Wrestling Mat & Equipment Antimicrobial Best Practices Advisory
The Protect & Shield System has been chosen as the “Official Anti-microbial Program” for the NCWA. Protect & Shield is a simple “do it yourself” multi-stage process to help protect your mats equipment and facilities against surface bacteria and fungi including MRSA and Ringworm.
The chemicals used in Protect & Shield have been used on the facilities of West Point Military Academy, Miami Heat, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins, Atlanta Hawks, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Ohio State University, and the list goes on.
Above is an image of the wrestling mats after they were treated. The final coating was still wet when the picture above was taken, Once the final coating dries it is “invisible”. NCWA Executive Director Jim Giunta says:
“When I was a Head Wrestling Coach one of my greatest fears is to have a controllable element become a factor in close duals or tournaments. With skin infections on the rise I took every precaution to make sure those issues are not a factor in the outcome of our matches. After spending years mopping mats multiple times in a day and still battling skin issues I decided to take our protection to the next level. We didn’t want to get to the middle of the season and look back and wish we could have done more………….the anti-microbial treatment was applied to our wrestling room, weight room, and locker room. Our experience was that skin infections dropped tremendously and we can confidently go thru the year knowing we have done all we can to give our athletes the best protection possible. If your program is looking to take infection control to the next level then I would suggest you go on the offense to battle skin infections with Protect & Shield.”
While no product or methodology can prevent all skin infections in a sport where there is skin to skin contact, proper cleaning, disinfecting and antimicrobial coating applications are the best way to prevent disabling skin infections from being spread through mat, clothing and equipment contact. The National Collegiate Wrestling Association is committed to giving all student athletes involved in NCWA wrestling programs the best possible protection against skin infections including MRSA.
The following process will help schools comply with NCWA Anti-Microbial, best practices advisory: (performed once each season)
Optional Steps :
The remaining 1/2 Gallon of premixed Protect & Shield should be used within 48 hours to treat all team headgear, Knee pads, jump rope handles, weight benches, throwing dummies & weight hand grips.
Concentrated Protect & Shield can be mixed, 4 oz into laundry rinse cycle for treatment of Singlets, Workout Shirts & Shorts as well as warm ups. Anti-Microbial effectiveness remains through multiple washes up to 30 cycles before re-treatment is recommended.
The chemicals used in Protect & Shield have been used on the facilities of West Point Military Academy, Miami Heat, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins, Atlanta Hawks, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Ohio State University, and the list goes on.
Above is an image of the wrestling mats after they were treated. The final coating was still wet when the picture above was taken, Once the final coating dries it is “invisible”. NCWA Executive Director Jim Giunta says:
“When I was a Head Wrestling Coach one of my greatest fears is to have a controllable element become a factor in close duals or tournaments. With skin infections on the rise I took every precaution to make sure those issues are not a factor in the outcome of our matches. After spending years mopping mats multiple times in a day and still battling skin issues I decided to take our protection to the next level. We didn’t want to get to the middle of the season and look back and wish we could have done more………….the anti-microbial treatment was applied to our wrestling room, weight room, and locker room. Our experience was that skin infections dropped tremendously and we can confidently go thru the year knowing we have done all we can to give our athletes the best protection possible. If your program is looking to take infection control to the next level then I would suggest you go on the offense to battle skin infections with Protect & Shield.”
While no product or methodology can prevent all skin infections in a sport where there is skin to skin contact, proper cleaning, disinfecting and antimicrobial coating applications are the best way to prevent disabling skin infections from being spread through mat, clothing and equipment contact. The National Collegiate Wrestling Association is committed to giving all student athletes involved in NCWA wrestling programs the best possible protection against skin infections including MRSA.
The following process will help schools comply with NCWA Anti-Microbial, best practices advisory: (performed once each season)
- Thoroughly clean mats with mild detergent and water to remove ground in dirt and soil that can host microbes.
- Allow clean mats to dry.
- Disinfect the mats with a solution of 1 part household bleach to 10 parts water. (again, allow disinfected mats to dry)
- Mix the 1/2 gallon container of Protect & Shield Concentrate with 3 parts water making 2 gallons of ready to use coating.
- Pour off 1/2 gallon back into original container. (be sure to label as "premixed")
- Apply the remaining 1 & 1/2 gallons of mixed anti-microbial coating to a standard 42 x 42 mat as evenly as possible.
- A properly applied anti-microbial coating: Fights against Bacteria and Fungi 24/7 for months after initial application (NCWA recommends: One Coating each and every season)
Optional Steps :
The remaining 1/2 Gallon of premixed Protect & Shield should be used within 48 hours to treat all team headgear, Knee pads, jump rope handles, weight benches, throwing dummies & weight hand grips.
Concentrated Protect & Shield can be mixed, 4 oz into laundry rinse cycle for treatment of Singlets, Workout Shirts & Shorts as well as warm ups. Anti-Microbial effectiveness remains through multiple washes up to 30 cycles before re-treatment is recommended.