JOLIET, Ill., May 4, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- One of the nation's top community sports facilities will soon have a new field and track worthy of the champion athletes who compete there. Joliet Memorial Stadium is installing a cutting-edge Mondotrack and Mondoturf field, both developed and manufactured by Mondo, a global leader in the sports flooring market.
"The Mondotrack and a Mondoturf field will enhance the stadium's reputation as a world-class community facility," said Dominic Egizio, executive director, Joliet Park District, which owns and operates the stadium. Installation of the Mondoturf field is scheduled to be complete in June; the Mondotrack is scheduled to be finished in August.
The 10,000-seat venue is used extensively by members of the Joliet community and is where several high school and collegiate sports teams will play, including the 13-time Illinois high school champion Joliet Catholic Academy football team. Other tenants include University of St. Francis football, soccer, and track and field, Joliet Junior College football, and Joliet Raiders youth football.
The decision to install Mondo products was simple, Egizio said. Officials were familiar with the company because Mondo surfaces have been installed at other park district facilities; and they were impressed with a Mondoturf installation they visited at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Ill. In choosing Mondotrack, the park district was swayed by Mondo's reputation as the official provider of track surfaces to some of the world's premier venues and events, including the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
"Having Mondotrack, the same surface that was used by the world's greatest athletes at the Olympics, turns Joliet Memorial Stadium into a world-class venue overnight," said Dave Laketa, director of athletics, University of St. Francis. "The renovations will raise Joliet's profile as a premier site for national championships in a number of sports."
The park district was seeking to replace the venue's natural grass field with a surface that could withstand heavy, year-round use. In addition, the previous field's drainage system was worn out and district officials wanted a field that could drain quickly so it could easily be used by multiple teams and for multiple sports.
"In the past, we could never let soccer or lacrosse teams play because it would beat up the field, and we had to keep it ready for football," Egizio said. "We have chosen a durable surface that would not only survive football season, but also allows other sports to be played on it. Because of the Mondo surfaces, the opportunity to host different new sports and events has grown tremendously. In addition, we are excited to be able to say that we will have the same track Olympians run on. And Mondo's reputation as a good training track is important."
The Mondoturf Monofilament Classic system features Mondo's new generation of polyethylene fibers, which look and feel like natural grass and use color pigments that are free of toxins and heavy metals. Superior molecular alignment and a straight-line molecular direction provide dimensional memory and a greater capacity of recovery, ensuring the fiber will retain its appearance and will not deform even after many years of use. The system's infill is a combination of 100 percent post-consumer recycled resilient granules and rounded or subangular sand, which provides unparalleled durability. Rounded sand is virtually non-abrasive, which reduces the risk of injury for athletes and minimizes wear on the turf fibers.
Mondotrack 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 before Beijing. 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 Joliet Memorial Stadium
With a seating capacity of 10,000, Joliet Memorial Stadium has long been host to Joliet Catholic Academy high school football, University of St. Francis football, Joliet Raiders youth football and Joliet Junior College football. Owned and operated by the Joliet Park District, the venue also is home to the Taste of Joliet and Joliet's annual July 4 celebration. More information about the Joliet Park District and Joliet Memorial Stadium is available at www.jolietpark.org.
About Mondo
Mondo is the global leader in the sports flooring market, manufacturing floor surfaces for virtually every sport. Throughout its 60-year history, the company has invested heavily in research and development to produce cutting-edge products that meet the highest quality standards, deliver optimal athletic performance, are durable, require minimal maintenance and are environmentally safe.
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 Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, FIBA, IAAF, National Soccer Coaches Association of America, 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.
A family-owned business since its founding in 1948, Mondo sells its products in more than 196 countries. The company's global headquarters are in Italy, and it has manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and Asia. More information about Mondo is available at www.mondoworldwide.com.
Mondo is a registered trademark of Mondo.
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