Bench Covers Score Big with DeSoto Central Soccer Team
The Challenge:
Soccer is big at DeSoto Central High School where the Jaguars are on the prowl. But jaguars are a warm climate predator and so are the soccer players.
“The soccer season in DeSoto County is November to December, and that’s the coldest time of year,” said soccer dad and booster Mike Sondag. “The parents are cold when they are bundled up in the stands, but our kids are out there in shorts.”
Mike was inspired when he went to see his older son at a soccer game at St. Louis University: “They have the plexi-glass shelters. I was looking online and found a company in Texas that makes fabric bench shelters, but I wasn’t sure we could raise that much money.”
The Solution:
“When I called Mahaffey Tent & Party Rentals, they said to call Parasol,” said Sondag. “I never would have thought of that.”
Parasol scored a hat-trick with design, price and installation. The company created a canopy that would shelter the team from wind and rain. The canopy design was three-sided so it could hold in warm air if the team used heaters. Parasol also added the school’s name, logo and team name to the design and choose a fabric in the school’s primary color – purple.
“Parasol worked with us on everything – the design, the installation,” said Sondag. “They even gave us a payment plan that worked with our fundraising efforts.”
The new canopies made their debut at a tournament where Desoto Central hosted all Desoto County High School soccer teams. To show what good sports they were, the boosters also purchased a canopy for the visiting team’s benches.
The DeSoto Central soccer boosters were boosting more than soccer that day. They visited with every soccer coach and explained how they raised the money and Parasol made the awnings. You can expect to find these practical and attractive shelters on more athletic fields in the future.
Have an Unusual Problem of Your Own?
If you can dream it, odds are Parasol can build it. Try to stump them. We dare you!
