VARSITY 101

Mercy Field – The Media Is All About It

Posted: 15th March 2012 by Brett in Press
Tags: baseball stadium, central catholic high school, grand opening, lourdes university, mercy field

Turns out the local media and others were pretty stoked about the opening of Mercy Field, where Central Catholic High School and Lourdes University will play baseball. Check out what they’re saying.

http://www.foxtoledo.com/dpp/sports/wupw-mercy-field-opens-for-central-lourdes-03142012hc

Mercy – Toledo ‏ @mercynwohio
Players surround the field! Let’s play ball! At Mercy Field! #toledo #hsbaseball #baseball http://pic.twitter.com/p4ROLNzl

Beautiful nite 4 baseball! We’re @ Mercy Field 4 dedication #hsbaseball #toledo http://yfrog.com/o0q1bdrj

http://www.13abc.com/story/17049265/2012/02/29/anthony-wayne-hs-softball-family-fun-night

Mercy Field Opens for Central Catholic and Lourdes University Baseball

Posted: 15th March 2012 by Brett in Installations
Tags: Athletics, baseball stadium, cchs, central catholic, Concession, graphics, High School, lourdes university, mercy field, mercy hospital, Motivational Wall, school graphics, sports, stadium upgrades, turff

If you were planning an outdoor, grand-opening ceremony for the middle of March here in the Midwest, hoping for no snow or at least temperatures that wouldn’t require hats, gloves, five pairs of socks, a thermos of your mom’s homemade hot chocolate, and those crazy Long-John undies that instantly make you feel like your grandparents, may have been your most optimistic thoughts. Yesterday, an anomaly accrued, allowing the Mercy Field opening to go down on an absolutely gorgeous day. Sunny, cloudless, and incredibly warm, you’d never have guessed winter could roar back in at any moment and bury us in half a foot of snow for the next six weeks. Everyone in attendance enjoyed the small dose of summer, and the ceremonial festivities kept the excitement going well into the night. Yes, it truly felt like baseball season — a fitting start to a new area for the Central Catholic High School and Lourdes University baseball programs.

Take a peak at some photos from the event, most of which focus on our contributions to the facility. (What? It is our blog after all, and its purpose is to showcase what we do. But, to make you happy, we’ll toss in a few pics of the activities.) For the new baseball stadium we handled the scoreboard graphics, way-signage, image-fence, various graphics throughout the facility utilizing both vinyl and our VPS methodology, and we even did a custom-routed interior donor sign. Enjoy, and don’t forget to hit us up with some feedback.

Bowling Green State University Education Center

Posted: 20th February 2012 by Brett in Installations
Tags: bowling green state university, education, modernize, update, upgrade, varsity panel system, vps

Wanting to modernize their Education building, Bowling Green State University invited us in to help create some potential looks for their facility. Various options and applications were discussed before finally settling on the Varsity Panel System (VPS), as well as a few small areas that would utilize a more traditional vinyl. Each floor will have a variation on the main theme elements established for the first floor, and so far two floors are nearly completed. (We say nearly, because after the enthusiastic response to first the installation, Bowling Green added additional orders for more graphics.)

On February 8th, BGSU had its grand opening ceremony to display some of the structural renovations the building had undergone, as well as the vast majority of the graphics we designed. The guests were hyped, the Dean of Education was very excited, and students and faculty were raving. (We can only assume it was over the new look, not over the fantastic cookies and refreshments served during the event. Though they were pretty good, too.)

Check out some photos of what we did, including some very interesting textural applications on the curved wall section. Enjoy, and leave us some love in the comments sections.

Flat Daddy Impact Story

Posted: 18th May 2011 by Brett in Press
Tags: air force, army, coast guard, documentary, flat daddies, Flat Daddy, marines, military, navy

Here is another news story regarding the remarkable impact Flat Daddies are having on the families of our soldiers. Check it out, courtesy of KING 5 News.

Flat Daddy Movie

Posted: 18th May 2011 by Brett in Press
Tags: air force, army, cost guard, flat daddies, Flat Daddy, fox news, heroes on a stick, marines, military, movie, navy

A documentary about Flat Daddies, and the soldiers they represent, has been in production for a few years and is finally nearing completion. As word gets out regarding the impact these “Heroes on a Stick” are having, news stories like the one below are becoming more and more prevalent. We’re proud to be a division of SFC, which produces Flat Daddies, and to be affiliated with the movie, which aims to raise awareness for the majority of America.

Only around 1% of the population are families dealing with lives here in the states while their loved ones serve their country all around the world, an easy number of people to get lost, forgotten, or seldom thought of in the hectic day-to-day American lifestyle we tend to lead. The film hopes to create a dialogue between civilians and the families, and raise awareness of their struggles. Please check out the video below for a glimpse into the movie, courtesy of FOX news.

Military Service Center and Veteran Lounge Ribbon Cuttin Ceremony at UT

Posted: 4th May 2011 by Brett in Installations, News
Tags: dan foote, dr. dennis letteman, dr. lloyd jacobs, joel whitcomb, marcy kaptur, mayor, mike bell, military, military service center, ribbon cuttin ceremony, teresa fedor, University of Toledo, verteran lounge

On April 29, 2011 we had the privilege of attending the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Military Service Center and Veteran Lounge at the University of Toledo. We had worked with them to design a huge wall mural to accentuate the room, welcome the troops, and reflect the University’s gratitude for their time in service. The room was a huge success on that level, but more importantly, the facility itself is a great upgrade from their former accommodations.

Its new location and space will allow for easier access and a much larger and more relaxing atmosphere, providing a centralized location for returning vets to gather and meet peers going through the same transition from service to student. It also is their primary location to get the assistance from councilors, instructors, and former students who have also gone through, or been trained to assist those making this often difficult transition in life.

The ceremony featured many guest speakers and was attended by former vets and current servicemen and women from nearly all branches. (We’re a bit lacking in Coast Guard servicemen and women in our area.) After reciting the Pledge of Allegiance (which Jill and I were proudly still able to do after um… we’ll say a few years of separation from the last time we had to say it), there were remarks and dedications given. The speakers included Dr. Dennis Lettman, the Dean of the College of Adult and lifelong Learning, Dr. Lloyd Jacobs, the President of The University of Toledo, Joel Whitcomb, the Student Veterans of America Chapter President, the Honorable Teresa Fedor, a member of the Ohio Senate, Dan Foote, a Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur Representative, and our very own Toledo City Mayor, Michael P. Bell. After the presentation and ribbon cutting, the room was opened up and refreshments were served. It was at that point we discovered (and by we I mean I) the most amazing cupcakes ever devised by the human mind. Kudos to whoever provided them, they certainly made me feel welcome, and the facility isn’t even for me.

The University of Toledo was gracious enough to let us attend, so check out the pictures and video below featuring music from the U.S. Army and the U.S. Army Signal Corps bands.

View the UT Ribbon Cutting Video Here

Varsity 101 Partners with T-CAL to Motivate Excellence

Posted: 4th March 2011 by Jill in Affiliates, News
Tags: Athletics, Motivate, Partner, school graphics, Sponsor, T-CAL, texas

“We are excited and proud to have the support of Varsity 101. As a leader in creating motivational environments for schools, we think their offerings and professionalism will be a valuable resource for our members.” said Jason M. Balli, Director of Athletics at the Texas Christian Athletic League. “They can also help us visually reflect the fact that T-CAL is on pace to become the premier “Non-UIL” high school extra-curricular league for the great state of Texas.” T-CAL is continuing to add more schools to its membership. T-CAL is on track to reach 100 schools by years’ end, with its current member schools representing over 3000 families, and over 8000 students from k4-12th grade. At the high school level, its state tournaments and venues are championship-level events, and are branching out to include regional tournaments and district play in 5 regions.

Varsity 101 is a leading national provider of custom designed motivational graphics. Its one-of-a-kind graphic programs create visual excitement in educational environments that motivate students, teachers and staff to succeed by immersing them and the community into an experience that is reflective of the school’s personality and its goals. The experienced Varsity 101 team custom designs and delivers large, dramatic, high-impact graphics that are custom designed to each school using their colors, mascots, logos and historic photos. The results transform spaces, facilities and venues into inspirational areas that define and reward success. Varsity 101 uses a multi-phased and integrated approach that helps match school budgets with specific needs and priorities.

Liberty Christian High School: Texas

Posted: 7th January 2011 by Brett in Installations
Tags: Athletics, Hallway, High School, Liberty Christian High School, Motivational Wall, renovate, school graphics, texas, Vinyl, Wall Graphics

In 2010 Varsity 101 began its partnership with TAPPS and since then we have met with many great schools throughout the state of Texas. One of these schools is Liberty Christian High School, which is one of the largest Christian schools in the Dallas area. After our first meeting we were both excited about the many opportunities we could offer each other and started working on designs right away. Our first installed motivational wall graphics for them was completed about 6 months later and wraps the entirety of their athletic hallway. Our program specialist and designers worked closely with their Director of Campus Planning and their Athletic Director to choose images, logos, colors, and slogans that they believed would motivate their students to succeed. Varsity 101’s goal is to not only add excitement and color to an otherwise dull area, but to really catch a student’s attention and make an impact on them. We want the student to strive to be that player up on their wall.

Here are some pictures of the finished wall graphic along with the schools response… We look forward to soon posting more images of further projects with Liberty Christian High School.

“The overall rating on the wall of graphics is AWESOME!!! They absolutely love it. We had a huge crowd last night for a basketball game and they too were wowed!”

- Kimberly Kevlin
Director of Campus Planning & Design
Liberty Christian School

University of Toledo: Golf Facility

Posted: 30th December 2010 by Brett in Installations
Tags: Athletics, Driving Range, golf, Locker Room, Motivational Wall, practice, school graphics, sports, University of Toledo, Wall Graphics

The Head Women’s golf coach at University of Toledo recently approached Varsity 101 looking to update her locker room and driving range facility. Well, what better way to update than with our custom wall graphics? As you scroll through the images below you will see the impact that these vinyl wall graphics can add to even a small area and how much more valuable they are than just a new coat of paint. Our design team met one on one with Coach Hollingsworth several times to sort through images and ideas that would allow her to create a message or feeling that she wanted her team to experience every time they entered the facility. We used images of each of the golf courses the team plays on along with carefully chosen motivational quotes to create a space that the athletes are happy and excited to spend time in. We also incorporated some record boards that will be updated yearly as records are broken and new goals accomplished.