WINCHESTER, Va., April 27, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- John Handley High School, which is listed on the National and Virginia Register of Historic Places, is installing Mondoturf Ecofill Star artificial turf and Mondotrack at its Jimmy Wilkins Stadium at the Handley Bowl. The privately endowed public high school, which opened in 1924, will soon give its students the chance to train, practice and compete on the same surface that was the official track of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Handley High School, which opened in 1924, began a campus-wide renovation in 2005 to further cement its place as a top-notch high school with a renowned athletic program. After a rigorous evaluation process, school officials selected Mondo Ecofill Star artificial turf for its renovated multi-purpose football and soccer field and Mondotrack for its new track.
"Mondo won us over for both its commitment to high quality installations and the performance of its products," said Rick Leonard, assistant superintendent for Winchester Public Schools. "We knew Mondo was good, but once we started comparing specifications and the bid packages, we felt like Mondo offered the better product and installation arrangement than the other vendors."
Construction of the new track and infield began in early December and is expected to be completed by July 1. The school is replacing a natural grass field with Mondoturf Ecofill Star turf because of the cost and labor that were required to maintain the old surface.
Handley compared the Mondo Ecofill Star artificial turf with competitors' artificial turfs and chose Mondo for its superior blades-per-square-inch count, drainage properties and significantly lower heat retention. "We recognized the value of the Mondo turf and what it could do for our programs," Leonard said.
Installed in more than 300 facilities worldwide, Mondoturf Ecofill Star was designed to deliver the appropriate amount of shock absorption and energy return for optimal, natural-field-like athletic performance without the problems associated with traditional artificial fields. It features Ecofill Star, an environmentally friendly infill that is made from a synthetic material and not reground tire pellets commonly used by other artificial turf manufacturers. Ecofill Star is virtually odor free, even in hot, humid conditions, and it retains less heat than traditional black rubber granules for reduced athletic fatigue and dehydration and field watering prior to use. It also is completely recyclable, which is an industry first.
The school also is replacing its existing six-lane track with an eight-lane Mondotrack surface. The installation will include Mondo surfaces for high jumps and long jumps.
Mondotrack, which was the track of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, was designed to provide optimal traction and a greater contact area than other tracks. It converts the maximum amount of force generated by athletes' foot strikes to energy for maximum energy return, which helps athletes achieve faster times compared to running on other surfaces. Mondotrack also provides excellent athletic comfort and maximum safety with the optimum blend of speed and comfort to accommodate both high competition and training venues. More than 230 world records have been set on Mondo tracks, including five at the 2008 Olympic Games.
About Mondo
Mondo is the global leader in the sports flooring market, manufacturing floor surfaces for virtually every sport. Throughout its 60-year history, the company has invested heavily in research and development to produce cutting-edge products that deliver optimal athletic performance and are environmentally friendly.
More than 1,100 Mondo tracks and 800 Mondo artificial turf fields are installed worldwide. The official supplier of the athletic track for the past nine Olympic Games, Mondo also is the official supplier or official sponsor of more than 100 sports federations and associations, including FIBA, IAAF, Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, NIRSA, U.S. Track Coaches Association and YMCA.
The company also supplies a wide variety of commercial flooring and is the world's largest producer of sports and toy balls with an average daily production of 450,000 units. In addition, it manufactures large luxury yachts under its Mondo Marine division. Mondo invests heavily in research and development to ensure its products meet the highest quality standards in the industry, deliver optimal athletic performance, are durable, require minimal maintenance and are environmentally safe.
A family-owned business since its founding in 1948, Mondo's global headquarters are in Italy. The company has manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and Asia and sells its products in more than 196 countries. More information about Mondo is available at www.mondousa.com.
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Mondo and Ecofill are registered trademarks of Mondo.