Otter Sports Center Gets a Facelift

Johanna Estrella, Staff Reporter

Johanna_Estrella@csumb.edu

May 1, 2008

Painful shin splints, old pullout

bleachers, and basketball hoops

scattered among the spectators of

indoor games are now a thing of the

past as California State University

Monterey Bay (CSUMB) has

renovated the gymnasium floor of

the Otter Sports Center (OSC).

The new sliding doors and

new scoreboard are only a

couple of noticeable upgrades

to the gym. OSC supervisor

Artie Cairel stated that the

immobile basketball hoops,

along with the loose, outdated,

manual pullout bleachers will

also be replaced with newer

ones that allow more space

and increase safety. The new

hoops will be electronically

lifted to the ceiling when

not in use. Cairel said that

students had been using the

same gymnasium that was used

back when the campus was a

military base.

Freshman Kinesiology major

Juliette Ward and center for the

volleyball team is excited along

with many students that have

used the gymnasium before. She

described the old floor as being,

“hard, crackling, and pretty

crappy. Injuries were common

among the athletic team,” said

Ward as she recalled her own

shin splints in the beginning of

the academic year.

Director of Athletics, Dr.

Howard Gauthier said that

many upgrades have been made

over the past couple of years.

“Renovations have gradually

taken place,” said Gathier as

he drew attention to the new

rubber weights added to the

weight room, as well as the

minor paint being used to

revamp the OSC.

Refurbishment is also taking

place behind the scenes, as new

office space will be enjoyed

by OSC employees along with

more new storage containers.

What was once a floor many

described as hard as concrete

will now have the appropriate

infrastructure and spring.

CSUMB students can expect to

enjoy the new gymnasium floor

this summer, as the floor is

expected to be done the third

week of May.