Merry Christmas from your friends at No Fault!

Holiday Office Hours: No Fault wishes you a safe and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!   No Fault offices will be closed on Monday, December 24th and Tuesday, December 25th for Christmas and Monday, December 31st and Tuesday, January 1st for New Years.

Looking for a New Year's Resolution? Go Play Outside More!

It’s that time again! It’s a new year, which of course means New Year’s resolutions! Your resolution may be to lose weight, eat healthier or reach a financial goal, but we tend to forget about our children. It’s important to teach children about New Year’s Resolutions- it’s the perfect opportunity to introduce goals to them. One fantastic resolution No Fault supports is to play outside more! But is outdoor play important? Here are just a few reasons why: 

The Importance of Outdoor Play

Outdoor play is extremely important for three main reasons:

    

      1. Development of Physical Skills & Motor Skills

         Children can freely develop physical and motor skills like running,            

         jumping, throwing, catching and swinging. Being inside prohibits 

         children from fully executing these activities.

    

     2. Health Reasons

         With a rise in childhood obesity and heart disease that has nearly doubled in the past decade,

         physical activity has become increasingly more important than ever. Playing outside is where
         children are able to burn the most calories.

    

     3. Learning

         Playing outside contributes to children obtaining social skills. They learn about other children who
         may come from different traditions than they are accustomed .

  

So tell your little ones to put down the video games that Santa brought last month and bring them outside to play!

Geaux Play!

School cuts in physical education programs coupled with endless hours of TV and video games has led to an alarming explosion of childhood obesity and heart disease, general lack of fitness and a lack of knowledge and often an unjustified fear of the natural world.

Through a variety of activities, playing outside can not only lead to a healthier lifestyle, but also create an awareness and appreciation of self and the communities and world we live in. Check out the recently released facts about the decline of play below!

Play is on the decline!

1 in 5 children live within walking distance of a park or playground

Children are spending half as much time outdoors than they did 20 years ago

Children ages 8-12 spend an average of 7.5 hours per day in front of a screen

Why play matters?

The decline of play is closely linked to childhood obesity, ADHD and behavioral problems

Outdoor play can help children’s attention, classroom behavior and achievement test scores

Kids who live within a ½ mile of a park or playground are 5 times more likely to be a healthy weight than kids without

What can you do?

Bring play to your family! Encourage your children to play outside!

Treme' Community Center Gets the No Fault Touch!

photographed in Treme' after
Hurricane Katrina

On November 30^th , No Fault completed a very special safety tile installation at Treme’ Community Center in New Orleans, La. Treme’, a neighborhood located next to the infamous French Quarter, was one of the areas of New Orleans that was hit the hardest by Hurricane Katrina. When Hurricane Katrina ripped through the city of New Orleans, it revealed the struggles that longtime residents faced. It took two weeks before residents were allowed to return to the neighborhood of Treme’ due to 3-6 feet of standing water. When residents returned, they found their property destroyed by flood waters, strong winds, fire and vandalism. Thanks to the efforts of many, Treme is now well known worldwide and the inspiration of the HBO series Treme'.

Treme' Community Center

The history filled neighborhood was named after Claude Treme’, who migrated from Sauvigny Burgundy, France in 1783. Treme’ is considered to be one of America’s most unusual neighborhoods and has been around for quite some time. The small neighborhood celebrated its 200^th anniversary in October. Treme’ has a unique history for music and culture, even for the city of New Orleans, and has played a significant role in the history of jazz.

In 2010 , No Fault installed their premier safety surfacing at Musicians Village, located in the lower ninth ward. This new neighborhood, financed primarily with donations and volunteer labor,  was constructed in the most devastated area of New Orleans and was built around a music center, where musicians can teach and perform.

Musician's Village
New Orleans, Louisiana

Therapeutic Playgrounds

When is child’s play really work? When children are overcoming developmental disabilities, what seems natural to most children can be very difficult for those trying to play through disabilities. Hospitals are incorporating traditional play time as a method of therapy more and more! These new playgrounds serve as a tool for children to meet therapeutic goals such as climbing, gripping, color identification and simply following instructions. All of these exercises incorporate physical, occupational and speech therapy while allowing the children to enjoy traditional play that may have been difficult for them before.

Therapeutic playgrounds are very different from traditional playgrounds found in schools and parks. They have play equipment specifically designed to meet disabled children’s therapeutic goals. One major attribute of therapeutic playgrounds is the surfacing. Surfacing must be ADA compliant so it is accessible for children of all walks of life. It is also recommended that the surface be IPEMA certified, which provides fall height protection for children.

No Fault has installed Safety Surface in many special needs and therapeutic playgrounds. Please contact a sales representative today if you are interested in our surface for your playground at 225-215-7760.

Is Santa Bringing a Swing Set This Year? Remind Him to Bring a Safe Surface Too!

Christmas is a time to spend with family, eat delightful food and shop like a mad person! We have all bought toys for children and forgotten to buy the appropriate batteries or other complementary items. This Christmas if you’re buying a swing set don’t forget to keep your children’s safety in mind. Purchase some type of safety surfacing to be installed under your play equipment, whether it’s a solid or loose fill application. It is imperative to apply some type of safety surface to protect against falls. All of our playground products are IPEMA certified and provide fall protection for your little elves! 

You have several options:  rubber mulch, safety tiles and if you really want to splurge, safety surface!

Clearly, the most cost effective option that still provides exceptional benefits is rubber mulch. Rubber mulch is a great option for residential play areas and is very affordable. One of the best features of loose fill rubber mulch is that it can be installed over leveled earth and you can do it yourself, which saves you time and money!  We offer four different options for mulch: No Fault Rubber Mulch Nuggets, No Fault Rubber Mulch Shreds, No Fault Bonded Rubber Mulch and our newest product, No Fault Mini Nuggets. Check out nofault.com to shop online or give us a call today at 225-215-7760!

If you’re not a fan of the loose fill material, No Fault Safety Tiles are a great option for your residential playground. While safety tiles have many of the fantastic characteristics of poured-in-place, they are more cost and time effective for home owners because they can be self-installed. No Fault Safety Tiles are available in an array of colors that will bring your playground to life!

And if you really want to splurge on your backyard playground this Christmas, then a poured surface, like No Fault Safety Surface or No Fault Bonded Rubber Mulch is perfect for you! No Fault Safety Surface for playground applications is comprised of EPDM rubber granules and a polyurethane binder that is professionally installed with a two-pour system. Like No Fault Safety Surface, No Fault Bonded Rubber Mulch is comprised of shredded rubber mulch and a polyurethane binder and is professionally installed with a single-pour system. Both surfaces are hand-troweled using a screed rod to provide a resilient, seamless rubber surface with a consistent depth throughout.  The result is a highly durable, permeable, slip resistant surface providing cushion-like comfort in an unconventional pallet of color combinations. No Fault offers coast-to-coast installations for public, commercial and residential projects.  

Call a sales representative today at 225-215-7760!

Have a Great Day!

Hailey Hill

Marketing Administrator

No Fault Sport Group, LLC

NEW Product! No Fault Mini Nuggets!

We are excited to introduce a new product to our mulch product line, No Fault Mini Nuggets! Like any other rubber mulch, No Fault Mini Nuggets are created from recycled tires, but our nuggets go through additional manufacturing processes to remove 99.89% of exposed metal. After removing the metal and sorting, the nuggets are coated with a unique polyurethane based coating, which is non-toxic, color-fast and abrasion-resistant. 

No Fault Mini Nuggets are more affordable than our traditional rubber mulch. Please contact a sales representative today to get your quote 225-215-7760!

Have a Great Day!

Hailey Hill

Marketing Administrator

No Fault Sport Group, LLC

LSU Ranked the #1 Tailgating Spot in the Country!

It’s no surprise that tailgating is an essential part of the marvelous game of football and it's no secret that LSU fans tailgate with the best of them. From the elaborate tailgating set ups, to costumes, to shirtless body painted students in freezing weather, LSU fans are truly a unique breed! Of course LSU tops the list coming in at the number one college tailgate, according to bestcollegetailgate.com. On game day, over 90,000 fans fill Tiger Stadium and even more show up solely for tailgating. Downsetgeaux.com is a website dedicated to sharing your tailgating experience whether it’s exciting, outrageous, unbelievable or just down right hilarious!




Have a Great Day!

Hailey Hill
Marketing Administrator

No Fault Sport Group, LLC

Give your Surface a Face-Lift

A hard sub-base like concrete or asphalt is required for our poured-in-place applications. That doesn’t necessarily mean the sub-base must be in perfect condition. No Fault has installed many surfaces over uneven and patched sub-bases. Our poured-in-place surface acts as a leveling material for patchy and unleveled sub-bases. Our Poured-in-Place surface is a very versatile product that can be installed in an array of applications. Check out these before and after photos of St. Raymond Academy in New York!

Thanksgiving Playground Clean Up!

Thanksgiving is a time for family gatherings and eating plenty of delicious food. From turkey to dressing to grandmas sweet potatoes, it’s easy to forget the true meaning of the holiday, which is to be thankful for our harvest. As the holiday season approaches, we encourage our family, friends and students to be thankful for our many blessings and help others who are less fortunate.

What better way to work off those extra pounds of turkey and pie than to host a charity event or community clean-up! Get involved with a project with a well known Christmas charity or put together your own event. Give back to the community by helping clean up a local playground or park. Gobble up garbage at your local playground so everyone can have safe and clean fun!



How to Plan a Pick-Up Day:

1. Pick a day to clean up. Solicit support from your local church or parks department. Spread the word with fliers and social media!
2. Make sure you have everything you need to clean up the playground! Ask for a sponsorship from your local hardware store. Request supply donations! Give used tools back for future events or donate them to Habitat for Humanity!
3. Fill your bags and dispose and recycle the garbage accordingly!

What you need:

• Trash Bags
• Gloves
• Clothes that can get dirty
• Hand Sanitizer
• Drinks

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hailey Hill
Marketing Administrator
No Fault Sport Group

Southern University Track is Complete!

Students, Alumni and other Jaguar fans can now enjoy the newly resurfaced track at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La. After several weeks of weather delay and Hurricane Isaac, No Fault finished the track last week. Several areas needed patch work, and once that was complete, the resurfacing began! Administration at Southern chose our beautiful terra cotta surfacing spray- a great choice! Check out the before, during and after photos of the track project!

Have a great day!

Hailey Hill
Marketing Administrator, No Fault

No Fault Attends NRPA 2012! iPad Winner Announced!

This year No Fault made the long trip to Anaheim, Calif. to attend the National Parks and Recreation Association Expo. This year we tried something new with our display and chose a crowd pleasing installation photo of the recently completed St. James Episcopal Courtyard. We offered a variety of trade show giveaways including Louisiana goody bags filled with Cajun staples! One of the most exciting and new additions to our booth was an iPad raffle! Guests lined up to enter this raffle and our winner was Dan Schimmel with Buffalo Grove Park District! Congratulations Dan!

All in all NRPA 2012 was a success!

We look forward to seeing everyone next October for NRPA in Houston, TX.

Have a great day!

Hailey Hill
Marketing Administrator
No Fault Sport Group

Louisiana Town Ranks #3 High School Football Town in America!

You might think the Louisiana town ranked 3rd in the nation for the best high school football town is a large city like Baton Rouge or New Orleans. You'd be wrong. About 2 hours west of the Mississippi River, located in North Louisiana, lies the small town of West Monroe, home to the Rebels.

What Towns Top the List?

1.  Massillon, Ohio
2. Odessa, Texas
3. West Monroe, La.
4. Valdosta, Ga.
5. Belle Glade, Fla.
6. Jenks, Okla.
7. Hampton, Va.
8. Hoover, Ala.
9. Cincinnati, Ohio

The city of West Monroe lives and breathes Rebel football and if it’s Friday night everyone migrates to Rebel Stadium. On game days, stores close early and the atmosphere at WMHS rivals any northern Louisiana college campus, filled with tailgating and talks of football strategy. On average, 13,757 fans fill Rebel Stadium each home game, hundreds more than the town’s population. Well-known coach, Don Shows, has coached the Rebels to seventeen district championships, eight state wins and two national championships in the short span of 19 years.  This caught the eye of ESPN producers who wanted to jump in on the Louisiana Reality train, creating Varsity Inc, reporting a clichéd  southern town’s obsession with its high school football team.

West Monroe High School has produced many famous players such as Andrew Whitworth who plays for Cincinnati, Bradie James who’s played for Dallas and Houston, and All American Running Back and former  LSU head coach, Jerry Stovall.

Rebel Stadium is a beautiful sports complex from the recreational surfaces to equipment.

Does your stadium need a face lift? Contact No Fault Sport Group for more information on sport and recreational surfacing for your sports complex!

225-215-7760

Have a Great Day!

Hailey Hill

Marketing Administrator, No Fault


*ranking information was acquired from collegestats.org

Project Spotlight: Willow Grove Playground

Buffalo Grove is a house account of ours. We’ve done multiple projects in the past and have many projected projects in the future. Willow Grove is about 5,000 square feet with a 50% Terra Cotta and 50% Black Safety Surface color blend. Check out the install and completed project below!

Have a great day!

Hailey Hill

Marketing Administrator, No Fault

Say BOO to SCARY Playgrounds!

Halloween is creeping up on us! October is filled with talk of ghosts and other incredibly terrifying creatures and places. If you were to ask a child his or her idea of a scary place, they would jump to tell you haunted houses, cemeteries or hospitals. Unfortunately, in many communities, parks and playgrounds are the scariest places. Many playgrounds lack adequate safety surfacing and have unkept equipment that could pose a serious threat to children. Other playgrounds are just abandoned and cannot be used at all.

How can you define a SCARY playground?





Scary Abandoned Playground in New Orleans

Do you need help making your playground not-so-scary?

Contact No Fault Sport Group for help now!

225-215-7760

Have a Great Day & Happy Halloween!

Hailey Hill

Marketing Administrator, No Fault

No Fault Announces a Partnership with Hercules Fence!

We are thrilled to announce a new partnership with Hercules Fence! For many years, Greg Stone was a top representative for No Fault Sport Group. After taking a break from the playground industry, Greg joined the team at Hercules Fence as General Manager of Northern Virginia operations. He wanted to introduce a new complementary product line to his company and immediately thought of No Fault.  After reaching out to No Fault and presenting this unique partnership, we were eager to get the ball rolling.

Evan Winston, Vice President of Hercules Fence said “Hercules Fence Company is excited and anticipates great success from the formation of our strategic alliance with No Fault Sport Group, LLC. Our organization has created and brought products to market within our region since 1955. Our success to date is based on building strong and lasting partnerships with manufacturers and suppliers who develop and bring to market great products. Our new relationship with No Fault, the leading supplier of Sports and Safety surfacing products, builds on this record of success. Our organization looks forward to representing No Fault Surfacing products in the Mid-Atlantic Region".

David Brantley, President and Owner of No Fault said “I am thrilled that Hercules has chosen to join the No Fault team. Greg Stone, the General Manager, has over 20 years of working experience with our group and products. Greg has a keen awareness for quality and service as well as the versatility of our product line. An opportunity of this nature is rare and No Fault will take full advantage of this strategic alliance”.

About No Fault Sport Group, LLC

Founded in 1974, No Fault is one of the oldest and premier installers of sport and recreational surfaces. Today, No Fault offers a variety of sports surfaces including: Poured-In-Place Safety Surface, Rubber Mulch, Bonded Rubber Mulch, Safety Tiles, Sport Floor, Tennis and Basketball Courts and Regulation Running Tracks. Located in Baton Rouge, La., No Fault has installed surfacing throughout the U.S. and eight foreign countries.

About Hercules Fence

The knowledgeable people of Hercules Fence have developed a reputation since 1955 for professional service and quality installation. With over 50 years in the fence business, they are well aware that their reputation must be earned anew every day. Hercules provides fencing for residential, commercial and high-security projects. Hercules has six convenient locations throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. 

Win a FREE iPad at NRPA 2012!

We are giving away a FREE iPad

      at the 2012 NRPA EXPO!

We are excited to announce our attendance at the
National Park & Recreation Association Expo in
Anaheim, California
October 16-18, 2012

We invite all attendees to visit our booth and pick up a FREE gift! Attendees will also have the opportunity to enter to win a FREE iPad that will be given away on October 18th. Sign up at our booth!


BOOTH #1334

You will be greeted by:
David Brantley, President & Owner
Jennifer Smith, Vice President of Sales
Jay Ratelle, Vice President of Operations

We hope to see you there!

Hailey Hill

Marketing Administrator

No Fault Sport Group

Claney Duplechin Earns National High School Track Coach of 2012

Coach Claney Duplechin of Episcopal High School in Baton Rouge, La. was awarded the National High School Track Coach of 2012 by Gill Athletics and USA Track & Field. This is the second time a local coach has been honored with this award (Pete Boudreaux received the award back in 2010). Coach Duplechin was presented this award during the Episcopal High School vs. Acension Catholic football game on September 7. We want to congratulate Coach Duplechin for receiving this great honor! 

Episcopal High School Track 
In 2010, we had the opportunity to install our track surface at Episcopal High School. We worked closely with Coach Duplechin to create a surface that would benefit his school the most. The scope of work involved removing 50% of the existing track surface from the asphalt base and installing a 10mm polyurethane base mat to match the remaining surface elevation. This process was followed by applying two structural sprayed layers of polyurethane and line striping. Coach Duplechin was thrilled with the final results of the new track surface, especially the improved performance of his athletes! Today, all athletic programs at Episcopal High School benefit from the new track installed by No Fault.



Episcopal High School Track Before




Episcopal High School Track After

Episcopal High School Track After

Have a Great Day!

Hailey Hill

Marketing Administrator, No Fault Group

Make a Splash with the Hottest Trend in the Aquatics Industry

Do you want a unique water feature in your park or maybe even your backyard? Are you ready to fork out major cash?

Well you’re in luck! Splash Pads can be very affordable!

 

Everyone wants a unique water feature in their park, sometimes even in their back yard! Splash pads have drastically enhanced communities that have always wanted to offer aquatic recreation to residents. Splash pads are a colorful way to attract children. Even better, splash pads are budget friendly! Meaning you can change or add features as your budget permits!

First you need to do some research. Figure out what look you’re going for and what type of equipment you want in your waterplay area. Visit parks to get ideas!

 

Next you need to realize that a water playground is much different than a traditional playground. If you don’t recognize this, you’re in serious trouble! Adding an element of water to a play area can create significant threats for children, the main threat being the slip factor.

 

There are two options for splash pad surfacing: sand painted concrete and a safety surface. Although painting can be much cheaper there are also many disadvantages to a concrete surface.

1.       Despite the sandy feel of the paint, the concrete surface is still very slippery

2.       Concrete is not porous like safety surface, so water will pool on the surface

3.       When children do fall, they land on a rough surface which can create serious injuries like knee scrapes! Ouch!

Although Safety Surface is more expensive, but is a great option for splash pads

1.       Create unique graphics with a variety of color blends

2.       Porous surface, water does NOT pool

3.       Provides a soft cushiony surface for the little ones feet

Contact a No Fault Sales Rep today for any questions! 225-215-7760

Have a Great Day!

 

Hailey Hill

Marketing Administrator, No Fault

www.nofault.com