Training in Style
Gullo borrowed from his residential media room experience to design a dual display system that would enable one wrestler to receive a one-on-one match review on a 22-inch LG monitor in the back of the room while the team watches an instructional video on the 125-inch motorized screen. Having the monitor in a corner allows the coaches to offer individual instruction – including videos of matches from the Internet -- without interfering with the overall practice, Gullo says.
Gullo wired an iPod station into the space where kids can plug in their phones for playback through six Klipsch Pro Audio Loudspeakers mounted in the corners and sides of the large space with two subwoofers, powered by a commercial grade Crown Amplifier. The sound system is the “biggest and most used part of the room,” he explains.
There’s more AV equipment than meets the eye in the Pearl River training room, something that’s a trademark of every EDG installation. Top-notch gear including a hard drive to store music and videos, a DVD player, amplifier and Control4 gear are hidden in a small closet off the front of the room. EDG installers drilled through concrete walls to make a conduit for wires to the iPod dock, monitor, touchscreen and speakers.
As a finishing touch, outside the training room, in the Gym entry, EDG wired in an LCD monitor that serves as a digital sign for the athletic department. That replaces a whiteboard and marker outside the athletic director’s office that was nowhere near the gym. This facility now rivals college wrestling rooms and has become a major source of pride in the community. The “buzz” brought back alumni from the late 1960’s and 70’s and packed the stands at every home meet.
Training for high school wrestlers can be “strenuous and monotonous,” says EDG founder and Chief Creative Officer, Bob Gullo. Gullo should know, having been a wrestler, coach, and after spending countless hours cheering on his son, Rob a two-time Wrestling Captain, ranked 9th all time in school history with 114 career wins and fourth all time in points scored for Pearl River High School in Rockland County, N.Y. But it’s a lot less monotonous for the Pearl River wrestling team these days, thanks to Gullo, who created a new wrestling room for the High School.
Gullo designed the project from scratch with a focus on Five Pillars for success:
1) Training Equipment - Modern wrestling strength, conditioning and training equipment.
2) Motivational and Historical- Framed wrestling specific motivational imagery, team records, photos of Hall of Fame teams and 100 Win wrestling achievements.
3) Technology- Design and installed a state-of-the-art AV system and control system.
4) Lighting and Ceiling Tiles- Installed new light fixtures, reflectors and 5000K Fluorescent lamps to simulate daylight and promote and awake feeling in a previously dark dungeon like room
5) Online Media Presence - Create Team Website, Facebook and Twitter accounts, professionally produced films, and yearly media guides.
The room “hadn’t been touched” for 30 years, Gullo says, so in preparation for its refresh, it was stripped down to its concrete shell, washed and painted before transitioning into a full-blown multi-media training facility. The room was a dark space when the EDG crew was introduced to it. Gullo and his team took care of that with a two-zone lighting system employing energy-efficient 5000k fluorescent light bulbs with a color temperature that approximates daylight.
With a wide range of students and coaches using the electronics, the AV system had to be intuitive to operate, Gullo says. He tapped Control4 for the job because it’s simple to pick up without a tutorial, he says. The on-screen display of the remote control mimics that of the Control4 touchpanel that’s tucked inside a mat on the wall. That means anyone operating the system has a consistent experience whether using touchpanel or remote control.
Also added to the room:
1. Take Down Ropes with 105 pounds of resistance.
2. Bulgarian Bags of various weight, for both upper and lower body workouts.
3. Speed Bags provide shoulder, chest and strength and provide endurance.
4. Pull Up Bars mounted at different heights, one equipped with ‘Rock Grips’ used by mountain climbers to promote grip strength, one in a “V” shape for dips, and one equipped with ‘Arm Slings” to promote core body strength.
5. Peg Climbing Boards to promote explosive upper body strength.
6. Wrestling Dummies- to practice lifts and throws, without risking injury to a partner.
7. Snap N Shoot- This unique device typically found in college wrestling rooms, is a wall mounted “wrestler” which the head and legs provide 150 pounds of lifelike strength-building resistance. This allows a wrestler to practice take down techniques and build speed, strength and endurance.
“If it wasn’t for the leadership, professionalism, strong work ethic, generosity, determination and passion for the sport of wrestling from the parents, and most of all Bob Gullo, we would not be here this evening. Mr. Gullo created a world class wrestling training facility that rivals college wrestling rooms. I’m pinching myself!”
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Training in Style
Category
Project > Specialty Project of the Year
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