Gym renovations usher in new season of athletics at GBN

During a basketball game this season, fans will pack the green-painted stands, enjoying a bright atmosphere as the floor gleams with reflecting light from the overhead windows.

Since mid-December, renovations in the main gym have been complete, breathing a fresh start into the 60-year-old room.

After years of drawing up plans, construction on the gym began in June 2013.

"The original renovation called to sand the gym floor, repaint the logos and lines, put in new bleachers and paint and clean it up," said GBN Athletic Director John Catalano.

The plans were altered in 

August when construction crews realized a refinishing was not enough for the floor, which dates back to the opening of the building in 1953. In the middle of summer, the Board approved the installation of a new maple floor instead.

While constructing an entirely new floor took time, the change allowed the gym to become more functional for the students who use it, said Catalano.

"Now, on one side of the bleachers is an improved wrestling area that doubles as batting cages for baseball in the spring. On the other side, a dance area can be used for Orchesis and PE step class and also as a pitching practice area, " he said.

Throughout the school year, the gym accommodates practices, performances and tournaments for wrestling, baseball, dance, basketball, gymnastics, and gym classes.

"We squeeze as much as we can into that space," he said. "There weren't as many sports in the 1950s as there are today so the space is used constantly. "

In addition, the new bleachers, which are blazoned with Spartans, make preparing for events quicker and easier compared to the old models' broken motor.

VIEW FULL STORY