By Brian Cohen – 1851 Staff

The Athletic Center was recently renovated to replace dead spots and chips in the floor. The renovations also included a new logo at center court. Photo by Michael Bueno

The Athletic Center took on a new look with the repair of the hardwood floor in October, just in time for the start of the basketball season. About 60 of the hardwood panels were repaired.

“We didn’t actually replace the floor,” says Men’s Basketball Head Coach Aaron Galletta. “It’s still the same floor we’ve always had. They just did some repairs to it.”

Prior to the repairs, the floor, which was installed in 2003, had some dead spots and chips. “We found some cracks in the floor and we felt that it was going to be unsafe to play on,” said Athletic Director Kristy Walter. The plan was to do additional maintenance on the floor over the summer, however the risks of injury were too high to wait.

Photo by Michael Bueno

After the renovation of the floor was completed, students who went to the Athletic Center saw a floor that was brighter and graced by a new logo at center court. “It’s definitely brighter and it gives the gym a whole new feeling,” Senior member of the Women’s Basketball team Brianna Hoffman said. “There aren’t as many marks or dead spots. The cohesiveness of the floor is a lot better.”

Aside from safety, the goal of the new look floor was for everyone to see a gym that continues to generate school spirit and pride. “One of the benefits is that people are excited to see the new paint job and maybe get some more pride and get more of a culture here,” said Galletta.

Now that the hardwood is repaired, it’s time for the basketball teams to take the court and kick off their respective seasons.