With the XIX Winter Olympics gold rush now in the history books, there will no doubt be a following rush to the rinks, as kids dream of being the next Sarah, Derek or Anton. We'll offer a closer look how facilities can best serve these Winter Games dreams from figure skating and speedskating to hockey and even curling.

Choosing the right floor for the right uses is no small step. We'll walk you through some of the important flooring elements of performance, safety, appearance and maintenance.

A look at some great ideas how to serve and market to senior citizens, including fine-tuned facilities and programming just for the older set.

Preventive maintenance, through regular checkups, is still the only way to ensure a clean, clear, safe pool—whether indoors or outdoors, open year-round or seasonally. It involves two broad areas of focus: water chemistry and everything other than water, including pool equipment, as well as pool area and surface maintenance.

Ten years later confusion persists.

Yes, it’s been more than 10 years since the Americans With Disabilities Act was adopted into law. Make no mistake, it’s no longer a matter of courtesy to provide barrier-free accessibility to persons of all physical capabilities, including the disabled—it is a civil right. Inaccessible facilities are defined as a form of discrimination. And, while the U.S. Department of Justice and the Attorney General don’t have a squad of "ADA Police" checking out buildings, many, many law suits have been brought against properties not in conformance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG).

Opened in September 2000, this $28-million, 168,500-square-foot complex is one of the nation’s largest public recreation centers. Rather than asking what it offers, it may take less breath or space to answer the question, "What doesn’t it have?"

Part one in a three-part series.

If it hadn’t struck an iceberg and sank on April 14, 1912, the Titanic would have arrived at Chelsea Piers on April 16. Instead, 675 survivors were brought to the piers on April 20. While the end-all, be-all of luxury cruise liners met a tragic fate, the end-all, be-all of sports and entertainment complexes, which now exists where the Titanic would have docked, looks like it has an unsinkable future.

And to think, just over 10 years ago, Chelsea Piers was a crumbling mess, scheduled not for distinction, but for destruction.