Project Overview:

Aware that the floor her NCAA title-winning women’s volleyball team were using fatigued them and thereby risked their safety and inhibited performance, Calvin Knights head coach Dr. Amber Warners — who has deep professional knowledge of biomechanics — began her quest for an athlete-friendly sports floor in 2009 for the college’s new 30,000-square-foot fieldhouse. Dr. Warners contacted Robbins exclusive dealer Foster Specialty Floors for guidance on selecting the right floor for their needs. She and men’s basketball head coach Kevin Vande Streek sought an exceptional floor system, and when they flew to the Cincinnati-based Robbins Institute they were piqued by the unique innovations of the MVP® — not yet on the market. After visiting a facility that had MVP installed, they were sold, and once they started using the MVP floor, Dr. Warners saw an immediate impact on player health and fatigue: “Fatigue is what increases the risk of injury. Since the floor helps prevent fatigue and soreness, our volleyball players aren’t wearing down as easily and they stay fresh. [And] I can push them harder because they can take more,” she’s observed. In the years since the MVP was installed, the Calvin Knights women’s volleyball team have gone on to win more NCAA championships and has had virtually eliminated injuries.

Proven Safety:

The MVP minimizes vibration and maximizes uniformity, allowing for optimal biomechanical interaction between athlete and floor and thereby reducing fatigue and injury risk. “With the old floor, seniors would complain about being ‘old and broken.’ New seniors don’t complain or say this anymore,” Dr. Warners said. “I have also noticed when we go to other gyms for games or tournaments, my players are more sore and need more ice than when they play at home. Even in other gyms on campus.” The MVP is the only sports floor the Calvin Knights want to — and should — play on.

Proven Performance:

The MVP’s industry-setting standards in vibration damping and tuning of frequency gives athletes’ abilities a major boost: “I [used to take] special care in the number of jumps we did during practice the day before we played,” Dr. Warners has said. “With the MVP floor, I don’t have to be concerned about that.” The MVP’s proprietary, biomechanically researched design allows athletes to be pushed farther and longer than any other floor in the world.

Proven Winners:

The Calvin Knights’ stats back up the MVP’s innovation: The Knights won the 2016 NCAA Division III national title, the college’s third title in the past seven years. Also, per Calvin College, “Every four-year player who has come into the volleyball program since 2007 has won a national title with head coach Dr. Amber Warners.” The MVP has even become part of Dr. Warners’ recruiting process. “It is an added benefit to say to the recruits, ‘You’re getting something better here.’ The MVP floor is just one piece of the standards of excellence Calvin sets and stands by.”