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Ice Arena Surface Covered by Custom-Fitted COVERMASTER® TERRACOVER ICE® The Innu Nation of Matimekush-Lac John is a First Nation based out of Schefferville in Quebec, Canada. Lac-John is just over a mile north of Schefferville and about a mile from the border with Labrador. The nation has a population of approximately 1,000 people in total. They largely speak Innu, an Algonquian language that is a member of the Cree–Montagnais–Naskapi dialect. Their community facilities include a community center, a radio station, a church, a gymnasium, a library, and yes, an ice arena.
I am honored that COVERMASTER® has asked me to contribute to the “Tips From The Pros” section as part of their E-newsletter. I have known and worked with COVERMASTER® for years but have gotten to know them more over the last 27 years as Head Groundskeeper for the Arizona Diamondbacks at Bank One Ballpark/Chase Field. COVERMASTER® was one of the original sponsors, along with Toro and Profile Products/Turface, and they continue to be an annual sponsor of the MLB Groundskeeper’s Meetings/Symposiums, that started after my first year with the Dbacks in 1998.
RAINCOVER ULTRA™ has heavy hitter, super core strength with 200 pounds less weight. Touted as one of the American League’s (AL) eight charter franchises in Major League Baseball, the Detroit Tigers were founded back in 1894 in what was then minor baseball in the Western League. They are the oldest franchise in the AL to maintain their same name and play in the same city throughout the years. They did, however, move to a new stadium in 2000 and played their first game there against the Seattle Mariners.
COVERMASTER® reacts to social media post and recommends gym floor protection solutions. Hopewell City Public Schools in Hopewell, Virginia announced: “Hopewell City Public Schools’ new basketball court floor is complete!! The High School hasn’t had a new floor in 50+ years.” COVERMASTER® saw the social media post and contacted them about gym floor protection for non-athletic events and activities. More information was provided on products specifically designed to make sure their Blue Devils sports teams had a gym floor that’s protected for years to come.
EVERGREEN® worked great in 2016 and even better for the Great Lakes Loons 2024/25 season. In the spring of 2016, ground was broken on a new, 5,500-seat ballpark in Midland, Michigan. The land was donated by Dow Chemical and the ballpark was aptly named Dow Diamond. The following year, the Great Lakes Loons, a Minor League Baseball team in the Mid-West Division and affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, took to the field. The new turf was protected from harsh winter conditions by COVERMASTER® EVERGREEN® turf growth blankets.
North Rockland High’s new synthetic field receives extra heavy duty turf protection Located in Thiells, New York, North Rockland High School provides co-educational studies to students in grade 9 to 12 from the northern Rockland County. In 2024, the school celebrated the opening of new, state-of-the-art, athletic facilities for their Red Raiders sports teams including advanced synthetic turf fields. When it was decided to have graduation ceremonies on the main field, COVERMASTER® was contacted for temporary outdoor flooring.
The Columbia University Master of Science in the Sustainability Management and Sports Management programs began the first semester of the Sustainability in Sports: Theory and Practice course in the fall of 2024. This is the first course in the School of Professional Studies in which students from several graduate programs (Sports Management, Sustainability Management, and the Climate School) could take a course together. The course has been a hit, and my co-lecturer (Shaun Hoyte), Course Associate (Alexandra Bagnasco), and I have received numerous positive comments about the course.
Belgian football club benefits from COVERMASTER® frost covers for football pitches. Bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and France, Belgium has a population of nearly 12-million in an area of close to 12-million square miles. Like many European countries, football is a popular sport and one such Belgian Pro League football club, K.R.C. Genk FC, is a big fan of COVERMASTER®. The 5-time Belgian League and 5-time Belgian Cup champion depends on COVERMASTER® sports ground frost covers to protect its turf pitches.
Multimedia giant bets on COVERMASTER® gym floor carpet tiles and wins big. When the new Chicago office of Barstool Sports contacted COVERMASTER® about gym floor tiles, you would likely wonder what gymnasium in the Windy City they were talking about. As a U.S.-based multimedia sports and entertainment company with its headquarters in New York City, Barstool Sports publishes sports journalism and pop culture-related content. Promoted as a “fun factory”, the gymnasium in question is part of the new Chicago office design.
New training facility protects its practice fields with COVERMASTER® growth blankets. For upwards of 25 years, the Chicago Fire Football Club, a U.S. professional soccer club that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS), has been coming to COVERMASTER® for help, protecting and improving its turf. Named after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 that devastated over three-square miles of the city, the Fire plays out of Soldier Field in the near South Side of Chicago.
COVERMASTER® spot covers will protect and promote with custom branding. California State University at Northridge (CSUN) is located in northern Los Angeles. In addition to its nine colleges that range from Science & Mathematics to Engineering & Computer Science, CSU has 19 sports teams in NCAA Division I, including baseball and softball. Matador Field is home to Cal State Northridge baseball, while softball is played at nearby Matador Diamond.
Ross Kurcab is a Certified Sports Field Manager (CSFM) and a professional sports field consultant with 30 years’ experience as a head turf manager in professional football. He graduated from Colorado State University’s Turfgrass Management program and now operates and owns Championship Sports Turf Systems.
Madrid, Spain - EVERGREEN® RADIANT TURF COVERS provide a winning solution for world class football team. Founded in 1902, the success of Spain’s Real Madrid Club de Fútbol is legendary with 36 titles in La Liga, the top men's professional football division in the Spanish football league system.
Ontario, Canada - Small town gym floor cover request receives big time sports facility protection and service. Huntsville, Tennessee is a town of 1,270 people located about 150 miles east of Nashville and 55 miles north of Knoxville. Like many rural towns in the United States, school gymnasiums are often one of the larger venues that can accommodate community events and activities.
Lincoln, NE - Lincoln teams up again with COVERMASTER® for the ultimate in baseball field covers. For upwards of 15 years, the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association of Professional Baseball have been a customer of COVERMASTER® for all of their sports surface protection needs.
La Cañada Flintridge, CA - Outdoor arena footings protected from rain and ready for use when riding arena covers removed. Back in 2017, Flintridge Riding Club, in La Cañada Flintridge, Los Angeles County, California purchased an equestrian arena cover from COVERMASTER® for their large main arena.
I am honored that COVERMASTER® has asked me to contribute to the “Tips From The Pros” section as part of their E-newsletter. I have known and worked with COVERMASTER® for years but have gotten to know them more over the last 27 years as Head Groundskeeper for the Arizona Diamondbacks at Bank One Ballpark/Chase Field. COVERMASTER® was one of the original sponsors, along with Toro and Profile Products/Turface, and they continue to be an annual sponsor of the MLB Groundskeeper’s Meetings/Symposiums, that started after my first year with the Dbacks in 1998.
New IceMate™ ice arena floor covering makes multi-purpose event conversion a breeze. Tupelo, Mississippi is known as the birthplace of Elvis Presley. It’s also known for the 10,000-seat Cadence Bank Arena, the largest, multi-purpose arena in Mississippi. From public skating to monster truck shows, basketball tournaments, rodeos, and major music artist tours, the arena prides itself on being able to switch from an ice surface event to a dry floor event. When it was time to replace their arena floor covering, they contacted COVERMASTER®.
San Diego FC practice fields get star treatment with EvergreenTM turf growth blankets! When Mike Kerns, groundskeeper for Major League Soccer’s new expansion team, San Diego Football Club needed turf growth blankets, he came directly to COVERMASTER®. He had firsthand experience with EVERGREEN® RADIANT TURF COVERS, with its specialized silver coating, designed to provide earlier green ups, delay dormancy, increase the turf’s growing season, and produce thicker grass with better color. The blanket’s specialized silver coating radiates additional heat back to the soil with up to 25% more heat retention.
'Rip City’ gets basketball floor protection for their training facility. Based out of Portland, Oregon, the Trail Blazers are currently the only National Basketball Association (NBA) team in the Pacific Northwest and compete in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. While they play out of the Moda Center (a multipurpose arena that hosts everything from basketball to ice hockey, concerts, and conventions), their training facility is located 20 minutes away in Metro Oregon, off Highway 5, near the Tualatin River.