Existing high jump and pole vault pits consist of foam and vinyl fabricated and assembled to provide adequate cushioning to an athletic participant. More than 90 percent of these pits are used outdoors exposing them to varying weather and ground surface conditions. In many cases they are positioned in less than desirable location which allow the lower portion of the pits to sit in water, mud or both. This constant exposure prematurely degrades the vinyl and foam resulting in a less than desirable serviceable life span. Such pits are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,857 issued to Gordon, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,057,245 issued to Gordon.
To offset this concern manufacturers offer pallets made from wood, plastic or metal, which raise the jump pit off the ground allowing water to drain away from the product and air to circulate around the components of the pit creating a drying effect. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,965,507 issued to Reiland discloses an athlete' landing pit cushion having a wooden support structure for keeping the landing cushion off the ground.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,244,477 issued to Sawyer et al. discloses a multi-layered sports playing field with a water draining, padding layer. The multi-layered sports playing field includes a top layer made of substantially artificial material simulating a natural playing surface such as grass and a padding layer positioned between the top layer and the base or dirt layer. The padding layer is made of a plurality of discrete beads of substantially elastic, resilient material with portions of adjacent beads abutting one another and other portions being spaced from each other. Substantially all of the adjacent beads are preferably integrally joined together at their abutting portions. The padding layer is porous and breathable and preferably includes feet members supporting the main body of the padding layer above the base or dirt layer to create a water channel of interconnected portions to enhance water drainage to the sides of the field.
There is a need for further high jump and pole vault pit landing systems, and more particularly to high jump and pole vault pit landing systems having integrated drainage and methods for forming the same.