The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 04, 1996, Page 3, Image 3
r
Blatt to bee
ALYSSA SMITH Staff Writer
Getting in shape has always been
a challenge, but now just getting to the
gym has become a challenge in itself.
As a part of the Master Plan to
update and expand USC, the Blatt P.E.
i Center has been under construction.
The construction has caused back doors
of the gym to be turned into front doors,
and students must walk through a
maze of fences and dodge tractors to
ij. it. .
gei 10 me gym.
The construction, which began in
May, is expected to be finished by the
middle of the semester, and in two
weeks the front door and aerobic center
is expected to open,
k "We had wanted to be done before
school started," said Jerry Brewer,
Director of Student Life.
The school has invested threequarters
of a million dollars in the
rennovation.
When the construction is finished
the P.E. Center will have a new
entrance with a lounge area and snack
bar. The entrance has been redesigned
to be more user-friendly. Before, the
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entrance was a hall of unlabeled doors
where one could get lost. Now the
entrance will have offices to help direct
students and answer their questions.
Windows have been added to the
front of the building, too.
"Before there was no life-like activity,
everything was concrete," said Brewer.
"The windows will make the building
more inviting."
The center will also boast a 5,000
square foot aerobic studio, which will
be the best in Columbia.
"When fhp ppntpr was hnilt ha^L
in the 1970s students were required
to take gym classes, so the gym was
designed with big locker rooms and
lots of court space," said Herbert Camp,
Director of Campus Recreation.
"Aerobics classes weren't even around
back then, now we have 700 to 80C
women taking aerobics classes a
semester."
The new aerobics center will be the
first space designated for fitness. The
gym floor was used before, which caused
tie-ups and problems for students.
"People would be standing around
waiting for the aerobics to end so they
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iser friendly
could use the court," said Camp.
"Last year you couldn't even hea
the aerobics instructor and there weren
any mirrors, so when you turner
around, unless the person in front c
you knew what to do, you were lost,
said Julie Patersnn a sonhomore a
the University. "Also you had to wal
through basketball games to get t
class."
Although construction has cause
some changes and problems, no on
seems to mind.
"The only inconvenience that w
have had is moving the front entranc
and offices to the side of the building
said Camp.
"I don't mind the construction; i
hasn't stopped me from going," sai
i Paterson.
"If s not really too destructive," sai
Skylar Canniff, a student doing
practicum in The Fit Place, a prevents
j exercise center in Blatt. "I haven
I noticed any drop in student use, either
In fact, student use has riser
i "Intramural sports enrollment ha
r increased this year," said Camp.
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s Fast, in
The Gamecock
USC cuts ribbc
r BRYAN JOHNSTON Asst. Sports Editor These
't ~~ the p]
For a couple of months, we've been jf
watching the construction crews work
? on Williams-Brice Stadium. With each deck
^ passing day and week, the structure has Terra
, been growing even more monstrous than Game
it was before. Finally, it is finished, g^ol
0 People have been waiting to get inside Qj
and see for themselves just what adding up to
^ an upper deck to the south end zone I
e would do to the facility. |
Yesterday, the public got a chance to
e" tour the facility when the athletics ,
e department hosted an open-house. jack9
Athletics Director Mike McGee and USC ^ ^
President John Palms opened the "And
it ceremony with a few comments for the A1
d crowd. panor
"I feel enormously elated about the down
d stadium," said Palms. "I feel this is one perfec
a of the finest stadium facilities in the SEC,
e if not in the country."
The official ribbon-cutting ceremony
,? took place at 4 pm. in front of thousands
of fans and dignitaries. After Palms,
g McGee, Daryle Scott (Coach Scott's wife)
and Charlie Dickerson (President of
Chamber of Commerce) finished cutting
the ribbon, the fans were allowed to ride gfl
the escalator to the new upper deck.
This escalator is the longest in the
state of South Carolina, and the second
longest in the Southeast. The ride up
the escalator averages one minute and
21 seconds, but that's unimportant to
students, because it is unlikely that they
will ride it.
On the way up, you can see just how
big the stadium has become. The project
added 7,600 seats, raising the capacity
to over 80,000. 1,600 of those seats are Col
Pre
!. ~
ling cai
and use any local c
> Easy. It Saves
Fi
>n to finish
} club seats are only 95 feet from o
aying field. z
you take another set of stairs, you
! in the highest portion of the upper c
The lower part is called "The 1
ce" and is reserved fof those in the t
;cock Club who have paid for Full ti
arships. e
ae by one, as fans made the trek 1
the top row, each was amazed with y
he view of the field and just how S
he top of it was. * p
ly legs arehurning like they do s
a Stairmaster work-out," said Bob a
on, a Lexington resident who came
get a first-hand look at the stadium, r
check out this view; Spectacular!" a
so seen from the new addition is a e
n ji iv _l _ J 1 .
aiiuc view 01 Doin ine siaaium aim u
town Columbia. It also offers a o
t view of the new, $1 million, state- h
Ajj, .
umbia Chamber of Commerce F
sident Palms cut the ribbon to tl
pds,l
ailing card.
s.
or long-distance calls. Savings vs. interst
3
ed stadium
f-the-art scoreboard in the north end
one.
The completion of this project is the
ulmination of a series of renovations,
"he new press box, on the west side of
he stadium, was finished last fall and
he coaches offices, located in the north
nd zone, were completed last winter.
Tie enhancements over the past two
ears have enabled Williams-Brice
Itadium to vie for the nation's best multimrpose
stadium. It now offers a 35,000
quare foot meeting and banquet hall for
11 of the Midlands to use.
"Hie addition was built for three main
easons," said McGee. "One was to build
. structure that would conform to the
xisting facility. Two, to honor the heritage
f Gamecock football and three, to build
ne of the finest multi-purpose facilities
o the nation."
# | ?i
ACHIM HUNT The Gamecock
'resident, Darryl Scott, and
ie Stadium.
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