I believe Gymtastics in Calgary is the first Canadian club to replace their pit foam with Rounders.
Rounders™ are the only pit foam available with a flame retardant cover. A unique conical shape.
Club Founder Dar Fedyna is well pleased with the investment.
Cost is perhaps double regular pit cubes. But the lifespan of Rounders should be 2-3 times regular cubes.
For a higher initial cost you have a much cleaner gym. With lower risk of allergic reaction to dust.
Ideal for Recreation programs.
Downside?
The cubes are slippery. Kids get buried deeper than in regular foam. Adults have trouble climbing out. … I learned that by jumping in myself.
You might want to ready a throw rope for self-rescuing Adult Rec gymnasts. 
I’m convinced.
Any future gym of mine will not have regular (filthy) foam cubes. It’s Rounders or resi-pit.
related – Darlene “The Bean” Fedyna is the Rec guru behind Gymtastics Gym Tools. She’ll be presenting for the first time at USA Congress 2013. I’ll be at those sessions, for sure.
12 comments ↓
it might also be worth it to try buying enough for the top 5 feet only and use the reg on the bottom
Is there any difference when you have a mat on top of the rounders as opposed to foam? The one in the picture kind of looks like it might be a little unstable.
for higher level gymnasts you will see lots of rolled ankles, pit must be fluffed after every few turns, I have also seen kids land on 8″ Mats in the pit, stager sidways, step in to the cubes and twist and ankle.
Some things should not be fixed.
flame retardant? if the gym is going to go up in smoke, there is PLENTY more plastic/foam for the gym to burn
probably as unnecessary as selling ice to eskimos!
This is the future. the round shape allows more air between blocks. less fluffing and softer landing and will last many years longer. These do not break down just like the covered foam in your car seat. Foam breaks down when exposed to light. These will last for 20 years. and the best thing, no pit dust in your gym or on your kids. the expense is worth it if you have the money. you will make it back many times over the years.
It looked OK to me.
… but I didn’t jump on to the mat, myself.
PT – thanks for your comment, saves me writing the exact same thing! I always laugh when I see ‘flame retardant’ as a selling point for this product…
“Oh well we lost the entire gym in the fire… but we have a truckload of foam balls that were saved, thank God…”
Han – Polyethylene foam, the type in pits, is made from petroleum. Oil that is. Untreated with flame retardant chemicals it is as flame-able as gasoline. Untreated foam can cause the gym to burn down. In the US untreated foam in a pit will not pass a fire inspection and the gym will be closed until the foam is removed. Many gyms still use untreated foam and it is a big mistake. Flame retardant foam costs about 1/3rd more but if you get caught using untreated foam you will need to remove it from your gym. I believe that is why you see it used in advertising so often.
Start value – I appreciate the reply. Can I ask though – are regular foam blocks usually ‘treated’, or are Rounders the ‘ONLY’ blocks that are flame retardant?
Block foam sold by gymnastic companies are flame retardant. Some clubs buy foam direct from foam companies which may not be treated. The difference with the rounders is that they are covered with fabric so they do not break down and turn to dust. Light causes foam to deteriorate. If your gym is well lit or has windows the foam can break down quickly. In a darker gym it will take longer. Covered foam in a pit should last a very long time before having to be replaced.
Foam blocks are required to be fire resistant in most jurisdictions now.
They were simply clarifying that the Rounders covers are fire resistant, too.
we solved the problem of falling through by using half rounders and half blocks. seems to be working but the rounders all end up on the bottom.
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