EXHIBIT a Topic Description: Platform Tennis (Aka, “Paddle”)
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EXHIBIT A Topic Description: Platform Tennis (a.k.a., “Paddle”) is an American racquet sport invented in the 1920’s as a winter alternative to tennis in northern climates. It is the only racquet sport that players can enjoy outdoors in very cold weather. This unique appeal attracts people who desire fresh air, competition, and social engagement - all on a chilly winter's day or night. The game is played on an aluminum deck about 1/3 the size of a tennis court and is surrounded by a 12' high superstructure with taut, 16-gauge "chicken wire" fencing which allows play off the walls, as in racquetball and squash. The court deck is 60 feet (18 m) long by 30 feet (9.1 m) in width. The court measures 44 feet (13 m) in length by 20 feet (6.7 m) in width and is divided by a net that is kept taut at a height of 34 inches (860 mm) at its center and 37 inches (940 mm) at either end. Most courts have lighting systems so the game can be enjoyed day or night. The court surface is typically made from aluminum “planking” with an extreme anti-skid paint/grit mixture (epoxy secured aluminum oxide grit particles) applied on top of the aluminum planks. Historically, the court has been elevated or on a platform. The base of an elevated platform tennis court is usually enclosed, allowing for a heating system beneath the deck to melt ice and snow. The default drying system used today usually consists of four 100,000 btu gas or propane construction heaters placed under each raised aluminum court with circulation fans to move the heat around. The heating system melts ice off the aggregate deck surface, allowing athletes to play outdoors in all weather conditions. While this “gritty aluminum” surface with gas/propane heaters underneath allows for play in all weather conditions, there are several issues encountered with this surface: 1. Cost to Build: The cost to build aluminum decking courts with gas/propane heaters underneath is very expensive (~$75,000 for materials and labor for one court and an additional $10,000 to install heaters underneath). This does not include any site preparation work if necessary. 2. Cost to Maintain: Courts need to be resurfaced every 4-5 years at a cost of ~$3,500 per court. In northern climates, the cost of running the gas or propane fired heaters can be quite high on an annual basis. 3. Hard on Player’s Bodies: There is very little “give” in player start/stop movement. The gritty surface texture aggressively grabs and holds the foot creating “foot-lock”. When the foot locks on the surface, other parts of the body have to “give” (ankle, calf, knee, hip, etc.) possibly causing immediate injury (rolled ankle, calf rupture, knee rupture ACL, etc.) OR long-term wear-and-tear injury (hip replacements, knee replacements, knee meniscus tears, etc.). The surface is also very sharp and players who fall on the court usually come up bleeding. 4. Lack of Multi-Purpose Court Utilization: Paddle courts are very busy in the fall and winter months, but are not used often in the summer months. Another fast growing sport, pickleball, is played on a court of similar size. However, the gritty aluminum surface is not suitable for pickleball. Other potential uses for a paddle court without this type of surface include USTA 10U tennis, basketball, and volleyball. In the past few years, there have been attempts to utilize new surfaces, but none have been able to match the all weather playability characteristics that the gritty aluminum surface features. Examples of these experimental surfaces include: 1. Grade Level Courts: Although platform tennis has been popular in the Northeast and Midwest for many years, the sport is beginning to grow in the Southeast. Because snow melt is not as much a concern in the southeast, “grade level” courts, which utilize the same surface as a tennis hard court, have been built in a few locations. Advantages: • Typically half the cost of a standard court to install • Retains the desired bounce characteristics • Easier on the body Disadvantages: • Unplayable when wet and are subject to cracking. • Lack of snow melt – not a viable surface in northern climates 2. Grade Level Courts with Radiant Heating: An experimental court was built in the Chicago area with radiant heating underneath a tennis court surface with a softer/bouncier surface than a typical tennis hard court. Advantages: • All weather play • Easier on the body Disadvantages of “Grade Level” courts: • Experimental court did not do a great job melting snow and absorbing rain relative to the traditional aluminum surface • Questionable bounces – some players felt that spin shots skidded more than the traditional aluminum surface 3. Sport Court Modular Tile Surface: A modular tile sport-court surface has just been installed on an existing “grade level” platform tennis court in Charleston, SC. This surface is expected to provide a lower friction paddle tennis surface when it is hot and will utilized for USTA U10 tennis and pickleball. (See Attachment 1). Advantages: • Would allow for multi-purpose court utilization (pickleball and 10U tennis) • If installed over a grade-level court, still less expensive than aluminum surface court • Easier on the body Disadvantages: • Slippery when wet. Modular court systems were designed to be used in “dry” weather. • In cold weather, static electricity builds up and the player gets a “shock” when they touch the wire screens. • Not a northern climate option during winter months due to inability to use current heating systems underneath • Possible discoloration over time The Project: The American Platform Tennis Association (APTA) is the governing body for the sport of platform tennis. The mission of our organization is to grow participation of the sport across all regions of the country and improve all aspects of the game. Our primary barrier to growth is the lack of public access courts across most parts of the country. Paddle has primarily been limited to private country clubs in most areas of the country due to the very high cost of constructing the aluminum surface courts. Public facilities and parks can’t justify the cost of building courts that may sit idle during the spring and summer months The APTA has engaged with Georgia Tech to conduct and host an Ideation Research Project (IRP) in an attempt to ‘Create the Next’ generation platform tennis surface that is less costly to build and maintain, have multi-purpose potential, and is more forgiving on players’ bodies and equipment. This new surface(s) would have to retain the bounce characteristics and all- weather play characteristics that make the sport so unique. Questions/concepts to be considered include: 1. Can a polymer-based or composite material be created with the following characteristics? o Sufficient thermal conductivity to melt/dry the surface during active precipitation events o Enough traction during rainy play so that foot doesn’t slip on the surface, BUT, not too much traction during dry play so that the foot locks on the surface”. o Easier (less abrasive) on the body and less injurious during falls o Less costly to install than current technologies (~75,000/court) o Allow for multi-purpose court utilization throughout the year (pickleball, U10 tennis, volleyball, basketball, etc…) 2. What improvements could be made to the current aluminum court surface? o Textured during manufacture such that the highly abrasive grit material is no longer necessary? o Can a standardized type and amount of anti-skid material be developed that takes into account “foot-lock?” Can we devise a formula to measure “foot- lock?” o Can shock absorption be applied to make the surface easier on the body? o Are there value engineering options to bring installation costs down? 3. What improvements can be made or other options to consider for court heating systems? o More efficient system and less costly to install and maintain. 4. Other potential areas for improvement/cost savings that have not been highlighted o LED court lights – can they be run on solar power? Other considerations? o Chicken-wire walls (would utilizing a plexi-glass wall system like the sport of “padel” be an option?) See http://www.thepadelbox.com for information on Padel court construction. o Snowboards made of something other than wood. Wood snowboards have to be repainted and replaced periodically. Resources: American Platform Tennis Association: http://www.platformtennis.org • Court Installation article: http://platformtennishalloffame.org/event/anatomy-of-a- platform-tennis-court/ • Videos - http://www.platformtennis.org/videos.htm • APTA Grow the Game Information - http://www.platformtennis.org/Grow_the_Game.htm Court Builder Websites: • Total Platform Tennis - http://www.totalplatformtennis.com • Reilly Green Mountain - http://www.platformtennis.com Other Websites: • ASBA (American Sports Builders Association) http://www.sportsbuilders.org • SAPCA (Sports & Play Construction Association) – England - http://www.sapca.org.uk • USTA (United States Tennis Association) Technical Committee https://www.usta.com/Facilities/tech_specs/ • Sheldon Westervelt (Global Sports & Tennis Design Group) [email protected] Attachment 1 Summer Surface is Here!! Convert your existing platform tennis court to year round..multi-sport play! Summer Paddle – Pickleball – Junior Tennis – Badminton – MORE The NEXT-COURT Summer surface is professionally installed directly on your raised aluminum platform tennis court for summer use and easily removed in the fall for winter platform tennis play. www.NEXT-COURT.com [email protected] .