal!