Multipurpose Gymnasium Renovations A Big Hit

The Multipurpose Gymnasium in the twenty-six-year-old Student Development Complex recently underwent a dramatic change, turning one of the biggest complaints about the facility into a great source of compliments.

The renovated gym now has four basketball courts—two NCAA regulation ninety-four-foot courts in the middle and one eighty-four-foot court at each end; a regulation-shaped, five-lane, 200-meter track surrounding the basketball courts; lines for four volleyball courts and seven badminton courts; a pole vault pit; and a rock-climbing wall.

The centerpiece to the renovation project was new flooring throughout the nearly 42,000-square-foot room. Horner Flooring, which is located in nearby Dollar Bay and is famous for making floors for NCAA Final Fours and other major events, won the bid to supply all the flooring. The installation of the floor was handled by Baseman Brothers out of Germantown, Wisconsin, and was completed one week ahead of schedule. The total cost of the project was $606,000.

"This will make a huge difference for the men's basketball program," said Tech's Associate Athletic Director and Men's Basketball Coach Kevin Luke. "We didn't practice in the Multi because of the risk of injury on the old floor. That meant we were waiting to practice at night or early morning to use the varsity floor. Now volleyball, women's basketball, and men's basketball will be able to practice at the same time in first-class facilities."

The renovation materials included 23,600 square feet of maple wood surrounded by 18,000 square feet of Olymp-x Cushioncourt synthetic flooring. A quarter-inch foam layer and two layers of half-inch plywood serve as the subfloor for the new materials, and it all sits on top of the old surface. Consequently, the basketball rims were raised and all entrances adjusted to account for the two-inch rise in the floor.

The new floor replaced a rubber synthetic floor that was not popular among students, coaches, or athletic trainers.

"The rubber is possibly worse for athletes' joints than concrete," said Nate Larson, certified athletic trainer at Portage Health. "The tough pounding takes its toll on the cartilage in joints and wears the cartilage out faster, leading to injury. The wood floor absorbs more energy and lessens that pounding."

In addition to the floor, the Multipurpose Gym received a fresh coat of paint in Tech's school colors, including large Michigan Tech logos on the end walls. The last pieces of the puzzle were divider curtains, which separate each of the four basketball courts and make three more-versatile spaces on each end.

The project was born early in the 2005-06 school year from meetings of the SDC Advisory Board, which consists of staff, faculty, students, and community members. The SDC staff took the proposal to Undergraduate Student Government, which agreed with the need for improvements. The project was almost entirely funded with student activities fees.

"Students asked us to make the Multi better, and I'm glad we could accommodate them," said Mike Abbott, director of sports and recreation. "The renovations were long overdue."

The facility is already being used by students, physical education classes, intramurals, youth camps, the NBA (Noon Basketball Association), and the football and track-and-field teams.

To most observers, the improvement was dramatic.

"It's a really impressive facility now," said Athletics Director Suzanne Sanregret. "I don't know of many other NCAA Division II schools with something as nice."

Business professor and regular NBA player Jim Gale also sings the praises of the renovation. "Not only is the floor itself beautiful to look at, it's very functional. I come off the court after playing for an hour and my legs don't hurt as much as they used to on the old surface."

       © 2006, Michigan Tech Magazine

       Michigan Tech Magazine | Fall 2006 | http://www.mtu.edu/