This article was published as sponsored content and paid for by Wenger Corporation.
Case Study
In the planning process for the 2009 opening of Del Norte High School in San Diego, athletic director Mike Giaime focused his research on creating a good atmosphere for the athletic program while staying within budget. When talking with senior ADs in the area, Giaime heard that inadequate storage space was a common problem in athletic facilities. “I knew it would be important to maximize the limited storage space we had,” he says.
Coming from an older school, Giaime understood the operational setbacks that can result from uniforms or equipment being left out where they can be damaged, stolen or lost. “In the end, you’re actually spending more money than if you would have stored it correctly the first time,” he explained. “There’s no reason to throw money down the drain when GearBoss offers a complete solution that works for all sports.”
He considered installing a slide rack or floor-to-ceiling shelving before finding his solution with GearBoss storage systems. “I had first seen the GearBoss at a national AD conference in San Diego,” Giaime recalls. “The GearBoss catalog contained different solutions I thought would work for us.” The district reviewed Giaime’s selections, evaluated the costs and agreed he was proposing the best-case scenario for the limited space.
An athletic specialist at Wenger Corporation, manufacturer of the GearBoss storage system, helped Giaime plan the layout of the storage areas after a site visit. Utilizing notes, sketches and architectural plan drawings, Wenger prepared floor plan drawings for seven rooms, including the location of GearBoss high-density carts and shelving to make the available space work better and to meet the owner’s vision for the spaces. “With the right facility design and a flexible system like GearBoss, you’ll never outgrow your facility,” Giaime says.
SAVING THE DAY
Giaime estimates that the athletic program at Del Norte High School stores close to $100,000 worth of equipment in its GearBoss system, using separate storage rooms for boys’ and girls’ sports. There are 27 varsity athletic teams, and almost every team has its own GearBoss cart.
The school has enough football equipment to outfit 150 athletes with approximately 100 playing each season. GearBoss carts hold football helmets, shoulder pads, practice pants, jerseys and pads. “The space-saving is just amazing,” says Giaime. “Football equipment probably takes up one-tenth of the space it would otherwise.”
For distributing track and field equipment, the appropriate cart can be rolled outside to the stadium. “It works beautifully and is much easier than having 100 students lined up outside the equipment room,” Giaime says.
People inside and outside the school have noticed the improved organization. Technicians from helmet manufacturer Riddell claimed it took them 30 percent less time to recondition Del Norte’s helmets onsite because the equipment was much better organized than in most schools they visit.
The GearBoss carts also make sanitizing easy. Once uniforms are issued, Del Norte’s training staff cleans the empty cart with a bleach solution, which Giaime calls a “simple, easy process.” Improved security is another benefit of the GearBoss system. Tight school budgets have eliminated many equipment manager positions, so coaches must take full responsibility for and ownership of their equipment.
“Each coach has a key to the appropriate storage room and puts a lock on his or her own GearBoss cart,” explains Giaime, adding that coaches know there are not funds for replacement equipment. “If carts are left open, someone will fish in it and stuff will disappear.”
To visiting ADs touring Del Norte High School’s athletic facilities, Giaime emphasizes the importance of creating a secure storage environment. He concludes, “I also showed them how a GearBoss system would help take their program to the next level.”
This case study was paid for by Wenger Corporation. For more information, contact Wenger Corporation at (800) 493-6437 or www.wengercorp.com.
