Toadvine Blog

Severe weather and exposure caused a host of problems for South Point High School stadium in Belmont, North Carolina. After an intense inspection, the bleachers showed signs of distress from weather damage and were deemed unsafe. This determination threatened graduation ceremonies last year and cost the school district in excess of $500,000 to make repairs.

Regular inspections of those bleachers could have caught that damage before it became threatening to the safety of spectators and sports fans. Instead, an unforeseen inspection by the district's insurance company shut down the stadium for graduation and even created uncertainty that the repairs would be complete in time for football season to begin.

Kentucky and Southern Indiana also experience severe weather patterns similar to those in Belmont each season. We’ve had flash flooding, damaging winds, and severe thunderstorms. That severe weather could be bad news for outdoor sports equipment and grandstand seating.

In order to protect your facility's grandstand seating, Toadvine Enterprises not only provides and installs your grandstand seating, we also service it. If you have a question about the safety of your bleachers, contact us for a complete safety inspection. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

There are a number of ways you can get in touch with us and set up an appointment:

• Use our contact form online. We have a 24-hour guaranteed response system in place so you can be sure someone will follow up with you promptly.
• Fill out our maintenance and safety interest form.
• Give us a call at 502.241.6010.

We look forward to making sure your seating and equipment is safe and in good working condition.

Hosting a sporting event is like planning a party. You have to know how many people may come, if you are going to have enough seats for them all, and the most practical way to accommodate them all. Designing a facility and selecting your bleacher seating involves all of those decisions, but once the decision is made it is more permanent. Because your bleachers may last up to 30 years, there are some other important factors to take into consideration before making that final choice.

During its lifetime, bleachers will be used by thousands of fans and spectators, so it is critical to become familiar with the local and national safety-related guidelines and codes. Before the purchase, smart owners will also weigh the importance of capacity needs, the permanence of seating areas, and the type of audience that will be served. Target demographics should be highly evaluated when purchasing new seats.

If your school needs seating for occasional events and cannot leave rows of stadium seats in place permanently because of space restrictions, you may consider smaller bleachers and telescoping seats that can be wheeled out quickly and pushed back out of the way. Sporting clubs that cater to younger audiences may be able to get away with basic bleachers without wide aisles and seat backs.

Typical bleacher sectionsconsist of 2 to 15 rows with row lengths ranging from 7.5-30 feet for small popular models. Planks can be spliced together to form longer systems in most any length extending the seating capacity to 10-10,000 people. These "tiered" or "stepped" surfaces are available in a variety of configurations. Toadvine Enterprises offers a variety of seating selections to best meet the needs of your organization. Here are some of the options we provide:

• Football and Baseball Bleachers
• Basketball Bleachers
• Soccer Bleachers
• Portable Bleachers
• Stadium Bleachers
• Aluminum Bleachers
• Gym Bleachers
• Wooden Bleachers
• High School Bleachers
• Telescopic Bleachers

For more information on seating and bleacher options for your facility, visit the front of our homepage and get a quick quote or more information on how you can secure the best seats in the house for your next sporting event.

After running hundreds of plays, ramming a multitude of helmets, and dripping endless sweat after a full season of sweltering practices, the lights on the football field are slated to come on and spotlight the players who have worked feverishly to get here.

They come suited up; jerseys crisp, helmets tightly snapped, and footballs firmly prepared for the big game. Fortunately, with the help of Toadvine Enterprises, all equipment and accessory needs for the football season were ordered and met just in time for that first game whistle.

Make sure your school is prepared and your locker rooms are decked out with all the equipment you need to outscore the other team this football season. Toadvine provides all your school's equipment and accessory needs. If you have any last minute orders or need to replace some worn out equipment, Toadvine can take care of your school's sporting good needs. We solve all your equipment needs. First time. Every time.

Visit our homepage and hit the 'click here for help' button if you need a quick solution for your athletic equipment. We have a 24 hour guaranteed response. That's our promise.

Before that first buzzer ever sounds, laps are being run, plays are being taught, and strategies are being formulated to dominate the opposing team. When the days of pre-season practice come to an end and it's time to step on that court for the first home game, the fans and athletes alike are anxiously awaiting the match up. Imagine the anticipation of that first game and when that moment finally arrives, there is no buzzer. What if the numbers on the scoreboard don't light up properly or the timer isn't working?

Although many schools may invest in a state-of-the-art scoreboard for their sporting activities, the maintenance of this equipment may get overlooked, resulting in a disastrous game day outcome. An excellent way of insuring that your school avoids the unpleasantness of scoreboard problems is to take care of the internal electronic components during the off season.

For George Cornwall, long time electronic supervisor for the Lee County School District in Fort Myers, Florida, preventative maintenance is the key to keeping a fully operating scoreboard.

“A lot of our maintenance involves cleaning contact and connections. We summer-ize our boards in the off-season too,” Cornwell said. “Our outside circuit boards are taken off and stored inside to avoid damage. We don't completely strip them, but we do remove major components in the off-season and prior to season, we put them back. You have to do preventative maintenance to keep them in top condition.” 

Athletic Directors or Facilities Managers should direct someone to follow recommended procedures every year to prolong the life of the scoreboard and reduce unscheduled service calls. Well before the first game of the season, the scoreboard equipment should be inspected, reassembled, and tested to allow ample time for the return and repair of any malfunctioning parts.

If your school does not have an off-season preventative maintenance program, contact Toadvine Enterprises to determine the best route to protect your vital sports equipment and “keep the ball rolling.”

FISHERVILLE, KY - Toadvine Enterprises, a family owned sports equipment and stadium seating distributor, has hired sales and sporting goods professional David Hedge to manage its clients in the state of Tennessee.

Hedge holds a Master Degree in Sport Management from the University of Tennessee and was hired to manage sales and service of gymnasium equipment and seating needs in the state. He works with schools of all sizes, from elementary up to the collegiate level.

Hedge takes his responsibilities seriously, stating, "I represent Toadvine Enterprises in Tennessee and I work directly with owners and contractors on a daily basis. My end goal is to provide options and answers for all of their gymnasium needs, no matter what budget they have."

Having been in the gymnasium services industry for 10 years, Hedge understands the industry well. That, coupled with Toadvine's reputation in the business, meant an opportunity Hedge couldn't pass up. "When the opportunity came open to work for a business that focuses on customer service and quality products from top notch manufacturers, I was immediately drawn to partnering with Toadvine," he said. 

Bleacher and stadium seating liability continues to be an issue due to the rise in lawsuits from bleacher accidents brought against schools. Keeping spectators safe by having regular bleacher maintenance and inspection performed is a first step in preventing accidents and liability issues. 

The checklist below lists action items you can do to ensure your seating is safe in between scheduled maintenance. Please contact Toadvine Enterprises if you need your bleachers or stadium seating inspected and maintained. 

• Make sure stairs, ramps, and aisles are dry, clean, and free of debris.
• All stairs should be equipped with handrails and tread to prevent falls.
• Loose flooring should be fixed to prevent tripping hazards.
• Seats should be free from splintering wood and loose screws and hardware.
• Safety rails should be installed on the back of bleachers to prevent falls.

Toadvine Enterprises is here to help your school provide a safe environment for fans and players. Contact us today if you need a seating quote of if you have questions about the safety of your school's bleachers. 

Cleveland has the Dawg Pound. It is the place the die hard fans cheer their beloved team across the goal line. The NFL is notorious for entertaining touchdown celebrations. Some of the most dramatic football finishes have not been touchdowns, but instead were field goals from 63 yards with 2 seconds on the clock, like Jack Dempsey's famous game winning kick. These dramatic field goals would be impossible without one crucial piece of equipment; the goal post.

The goal post has gone through several transformations throughout the years. All of these improvements and new features are available for you and your football facility, and Toadvine Enterprises gives you the highest quality and affordability. So while your program is concentrating on the roster and recruiting, don't forget to check off your end-zone equipment needs.

• Goal Posts
• End-Zone Pylons
• Football Stopper Set (netting system)
• Goal Post Padding (with your team name and colors)

We carry an assortment of goals that will meet your specific needs and budget. We have many H-style goal posts, combination football/soccer goal posts, and gooseneck single pole base goal posts that come in aluminum or steel construction. We also carry the Revolution goal post that rotates 180 degrees so it does not interfere with other sports needs on the same field. 

If you need a new ground sleeve or plated system we can walk you through the products that will best meet your needs. Give us a call today at (502) 241-6010 and knock out your end-zone checklist so you can focus on things that really matter, like winning!

FISHERVILLE, KY - Toadvine Enterprises, a family owned sports equipment and stadium seating distributer, has hired sales professional Vince Pellegrino to manage its Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio territories.

Pellegrino, a University of Cincinnati graduate, has more than 28 years in the sports equipment industry, previously working as a sales rep for sports equipment leader Porter, as well as for communication products giant Ghent Manufacturing. He holds a degree in Civil, Construction, and Architectural Engineering Technologies.

Long gone for most sports facilities are the days of creeky wooden bleachers and the flip score board manned by rotating students. The basic requirements of most facilities have not changed much since the days of Roman amphitheaters and arenas; easy and safe access to the facility, a comfortable place to sit, and a good view of the game. Sports arenas of today need to offer these basic benefits but now have more options than ever to appease, entertain, and entice fans back to their facility.  

Gymnasium seating options are numerous. Classic wood is still an option for those seeking the traditional look. For a look that adds a huge visual boost to your facility, telescopic seating can utilize the bleacher system with bleachers opening in the forward direction and the option to display school lettering or team colors. Sculpture seat modules feature solid color seating which is high strength and fade resistant. These seats are available in 15 standard colors to sport team spirit. When seeking a way to honor special boosters or sponsors, consider the VIP wide deck platform with platform chairs when you need a highly functional system with comfortable chairs and wide rows to move around in. For the ultra modern arena cupholders, cushioned seats, and even the ability to order food from an electronic device right from your seat, are the newest in innovations for sports fanatics.

Stadium seating has evolved in the outdoor arena also, with ergonomically-designed flip up seats and lumbar support now available. Wide selections of colors can be alternated and interspersed to visually sport team pride. Sponsorship can now also be secured on stadium seating to honor special donors and designate specific seating areas. 

To find out what seating options are available for your sports facility, fill out the contact us spot on the website and a member of our team will get back with you to discuss your seating options.

Baseball season is in full swing this spring. The Cincinnati Reds kicked off their season by hosting the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on April 1, while the Louisville Bats started their 14th season on Louisville Slugger field on April 4 with a home game against the Toledo Mud Hens. 

At the beginning of the 2013 local baseball season, Louisville's own St. Xavier high school tops the rankings in the number one spot among local and state high schools. 

As your school team gears up for baseball season, take time to make a check list of all the baseball essentials that may be missing from your team's equipment roster. Toadvine Industries has all the equipment your team needs to score this season. 

We carry bases, batting cage essentials, foul poles, balasted plate and mound covers, and a variety of other sporting equipment that can complete your equipment line up. Contact Toadvine to supply your baseball equipment needs and lock in a winning season.