Program offerings for players ages eight and older run the gamut from the youth basketball and volleyball Carolina RISE travel teams, instructional in-house leagues, the Elite League, skill clinics and one-on-one coaching opportunities to camps and recreational leagues for youths and adults. The Carolina RISE volleyball and basketball teams got an early preview of Carolina Courts when players tried out in the late fall of 2008.
The reaction to the facility, says Ron Esser, Carolina Courts president and co-founder, is very positive. He attributes that to the comprehensive planning which took place.
“The overall quality of the building was vital to us and we wanted the total experience to be “WOW,” Esser explains. “The fact that we specialize in basketball and volleyball sets us apart and also that we factored in clearance, space, lighting, flooring, the athlete’s experience and the parent’s experience heavily into our engineering of the building.”
The lack of adequate gym space in Charlotte for tournaments led him and his partner, Scott Chitwood, to open Carolina Courts. Both have extensive experience coaching and administering basketball teams and leagues.
They researched sports flooring capable of handling both volleyball and basketball.
“The reason we ended up with Taraflex for our volleyball program is because it is the flooring used at the Olympics for indoor volleyball,”
The flooring is getting good feedback from the players and coaches who like its bounce and feel. Others will get a chance to experience these playing characteristics at the AAU Super Regional Championships, USSSA Tournament of Champions and USBA Carolina RISE Classic.
“Carolina Courts provides all the fundamentals necessary for basketball and volleyball on a world class level,” says Nicolas Bauer, national sports marketing manager for Gerflor, which manufactures Taraflex. “The youths and adults will be playing on the same Gerflor flooring designated by the FIVB (International Volleyball Federation) as the surface for all FIVB-sanctioned events through 2012 including the London Olympic Games.”
Warthan Associates, Inc. of Chester, VA, www.warthan.com, installed the Taraflex flooring at Carolina Courts. Warthan has been selling Taraflex Sports Flooring by Gerflor for 15 years and is the only Taraflex distributor in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Other amenities at Carolina Courts include a parents’ lounge with TV and free WIFI, an arcade, fitness area, conference/party space and locker rooms. Carolina Courts, www.carolinacourts.com, draws leagues and tournaments from a 50 mile radius surrounding its Indian Trail, NC location.
Gerflor Sports Flooring, LLC produces Taraflex® Sport M Plus which provides an enhanced shock absorption rate of 35% and deforms only around the point of impact. Permanent product treatments minimize maintenance, reduce friction burn risk and provide protection against skin-related infections. Sport M Plus is durable, has up to 43% recycled content and can be 100% recycled. Learn more at www.gerflortaraflex.com.
