Many UMass Boston students cherish the Clark Athletic Center, and one of the ways they show it is by going to the gym daily to play some basketball between classes. Unfortunately, the condition of the floor was, until recently, so bad that it caused injuries to those who would play on it. A temporary floor was installed in the Center this year to alleviate the problem. Now construction is underway to give the facility an entirely new floor.
This major renovation is one of a number of upgrades to the UMass athletic facilities this year. The hockey rink was repainted, and ground will be broken on a new, state-of-the-art baseball park in June. And, in addition to the floor replacement, the gym will also undergo some much needed cosmetic changes and upgrades to spectator seating.
To accomplish these upgrades, the Clark Center gymnasium closed on March 19. It will continue to be closed throughout the summer as crews install the eagerly awaited surface. When it reopens in the fall, it will have a capacity of 3000 people. For those who still want to use the athletic center in the meantime, the pool and ice rink (with ice removed), will still be available for use.
Charlie Titus, athletic director and head coach of Men’s Basketball, expressed enthusiasm for this new floor. When asked about the many injuries that the old gym floor caused, Titus replied, “We sustained numerous back and knee injuries, as well as stress fractures and shin splints on the old floor. Since the temporary floor was put down, these symptoms have decreased by 90 percent.” The new floor will have the same properties as the temporary replacement, which is good news for any UMass teams and opponents who use the floor constistently.
The new facility is scheduled to open Aug. 15, ahead of the Fall 2012 semester. When asked about the reaction from the coaches and athletes to the new gym facility, Titus said, “They cannot wait. This project is going to change the whole feeling of the students, coaches, and university community.”
The floor is going to be very beneficial in the long run. The gymnasium has been a place where teams didn’t want to visit due to it’s unsafe nature and heightened risk of injury. This new surface will male not only for a better arena ascetically but it will make it a safe and more comfortable place for student athletes to play and practice. Only time will tell if these renovations bring in more attendance to Beacon games, but for now, they will secure the safety of UMass students and student athletes for years to come.