Smoky Mountain Sports Complex

Full Court with Taraflex Sports Flooring

February 2008
Before opening the Smoky Mountain Sports Complex in Elizabethton, TN, owner Fred Gause knew there was a need for a large-scale, professionally equipped and operated basketball facility in the region.

Gause traveled with his son’s AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball team to all types of venues that varied dramatically in what they offered players, coaches, parents and referees. “I saw there was a need for a first class facility and decided to build one that makes the athletes and their parents comfortable,” says Gause.

More than 21,000 square feet of Taraflex® Sport M Plus flooring by Gerflor in Oak Design with purple borders was installed for the complex’s four high school regulation-size basketball courts and six volleyball courts.

Gause inspected other facilities before making his decision. “We knew we didn’t want to go with a wood floor so I went to Greenville, TN to inspect a Taraflex installation in a recreation center. It’s been in existence for nine years and looks like it was put in yesterday.”

In the short time since the complex opened in December 2007, the reaction is what he anticipated.

“The response has been overwhelming,” says Gause. “The kids love the Taraflex floor. I saw a kid the other day run full throttle, trip, fall, get up and continue running. You wouldn’t have seen that with a wood floor.”

Gause says his staff speaks to all the referees and coaches and they all praise the Taraflex floor.

Smoky Mountain Sports Complex caters to after-school basketball and volleyball youth leagues during the week and travel basketball and volleyball teams on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. On a typical weekend day 600 to 700 people can enter the center. Even with all that foot traffic, maintenance remains simple.

“Taraflex has very easy maintenance,” explains Gause. “We dust the floor every day and mop the purple sections twice a week. Once a week we do a full floor cleaning, usually right before a tournament and it looks awesome.”

Gause foresees enlarging his facility in the near future. He has 800 travel basketball teams in his data base and all are within a two-hour driving radius of the complex. Weekends have already included 33 basketball teams participating in a tournament. In the spring and summer of 2008 he expects to schedule basketball showcases for teams and individual players to demonstrate their skills for college scouts and coaches, a summer camp and college summer league. The Tennessee state basketball tournament for the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) will be played at Smoky Mountain Sports. Already it has hosted volleyball tournaments sanctioned by the Southern Region Volleyball Association (SRVA).

The remainder of the 32,000-square-foot well lit facility includes a full concession area, an arcade room, high definition TVs broadcasting sports events, a referees’ lounge and sports equipment and apparel store. Gause installed custom-designed curtains between the basketball courts with vinyl at the bottom to keep basketballs in the right court and reduce the noise level with mesh at the top to guarantee spectators’ a clear view of the scoreboards. Learn more at www.smokysports.com.

“Smoky Mountain Sports Complex was designed with the player in mind along with the people who make travel basketball teams successful,” says Nicolas Bauer, U.S. sports marketing manager. “Players might compete in three or up to six basketball games over a weekend and are finding the Taraflex floor helps them play at a consistently high level because of its shock absorption and comfort.”

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