PELLA, Iowa, Feb. 2, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For more than two decades, Central College athletes and students have competed and trained indoors on a track made by Mondo, the world's leading manufacturer of sports flooring. So when the H.S. Kuyper Fieldhouse underwent a long-awaited renovation, college officials naturally chose Mondo again. The newly renovated fieldhouse at Central College now boasts a new six-lane, 200-meter track and four tennis/basketball courts with Mondo's state-of-the art track surface, Mondotrack, which was the official track surface of the 2008 Olympic Games.
"After 20 years of hard use, it was simply time to replace our previous Mondo surface," said John Edwards, Central College's associate director of athletics. "We considered installing a poured surface, but we returned to the fact that we'd always had a very good experience with Mondo and the Mondo surface. We also liked that Mondo has a great reputation as the manufacturer of the official track of the Olympics."
Mondotrack's performance attributes make the surface ideal for the varied activities, and the H.S. Kuyper Fieldhouse puts the track to the test. The multipurpose facility hosts NCAA Division III track and tennis meets, and is used by students for intramural and recreational sports, as well as by local residents and workers from nearby businesses. Edwards said feedback from users has been extremely positive.
The track also provides a new tool for recruiting student-athletes for Central College's 19 varsity sports teams, said Mike Lubberden, the college's director of facilities planning and management. "I know having Mondotrack will elevate our status in our conference. The new surface gives us the best facility available."
Lubberden said another factor in Central's selection of Mondotrack was that the surface could be installed directly on top of the previous Mondo floor, saving money and reducing environmental impact.
The seamless installation further confirmed that Central College made the right decision to go with Mondo. Lubberden said Mondo representatives were highly knowledgeable and extremely responsive during the installation. "It's often an uphill battle working with installation crews, but that wasn't the case with Mondo. Throughout the entire process, the installers were very easy to work with, and their workmanship was outstanding."
Mondotrack was the track surface for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The surface builds upon the success of Mondo's world-renowned Super X Performance track, which has been the world's top track for more than 30 years and was the track of the previous eight Olympic Games. Mondotrack 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 Olympics.
About Central College
Central College, a private four-year liberal arts college founded in 1853, offers its 1,600 students 19 sports programs and more than 80 student organizations. Since 1974, Central athletes have won 11 national NCAA Division III team championships and since 1982, have secured 25 NCAA Division III national individual championships.
About Mondo
Mondo is the global leader in the sports flooring market, manufacturing floor surfaces for virtually every sport. 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 Mondotrack are registered trademarks of Mondo.