BLOG: Why the Determination to win is the better part of winning…
We are creatures of habit. We all know this. I, for example, have the habit of venturing into places that are “off limits” to most. I find myself in restaurant kitchens, behind retail counters, or behind a bar to fix myself a drink when the waiter is too slow. Some may see this as impatience, but I prefer to think of it as determination. So, it was no surprise when I found myself this past weekend in the newly renovated Moody Coliseum at SMU, because this ‘habit’ of mine had kicked 
in. I was determined to see the new basketball floor we had just installed.
This series of events began last week at the annual MFMA – Maple Flooring Manufacturer’s Association – conference in San Antonio. I was scheduled to be there from Wednesday to Saturday and then meet my wife in Dallas to visit my son and his girlfriend for a day or two. It would be a short visit, but we wanted to take advantage of the time while we could. On Sunday we all took a tour of the George W. Bush Presidential Museum, which is adjacent to SMU’s campus. While there, I asked my son to take me to the Moody Coliseum to see the new MVP court that our dealer, Ponder Company, had just installed. When we arrived all the doors were locked. There was neither games nor practice being held, so there was no reason for the building to be open. Clearly, the stadium was not meant to be open to the public, but as I saw one door wide open, I decided – like everything else –this was clearly an invitation for me to come inside. I went in long enough to get a few pictures that I was happy with, and was leaving satisfied with my visit. However, on my way out, I ran into two Mustang basketball players. I did not know who they were, and wearing only khakis and a plain sweater myself, they had no way of knowing who I was. With this anonymity in mind, I began asking a few simple questions.
The conversation was not long, as we all had other things to get to. But I was able to ask them briefly what they thought of the newly installed basketball court. They responded that they have really “loved playing on it”, and that they “feel good” on the floor. I then proceeded to tell the two men, that this specific basketball court (the MVP) is designed with athletes in mind to reduce frequency of injuries, enhance players’ performance, create consistency throughout the game, etc. And as I was explaining these features of the court, I could see a look of disbelief in each of their faces. These looks were then confirmed with verbal statements saying they had no idea that there was technology in place for courts to be designed like that. After a few more exchanges of words we said our goodbyes and continued on with our day.
The brief and candid conversation is what brought me here to writing this blog. Not only is our goal to design and manufacture basketball courts to enhance the players’ performance, but also to educate anyone and everyone whose performance is directly correlated with the quality of the court. Of course, whoever makes the final decision to purchase a court is aware of the benefits of buying a Robbins gym floor, but ultimately, the people who need to be most informed, are the people who are using the court every single day. Now, I’m not going to write another page going into the specifics and technicality of our courts. But, I will give you links at the end of this blog to direct you to sources containing information not only about our gym floors, but also the requirements of ALL maple basketball courts from the MFMA website.
On the surface, this ‘habit’ of mine seems as if I am constantly seeking trouble; but in actuality, it is a habit of DETERMINATION, a habit of finding solutions, a habit of expanding knowledge, both my own, and anyone who is willing to listen to me. And so, my hope is that after reading this, that my passion for expanding knowledge will have taught you if nothing else, that our determination for quality flooring results in providing you with the best sports flooring available on the market today.
http://www.maplefloor.org/Standards/PUR-Standards/Performance-Characteristics.aspx
http://www.maplefloor.org/Standards/PUR-Standards/Performance-Requirements.aspx
