With the summer upon us, there is no better time to start preparing for the upcoming seasons by ordering your school’s record boards. They’re an excellent way to highlight last year’s athletic achievements, while also motivating the athletes to continue working hard to make records of their own. Deciphering which record board is best for your school can be a daunting task. Here are four considerations for choosing record boards for the upcoming seasons.
Where will your record board be displayed?
The first consideration when purchasing a record board is determining where the board will actually live. This will drive a number of factors that can greatly narrow down your decision process. For example, if your record board will be indoors, you should look into dry erase boards, slide-in record boards, or indoor velcro boards.
Outdoor boards are made with all-weather materials and are made to withstand standard weather conditions throughout the year such as snow, rain, wind, and even sun exposure. Quality matters with outdoor record boards, as they are differentiated by permanent-grade vinyl with adhesive backing and a proper laminate coat.
Will the board be viewed from over 25 feet?
Every school is different, so naturally, record board placement can vary greatly in each arena, stadium, or natatorium. The general rule of thumb is whether the board will be viewed from over or under 25 feet. This question guides the record board format type. When boards are viewed from over 25 feet we suggest our large format boards that are sized 8’x8’ or larger.
With smaller record boards, there are a lot of cost saving options that offer a great deal of flexibility. These are usually the easiest to update, and they work well for a number of different sports.
What sport will primarily use this board?
While we have the capabilities to customize the design of any record board, there are often times that require sport specific materials. The best example of this situation is the use of record boards in Swimming & Diving. The high humidity and temperatures found in natatoriums call for a durable, high quality board that can withstand those conditions.
Another example of a sport-specific board are the Football strength record boards. These include sub-surface graphics that enable you to easily write and erase your records anywhere on the board. These are great for motivating your football team with records that change often throughout the season.
How often will you be updating or changing the records?
The last consideration for choosing a record board for the upcoming season has to do with the frequency of your changing records and your preferred ease of use. If your teams are constantly breaking records or the boards are used on a season by season basis, you should look for easily updatable record boards. The slide-in record board is the easiest board to update because as the name suggests, the records just slide right in and out.
By answering these questions you can start to funnel down your choices to the record board that best fits your specific needs. If these considerations created more questions or you would like to get your custom designed solution started, connect with a Team Fitz representative today!