Toadvine Blog

A simple game of volleyball really involves only four pieces of equipment; a net, two poles and a ball.

If you hope to start up a basic game of volleyball, you don't have much to add to your equipment list. But if you're playing volleyball on a more competitive level, there is additional gear and safety equipment that can help make your match more enjoyable and safe. Here are some basic equipment recommendations based on what type of league you hope to establish.

Volleyball Equipment for Recreation or League Play

If your league is just for fun, your equipment needs will be much less extensive. If your players intend to compete at a more professional level, there is more specific equipment needed in order to make the wins and losses valid. Here are some basic equipment recommendations if you are planning to organize a recreational league.

• Knee Pads
• Net
• Volleyball
• Poles and anchoring system
• Ankle Braces
• Water Bottles
• Volleyball Traveling Duffle Bag
• Athletic Tape
• Pre-Wrap
• Rule Book
• Whistle
• Scoreboard
• Coaches Clipboard
• Linesman Flags
• Floor Tape
• Volleyball Air Pump
• Boundary Markers

Indoor/Outdoor

The basic equipment for these types of leagues doesn't vary much, but there are some specifics about each type of game that do vary. If you plan to play or organize an outdoor league, what type of court will you play on? Keep in mind the anchoring system necessary to hold the netting in place at your various outdoor locations. You may need to add additional roping and ground spikes to keep the net securely in place, in addition to the basic volleyball equipment needs necessary (listed above) for a successful indoor/outdoor league.

No matter which type of volleyball team you need to organize, Toadvine can outfit players and stock your court from start to finish. We provide all of your sporting equipment needs. Click here to contact one of our sales representatives who will take inventory of your volleyball equipment and help you order anything that is necessary to spike your sports team performance.

Image courtesy of tigger11th at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Robinson High School in Tampa, Florida will not play its first football home game at home later this month. Due to some corroding screws and other issues recently uncovered with the football bleachers on their home field, Robinson's first home game has been moved, with plans to return to their home field still uncertain.

After an inspector at the school recently found corroding screws and some other issues of concern, it was determined that games would not be played at home until they were inspected and deemed safe for spectators.

"At this point, we have shut it down. We are not going to allow anybody into the bleachers until we know that they are solid and safe," said Stephen Hegarty with Hillsborough County Public Schools.

This major safety concern has parents worried and wondering how bleachers could get in this condition. The bi-annual inspections have apparently not been frequent or thorough enough to keep school bleachers safe. Luckily for this school, the issues were uncovered before any accidents occurred. Other schools and facilities have not been so fortunate.

In 1999, one study showed that an estimated 22,000 bleacher-associated injuries were treated in the ER. Approximately 6,000 of these injuries were a result of the person falling from or through the bleachers and onto the surface below. Of those falls, about 5,000 involved children under the age of 15.

Bleacher hazards can occur due to older design problems, incorrect manufacturing or installation, or lack of routine maintenance. Routine maintenance is important to help pinpoint any structural damage or hazards that may compromise the integrity of the bleachers and threaten public safety. All hazards and deficiencies need to be corrected immediately and in some cases, bleachers may need to be rendered inoperable or taken out of use until they are repaired and deemed safe.

Toadvine Enterprises has a maintenance and safety inspection program that provides service to all indoor and outdoor seating and equipment. Vine and Branch is our fully staffed maintenance program which provides a certified service technician who performs annually-required maintenance inspections on all equipment and seating to ensure the safety of your facility. Technicians provide service in these areas:

• Visual inspections of your facility and/or designated equipment
• A full listing of defective equipment or upgrade requirements
• A written report of the inspection noting any safety or standard violations and recommendations for corrective action

Contact Ben Toadvine: ben@toadvine.com or Matt Roberts: mroberts@toadvine.com to schedule your next bleacher inspection so that your football fans can cheer on their home team with the confidence that their bleachers are safe and secure.

If Physical Education at your school consists of a whistle and 40 minutes of free time, you could be depriving young children of reaching critical developmental milestones and the opportunity to excel academically.

Researchers with Project SPARK (Sports, Play and Active Recreation for Kids) experimented with equipment items of varying sizes, shapes, weights and textures to determine if they could foster greater inclusion, activity, and enjoyment during school PE classes in the students. Equipment in each school's physical education program was found to be a critical component of a quality physical education, not only because recreational supplies needed to be provided in sufficient quantities for students to participate, but also because the PE equipment was helpful in differentiating instruction, increasing the levels of student participation and their enjoyment of PE. Adequate and diverse recreational supplies and equipment for PE classes were also proven to build self-confidence.

The study also revealed the benefits of having age-appropriate equipment and its effect on several other non-health related outcomes such as:

• teamwork - culture building and collaboration
• retention - when students enjoy PE more they participate at higher levels and want to be in school
• academic achievement - SPARK research also shows that students spending more time in SPARK PE and less time in the classroom will do as well or better with standardized test scores.

Is your school prepared with a variety of age-appropriate, visually appealing PE equipment that will keep your school-age kids stimulated and engaged? If you need some ideas to get started, click here. If it's time to bump up or begin your school's PE supply closet, we will be happy to help your school develop a supply of equipment for any size budget.

With kids out of school and vacations on the horizon, summertime brings a host of activity and a lot of hours to fill. For any parent with children at home this summer, you can be sure there is time for a lot of fun with friends, time spent at the pool, and outdoor sports taking place that fuel the ever exploding energy tank kids seem to have. But in an instant, when that activity starts to fade, the very predictable "I'm bored" phrase comes roaring out.

But there is a solution. A group of amateur sports enthusiasts have found a way to revive many old traditions and transform them into something recognizable, but completely different. You have probably never heard of most of these new "sports," but they are catching on as subcultures around the globe are organizing and promoting their uniqueness.

Kronum

If you want to play Kronum, all you need is a circular field, roughly 70 yards across, a lot of stamina, and the ability to constantly swivel your head. Players come at you from every angle, and where you are on the field determines the amount of points you score by throwing the ball into either the mouth of the goal or one of the five crown "rings" lining the top of each one. This fast paced and challenging summer sport morphs a little rugby with the ranks of competitive soccer.

Quidditch

This co-ed sport is played with a mixture of unique element from rugby, dodgeball, and tag. Seven people make up a quidditch team who play with brooms between their legs at all times. Three chasers score goals worth 10 points each with a volleyball called the quaffle. The ball advances down the field by running it, passing it or kicking it. Each team has a keeper who defends their goal and two beaters who use dodgeballs to disrupt the flow of the game by knocking out the other players. Any player hit by the bludger (dodgeball) is out of play until they touch their own goal. Each team also has a snitch runner, a neutral athlete who uses any means to avoid capture. The snitch is worth 30 points and its capture ends the game.

Road Tennis

It's not totally official, but Barbados has been claiming this sport as its official inner-city neighborhood sport for years. Road tennis requires a long stretch of pavement, a table tennis net, paddles and a handball. Dating back 80 years, this sport has a rich history, now alluring veterans and new comers alike. With an outdoorsy pingpong feel, this sport will fill a void in your outdoor sporting regimen.

Circle-Rules Football

If you never really wanted to use your yoga ball when attempting yoga, this sports gives you a chance to break it out of the closet and actually have some fun with it. In Circle-Rules Football two teams head toward the same goal trying to score with a humongous sphere that's been known to bounce uncontrollably and without reason.

Blind Soccer

Yeah. That's right. Players in this game are actually playing by the official soccer rules, but with a face shield that covers their eyes. Players navigate a small field based on shouted instructions from the bench. A ball bearing inside the soccer ball also helps in echolocation. A skilled blind soccer player dribbles the the ball without it ever coming off of his foot. It may sound crazy dangerous, but if you think you need to be able to see to play soccer, watch these players in action. You have to "see it to believe it."

You don't have an "official" team to strike up most of these games, just a knowledge of the rules and a strong desire to be creative and spontaneous. So if your kids are moping around looking for something to do, check out the details on these creative twists on traditional sports and knock out summertime boredom.

A search on the internet for bleacher safety will bring up multiple attorney listings and assistance for bleacher related injuries. Families today are exposed to unsafe spectator seating in a variety of settings and injuries relating to these accidents continue to call attention to the need for accelerated safety measures.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) examined bleacher injury associated data from 1991-1999 and revealed that there were an average of 19,100 bleacher-related injuries that were treated in the emergency room. In the year 1999 alone, 22,100 injuries were treated in the ER. Of those injuries 6,100 of them resulted from a fall from or through the bleachers onto the surface below. Because of the severity of these incidents, it is essential for organizations and schools to develop a plan to inspect, repair and maintain their seating systems to prevent incidents like these.

At Toadvine Enterprises, safety is a priority and because we believe in keeping your establishments safe, we have developed a maintenance and safety inspection program for all of your indoor and outdoor seating and equipment. Our Vine & Branch program offers manufacturer certified service technicians to ensure the safety of your seating. Here are some of the services our team will provide in order to keep your facility safely maintained:

• A thorough visual inspection of your facility and/or designated equipment.

• A full listing of defective equipment or upgrade requirements.

• A written report will be provided to you upon completion of the inspection, noting any safety and/or standard violations, and recommendations for corrective action.

We perform annually-required maintenance inspections on all equipment and seating and yearly contracts that work around your needs. Please contact Ben Toadvine: ben@toadvine.com or Matt Roberts: mroberts@toadvine.com or use our online form to request a regular maintenance check regarding the safety of your facility seating. Toadvine is happy to assist you in maintaining the safety of your facility and your family.