From Deseret News archives:
Floors for the Four: Championship teams play on Utah company's surfaces
The courts being used for the men's basketball championships in San Antonio and the women's basketball championships in Tampa, Fla., are made by Connor Sport Court International Inc., headquartered in Salt Lake City.
"We're the official playing surface of the NCAA Final Four," said Connor Sport's marketing manager Jeff Morton. "We also do all the men's and women's regionals."
The company has also done the floors for the NCAA volleyball championships for the past 15 years, Morton said. The surfaces for those competitions are made of polypropylene, a plastic derivative, rather than hardwood.
"Those court systems provide 'lateral forgiveness' that allows the surface to move up and down as well as side to side," he said. The forgiving qualities of the surface offer "additional relief to athletes' joints and tendons, which has proven to reduce injuries to volleyball players."
Connor Sport began making the courts for the men's Final Four in 2006, in Indianapolis, and also made the floor for last year's men's competition in Atlanta.
The completed product is then shipped to the individual venue. A typical hardwood court costs about $100,000.
Morton said in 2004, Connor Hardwood Flooring merged with Sport Court to become Connor Sport Court International. Today, Connor Sport has revenues of about $70 million annually.
In addition to courts for professional teams, universities, colleges and high schools, the company also is the creator and provider of backyard game courts, under the Sport Court brand name.
Though the company is headquartered in Utah, Morton said the courts were constructed at Connor Sport's hardwood plant in Amasa, Mich.
"The reason we can't manufacture wood floors in Salt Lake is because it's a specific wood called northern hardwood maple," Morton said. "It has to be grown above the 38th parallel."
The weather in northern Michigan produces an especially hard wood that is resilient, which means "the floor has the ability to move and then go back to its original form," producing a durable, long-lasting playing surface, he said.
Recent comments
I think you have some of your facts about Connor Sport Court wrong....
Tony Struhs | April 9, 2008 at 4:04 p.m.
- McCain: PC played role in shootings 7:46 p.m.
- Fort Hood suspect to remain 7:45 p.m.
- Clock runs out on LSU 7:44 p.m.
- Williams lifts No. 16 Hokies 7:42 p.m.
- The Galaxy's pit bull 7:38 p.m.
- What others say about BYU vs. AFA 7:37 p.m.
- Wheelchair athletes take to court 7:13 p.m.
- Health care bill clears Senate hurdle 7:11 p.m.
- USDA has agreed to probe 6:04 p.m.
- Hall breaks BYU record with win 5:12 p.m.
- Glenn Beck to enter politics?
- Can BYU throw vs. Air Force?
- Cougars cruise to victory in Hawaii
- Huntsman blasts media over trip
- Christian leaders not backing down
- Murder-suicide in West Jordan
- TCU still has a chance
- Orem man acquitted in tot's death
- Religion cited in deportation fight
- Hall breaks BYU record with win
- Buttars wants to limit gay rights laws
191 - Palin plans tour stop in Utah
171 - BYU, Utah struck gold in coaches
124 - Lies shatter Utah family
123 - Palin's book shows she's unqualified
121 - Officer cleared in Cardall Taser case
103 - BYU cuts Women's Research Inst.
100 - Jazz finally win in San Antonio
98 - Utes knock off rival Aggies
93 - Huntsman pleased with Obama
86
There's a lot of reason to leave your plastic home as you shop:
I don't pretend to be an expert on global warming. I've met with...
Beck needs to be in Intervention.
BYU should enjoy this final win of the season. They will lose to the U and...
Go question on the ute forum, this os about BYU not the pukes.
Nothing in this world will get Obama Relected.
Have fun watching us play in the BCS this year on national television and in...
What have politicians learned from wrestling? We all know - well most of...
Just strip to your underwear and be prepared to bend over and spread you...
And we need to improve big time before next week.
RSL has beaten some good team's in the playoffs. But, I do admit that it is...
Bronco is has put together a string of season LaVall Edwards did not even do....


