Old becomes new again!

Over the years I have collected mats of various shapes and sizes to help me teach gymnastics. Although my gym is one the best outfitted gyms in the world with the newest, most up to date mats and equipment, I still have lots of old mats----many of them older than most of my students.
There’s a certain sadness that falls over me whenever I consider throwing an old mat away, no matter how beat up it is. Too many great memories and gymnasts gone by that made up a big part of my history are represented in these old mats. These are the very things that define my present status in life and the current coaching world I live in.
Rather than send these mats out to the mat grave, I give them a new life by either recovering or transforming them from one size and shape into another.
A perfect example is the new life I recently gave my old, useless fold up 4 inch landing mats that no longer provided any safe cushioning for gymnasts to dismount onto. By adding some waffle design foam and a new cover I was able to make 3 perfectly functional porta pits.
And they look and work great for the next new generation of Olympians!