You've finally made the decision that your family needs a Sport Court in your backyard. Sport Courts provide a safe place for your family members to get the exercise they need, and a place where neighborhood kids (including your own!) can play safely all day. But how do you choose the right game court for your needs? And how do you know you're dealing with a trustworthy manufacturer and dealer?

Here are some questions to ask game court dealers before you buy to ensure you're getting a quality product.

1. Where are your game courts manufactured? - Sport Courts are manufactured in the U.S., and warehoused locally, reducing the carbon footprint and ensuring that manufacturing materials and processes stand up to rigorous U.S. standards. Sport courts are also eco-friendly, made from 100 percent recycled rubber in a zero-waste facility.

2. What sort of warranty is available? - A good modular game court should be warranted for 10 years or more, often pro-rated after the first three years. Make sure your dealer/installer has been in business longer than the length of the warranty. This is a good rule of thumb to determine that you're not dealing with a “fly-by-night” company and that, if anything happens, they will honor the product's warranty.

3. How long has the manufacturer been in business? - When you're choosing a long-lasting product like a game court, you want to go with proven technology and a proven manufacturer. Longstanding companies have the network, revenue and technology to innovate the best products, with the experience to select a dealer network that will get the job done right for you. Connor Sport Court International, makers of Sport Court brand game courts, have been making indoor and outdoor Sport Courts since 1974. You can be assured they will honor their warranties and support their dealer network.

4. How much experience do your dealers have? - How many courts has your dealer network installed? - Equally important as the manufacturer's reputation is the reputation of the dealer network. Sport Court East's dealers have installed more than 100,000 indoor and outdoor game courts since 1974, and Sport Court East is the exclusive distributor of Sport Courts in the New York tri-state area. We have an extremely low turnover rate; many of our dealers have been in business as long as we have.

5. Are dealers licensed and insured? - As with hiring any contractor who will be working on your property, you want to make sure the firm is licensed and insured. All of Sport Court East's dealers are licensed and insured.

6. Can you show me samples of other yards like mine with sport courts? - In sports and business, there's a saying about knowing how to “walk the walk.” An extensive portfolio of game courts like the one you want for your backyard speaks volumes about a dealer's experience and skill.

Trekking ten blocks to the nearest basketball court or standing in line to wait for a tennis court often takes hours with little actual playing and exercise time.  Gyms are crowded and have limited possibilities, often leaving athletic hopefuls simply feeling frustrated. 

"I'm not going to play anymore!  You're cheating!"
"Am not!  You're just a sore loser!"

Learning how to be a good loser may be even more important in the long run than learning how to be a good player.  One of the best aspects of having Sport Court Game Court at your home is that your home will be the place kids in the neighborhood come to play, and you will have a chance to help your kids understand what good sportsmanship is really all about.  Research has shown that teaching good sportsmanship with a Game Court is one of the primary, unexpected side benefits that parents gain when they install one in their home or backyard.

What is Good Sportsmanship?
Sportsmanship is about having respect for other people, and showing courtesy and good manners no matter whether we win or lose.  Even more, sportsmanship is enjoying an activity for its own sake, regardless of whether we win or lose.  Moreover, a person who is a "good sport" knows how to cheer for the success of others, and is not always worried about themselves.  

Sportsmanship is an invaluable life skill
Competition is a fact of life in not only sports, but in school, and later in work.  So learning how to be a good sport and how to win or lose gracefully is a skill that carries on in many circumstances.  Whether your child faces the challenge of being thoughtful in responding to a friend who failed a test, or handling the congratulations from the losing baseball team, they will draw upon what they have learned about good sportsmanship from their parents when playing on the family Game Court.

How does a Game Court Help in Teaching Good Sportsmanship?
There are rules to any game and a home gaming space is the perfect teaching tool to develop "rules" into Sportsmanship. Moreover, sportsmanship is all about our relationships and how we treat one another.  When families install a Game Court, they spend more time talking and playing together, which gives parents many more opportunities to teach by example and through words.  The rewards come when you overhear your kid's conversations with friends:


"Great game! You sure outplayed me this time."
"I just got some lucky shots today.  Want to play again tomorrow?
"Sure!  See you on the Game Court after school!"

This is a terrific blog on exercise written by Nick Crocker on the HBR Blog Network.

Nick writes of the importance of resetting your own expectations about exercise, the first step achieving your ultimate goal of good health.

"Hey, Mom, can Josh and Daniel come over to play after school?"
"Sure, what are you going to do?"
"We were going to play some basketball.  Daniel's brother is on the high school team and taught him some great plays.  Now Daniel's gonna show them to us!"

Do you wish you had more conversations like this at your house?  Having neighborhood kids play together outside until the moms all called everyone in to dinner used to be a part of every kid's life.  These days, children sometimes rush home from school and run straight to a video game console instead. How can you help get your family to spend more time playing outdoors?

Families around the world are embarking on a whole new way to get outdoors and enjoy gaming without having to drive to their local fitness club.  If you want a way to enjoy playing basketball, volleyball, tennis and many other court sports, look into a Game Court for all of your activities rolled into one:

Remember how you played when you were young?

Move all day even if you workout regularly

I've only just discovered this author but this atricle led me to many others, all excellent. 

Keep moving