Perhaps the most prominent features of any gymnasium are the gym dividers, basketball hoops, volleyball nets and other pieces of mechanical equipment. These crucial elements of the gym experience provide for endless recreation and competition for both adults and children alike.
Yet facilities can pay far too little attention to their maintenance and upkeep, often to the financial detriment of the owners, and the safety of the participants. When left unchecked, old or broken equipment can lead to costly repairs or accidents that cause severe injuries.
For those reasons and many more, QSD has long emphasized the importance of proper gymnasium equipment maintenance and repairs. Each of the experienced members of the QSD team brings their own uniquely valuable skill set to the table while sharing in the thoroughness and commitment to quality that QSD is known for.
Let’s Hear from a Qualified Expert
Take Roman for example. A fully-qualified installer and customer service rep at QSD, Roman has been with the company for over nine years, which testifies to his loyalty as well as his stalwart belief in the importance of his work.
“Service work is what lets us wear capes and be the heroes,” says Roman, with a touch of pride in his voice. “Our expertise and our understanding of what the product is and what you can do with it helps the customer really benefit in the end. You phone us with an issue, and we’re going to take it from there.”
One such issue that often arises pertains to the repairing of the support apparatus – also known as the swivel – as well as the safety straps and motors located in the back of basketball backboards.
If these components are left to wear down without proper maintenance, the results can be catastrophic. The worst fear being the entire basket coming down during a practice or a game. Unfortunately, it has happened far too many times before.
“When it comes down, the weight of that system with no cable or safety strap can rip the system, put it off center obviously, but it can also damage the ceiling, heavily. Then you have the structural problems, instead of just the basketball issue. And you bend one of those trusses, now you need an engineer. You’re looking at a roof replacement.”
Obviously, this type of equipment is heavy enough to cause serious harm to an athlete. Even in the best-case scenario the damage to surrounding gym floor or roof will cost in the thousands of dollars. Not an attractive prospect for any school administrator or gym owner.
“This is especially important, now that the kids are getting taller and bigger, they can slam dunk and stuff in high school,” says Roman.
Trust QSD to Ensure Your Gym is Safe and Sound
So, what can be done to mitigate the dangers of worn-down basketball equipment and ensure that tragedy doesn’t strike? Regular inspections and proper maintenance are the solution in almost every case.
QSD is fully equipped with expert technicians, tools, scaffolds, ladders, lifts, and everything needed to do the job. Their thorough gymnasium inspection includes all equipment in the gym. Once their top to bottom inspection is complete, they provide you with a detailed report noting the condition of each piece of your equipment. That’s when they sit down and develop a plan to make the necessary repairs.
When the repairs are approved, they are professionally completed in a timely fashion. This allows for longer-lasting equipment, and more importantly, increased safety. Essentially, for a few hundred dollars that a safety inspection and regular maintenance cost, you can save hundreds of thousands of dollars – and ensure the safety of your students – in the long run.
More Than Just a Job
“When we’re there onsite and we notice birdies, basketballs, all this stuff up in the ceiling, we’ll take it all down. We’ve reattached hanging lights in the gym, or just clean up things, because they can become a safety hazard. Especially with a 30-foot-high ceiling, anything falling can do damage to somebody.”
What else, Roman?
“The level of light, or scoreboards. The net in front of the scoreboard isn’t set properly, so you just pull it out and make sure that it’s going to not let the balls bounce off the scoreboard. It’s more or less just common courtesy to them, this piece of work. If we’re there, that’s what we do.
“We’re not going to just work on one backstop, and then this other one’s garbage because our contract said one backstop. And you could look at it two ways, in the sense that we’re always trying to gain more business, or in the sense that we truly give a damn about being responsible. Because the last thing anyone wants to hear is, someone got hurt or wronged. The backstop fell down because of negligence on the part of QSD or whomever, that just gives everyone in the whole industry a bad name.”
A Few Final Thoughts
Poorly built or damaged basketball backstops and other gym equipment can be both costly and dangerous. Furthermore, schools and recreation centres cannot afford to be paying thousands upon thousands of dollars to routinely replace basketball backboards and rims.
It is also crucial that you work with a company that can not only assess and repair your equipment, but also knows how to properly maintain it, which is just as important. Even if you’re looking to completely replace your current basketball rim and backboard or gym dividers, QSD can help you choose the best option for your specific requirements.
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For decades, QSD has supplied custom-made premium-quality gymnasium dividers and athletic equipment, backed with top-notch installation, and ongoing service and maintenance. No challenge is too big – or too small – for us to handle.
So, what are you waiting for? Contact QSD today so that we can start the process of bringing your gym equipment maintenance up to date.
