New portable court construction to begin August 6th in Chicago
Schaumburg IL – Schaumburg Tennis Plus, the host club of the Motorola IRT Pro Nationals will be the back drop for the new all Lucite portable court that has been in the works for three years. Architect Devin Cannady, a New Mexico racquetball player initially came to IRT Commissioner Dave Negrete with the concept of an all glass court three years ago and together presented the concept to two local businessmen and avid racquetball players in Chicago. The funding was set and now after three years of trial and error on the original plans, the stage is set for construction of the court Monday August 6th. The court will feature a new flooring system, which will insure quicker and easier set up time. It will also feature four walls of Lucite including the ceiling. Experimentation on a see thru material to be place on the court walls will be tested upon set up to enable the fan to see the action clearly and allow the players to be able to focus on the play inside the court. The court was designed for easier and quicker set up and tear down times as well as creating a court that could be set up in high traffic areas such as shopping malls, beach areas and stadium settings.
The excitement of the construction of the court comes just in time, as the IRT gets ready to invade Colorado Springs in September 12-16 at the Motorola World Racquetball Championship presented by Verizon Wireless. Sign up for this event at www.r2sports.com
If all goes well the IRT will enter a new and exciting time in the sport this September. Stay tuned for updates here on the IRT at www.irt-tour.com
Day one Monday August 6th – The court came on two fifty-three foot flat beds at 8am Monday morning to the STP club in Schaumburg. The acrylic panels and fiberglass beams were lifted into the club and set to the side as the construction crew of six reviewed the court drawings and began coming up with a plan for assembly. Since this will be the first time this court is being erected there is no existing book of directions for assembly only the architect’s drawings. As the crew waited for delivery of sixty sheets of OSB (which arrived four hours late) to cover the tennis court to prevent damage, the crew was eager to get started. The base of the court is made up of ten-inch fiberglass “I” beams that are secured together to form the base. Once this is secured which will happen on day two, a strong plastic three-inch grated sub floor will be secured on top of the “I” beams. Fiberglass was chosen since it is lighter and just as strong as a steel beam for this type of use. Stay tuned for more updates on day two developments.
Day Two – Tuesday August 7th – The floor was secured today and some issues arose with how the beams were to be tied together. The problem was solved and eventually the base was in place. Next step was to begin placing the L brackets along the frame of the I-beams so the sidewall glass panels could be secured. Also the L brackets were placed so the side fins that support the whole structure could be set in place. The sidewalls have three tiers of glass that are secure on top of each other. Mr. Murphy arrived at this time as the weight of the 4400-pound scissors lift caused some problems moving around on the fiberglass grating. The problem was solved temporarily with placing a couple layers of plywood over the base. This unfortunately slowed the set up process down. The first tier of glass and first tier of fins were in place by days end.
Day Three – Wednesday August 8th – the second tier of glass was in place this day as well as the entire front wall. It was a challenging day since the glass panels have all been pre – drilled and making sure all the pieces fit is the contractor’s nightmare. All turns out well today and the court begins to take on some life.
Day Four – Thursday August 9th – The twenty five foot I beams for the ceiling are the challenge for today as the crew from Asbach and Vanselow work very hard on getting everything in place. The fiberglass beams get set into place but the weight of the court has cause the entire court to become out of square by an eighth to one quarter of an inch. This is not apparent to the human eye but since the fiberglass has a little flex to it and the glass panels are all pre-drilled, as are the fiberglass ceiling I beams the holes are not lining up. This causes a huge problem in setting up the glass ceiling panels. After much deliberation the crew decides to call it a day and hopes to return in the morning with a solution to the problems that arose today.
Day Five – Friday August 10th - The day was spent trying to figure out how to set the ceiling and also putting in the lights. By days end the lights are installed and the ceiling installation is still an issue.
Day Six- Sunday August 11th – As the crew takes off today Eddie Meredith and Pat Taylor (one of the main man behind the project) contemplate different scenarios for securing the ceiling. After a few hours the two come up with a solution and it is off to Home Depot to get some parts.
Day Seven – Monday August 12th – The ceiling issue are resolved and the ceiling is set into place. This is an all day project and very painstaking. Now that the issues are resolved with this the next install should be much quicker. The electrician finishes the final install on the lights and the court is really coming together. Unfortunately there are still some unanswered question about the court and small issues that need to be taken care of and as a result the decision to not send the court to Colorado Springs is made. This is very disappointing news but the upside is we know what the issues are and we should be able to correct them.
Day Eight – Tuesday August 13th – The floor arrives from the factory made by Coleman Floors. The floor is similar to what the NBA uses for their floors. It is in sections and pieced together. It is all woo and is elevated by about five inches. This will be much easier on the professionals as the dive on the floor and there will be some give, the floor once installed and again after a few issues looks brilliant. The only problem left is that the door is not the right size. Pat Taylor runs out has the door re-cut to fit so the court can at least be tested this evening. When he returns the crew some how gets it to fit near perfect and the court is playable. This occurs around 6:00pm. A few of the regulars at the club wander in and test out the court. Much to the delight of everyone the court plays well and looks amazing. The twin view film that will be added has not been placed on the court yet as we have to test different patterns, colors and manufactures. Without the film the court is tough to see the ball but by the evenings end everyone seems to be adjusting to the glass. Due to the fact that we have only been able to secure the STP club thru the 16th when the morning comes we will begin the tear down of the court. For these few hours this evening a new exciting era in this sport has arisen. The court will be able to be taken into high traffic areas such as shopping malls, city plazas etc. Preliminary talks have already been started with running an event in the City of Chicago at Navy Pier. This is a very exciting time for the sport and thanks to Pat Taylor and Leo Klimaitis and their love for the sport this portable court has become a reality. Also with the help of Dan Aderhold from Motorola and Verizon Wireless we are ready to take the IRT and the sport to the next level.
I would like to personally thank all those that were involved in getting this court up this week. The crew from Asbach and Vanslow did a great job and Eddie Meredith who came in to help out and try and help get this court ready for Colorado. Also special thanks to the Schaumburg Park District and the Schaumburg Tennis Plus for allowing us to use their great facility to set up the court. Jaime Vine the general manager of the club gets a huge thank you for her efforts and support of this venture and for hosting the Motorola IRT Pro Nationals presented by Verizon Wireless.
Dave Negrete IRT Commissioner