By Blake Dowson
Carver-Hawkeye Arena is receiving a face-lift this summer in the first phase of what Athletics Director Gary Barta calls a two-part renovation, and the progress made so far has fans and athletes excited.
The upgrades — which include a new sound system, new lights, a large video board over center court, and new hardwood floors — were put into motion to enhance the fan experience at the 32-year-old arena.
The sound system in the arena was a common point of complaint among fans over the past couple years; it was mostly drowned out by the fans in attendance. That will change now with a brand-new system.
The video board hung over center court will be a nice addition for the fans as well. The existing video boards that were hung at the top of the bowl of the arena were sometimes hard to see, but the four-sided center court solves that problem. Replays will be easier for fans to see, and the combination of the new sound system and bigger video boards will, hypothetically, make for a much better fan experience.
The new hardwood surface is believed to be very similar to the old one, with the large black Tigerhawk in the center of the court and black painted areas on each ends. The esthetics of the arena floor have been lauded on such entities as ESPN, but the condition of the floor was deteriorating and needed to be repaired, with dead spots on the floor in certain areas (reminiscent of the old parquet floor at the now-gone Boston Garden, which beguiled Magic Johnson in the 1984 NBA Finals).
Phase two of the arena upgrades will include an atrium, a lobby, and an entrance to the arena in which the school’s history will be displayed, according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
The men’s and women’s basketball teams, as well as volleyball, wrestling, and men’s and women’s gymnastics all call Carver-Hawkeye home. That, presumably, will continue.