Taking the pain and hassle out of taping mats at wrestling meets, gymnastic meets, and more.

I’ve volunteered at wrestling meets for many years. Having competed in the sport from middle school through college, when my own sons and nephews started wrestling, it was my turn to give back to the sport, and help with the less glamorous part: organization and setting up meets and tournaments.

Taping mats was a thankless, tedious, and painful job, and the tape didn’t always hold. To get it done right, we had to be on our hands and knees, applying the tape with even pressure. Inevitably, everyone eventually stood up, and just stepped on the tape, which almost guaranteed failure.

I started brainstorming. “How can I more efficiently and effectively get these mats taped?” Applicators existed for other forms of taping, so why couldn’t there be a tape applicator for athletic mats? After many months of designing, redesigning, tweaking, and constructing prototypes, my partner and I came up with a taping machine that gets the job done the right way while saving time too!

The response to the Stick-It Tape Machine has been great (and no one misses being on their hands and knees). Please visit us at our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/StickItTapeMachine and check out this video produced by Art Ward, Belding Black Knights coach of the varsity wrestling team: Stick-It Mat Tape Machine Demonstration!