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So, our mat cover tore once this year. Straight down the middle. We did what any southern school would do...go straight to the duct-tape One layer on the top of the hole, one layer on the bottom, crosses over, and then another layer. All in all, 2 rolls of duct tape.

However, that only lasted a season.
And now we have not one, but TWO, full tears...the mat cover isn't covering much anymore [Well it does, if we pull it over well enough and put weights on top so it doesn't fly off...but before that, if it's windy, someone has to lay on the cover so that the hole is covered while we're putting the weights on.] and no, these aren't little spike holes. They're literally cover-long gashes running from the back to the front.

So...any more permanent, yet cheap, fixes?

Use narrow-diameter fishing wire or 69-gauge nylon thread to sew the thing back together. If it's too thick for a machine, use a sewing awl. Cover and waterproof with latex glue or some other kind of seam sealer.