BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Sept. 12, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The CrossPlex is a key element of Birmingham's strategy to draw athletes and visitors from around the world, and the $46 million facility is already generating excitement for its top-notch features. The indoor track and field venue, natatorium and meeting space, which opened last month, is almost completely booked for its inaugural track and field season, and one of its central components is a Mondo hydraulic banked track with a Mondotrack surface.
Manufactured by Mondo, the global leader in the sports flooring market, the eight-lane, 200-meter track system features a Mondotrack surface and two curved track sections that can be banked for high-speed running events. A hydraulic system raises and lowers the running surface; the process can be completed in a few minutes.
The Mondo hydraulic track at CrossPlex is one of only a few in the world. It can be set at any intermediate position between flat and fully raised, so it can be used for a wide range of events and by athletes with different skill levels. When the curved sections are lowered, the synthetic surface of the track is flush with the surrounding surfaces, so those surfaces can be used for other sports or activities. Mondo makes the world's only hydraulic banked 200-meter indoor competition track system.
"Some of the world's best athletes compete on Mondo surfaces and Mayor William Bell and the City of Birmingham wanted to put the best product in the CrossPlex," said April Odom, the city's director of communications. "Mondo has always offered a consistent product and when you tell athletes or coaches that you have a Mondo track, they all want an opportunity to compete on that surface. To have a facility of this magnitude in Birmingham will definitely put the CrossPlex on the map as one of the best track and field facilities in the world."
The city's convention and visitors bureau projects that CrossPlex will generate $13 million in economic impact for Birmingham in its first year of operation.
The venue's track and field season begins Dec. 8 with the Birmingham Collegiate Indoor competition featuring University of Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham-Southern College and Samford University. Future track and field events scheduled at the complex include University of Alabama and Auburn University meets, and conference championships for Conference USA, the Southwestern Athletic Conference and Southern Conference. The Alabama High School Athletic Association will hold regular season meets and its state championships at the CrossPlex as well.
"Because of their proven performance benefits, Mondo products are frequently selected for the world's finest track and field venues," said Federico Stroppiana, vice president, strategic development, Mondo Group. "We take great pride in the praise we have received from Birmingham-area university coaches and athletic directors for Mondo's hydraulic banked Mondotrack at the CrossPlex, and in knowing that it will allow collegiate and world-class athletes to compete on a state-of-the-art surface in one of the nation's best facilities."
The official track of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2012 Games in London, Mondotrack was designed to provide optimal traction and a greater contact area than other tracks. It converts the maximum amount of force generated by athletes' foot strikes to energy for maximum energy return, which helps athletes achieve faster times compared to running on other surfaces. Mondotrack also provides excellent athletic comfort and maximum safety with the optimum blend of speed and comfort to accommodate both high-competition and training venues.
Mondotrack builds upon the success of Mondo's world-renowned Super X Performance track, which has been the world's top track for more than 30 years and was the track of the previous eight Olympic Games before Beijing. More than 230 world records have been set on Mondo tracks, including five at the 2008 Olympics.
About Mondo
Mondo is the global leader in the sports and contract flooring markets, manufacturing flooring surfaces for virtually every application. More than 1,100 Mondo tracks and 800 Mondo artificial turf fields are installed worldwide. The official supplier of the athletic track for the past nine Olympic Games and the upcoming 2012 London Olympics, Mondo also is the official supplier or official sponsor of more than 100 sports federations and associations.
The company supplies a wide variety of commercial flooring, and it is the world's largest producer of sports and toy balls with an average daily production of 450,000 units. In addition, it manufactures large luxury yachts under its Mondo Marine division.
A family-owned business since its founding in 1948, Mondo sells its products in more than 196 countries. The company's global headquarters are in Italy, and it has manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and Asia. More information about Mondo is available at mondoworldwide.com.
The Mondo logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=5765
Mondo is a registered trademark of Mondo.