Badgers back in action at UW Field House
October 28, 2008 | Volleyball
The No. 25 Badger volleyball team (14-8 overall, 4-6 Big Ten Conference) returns to action Wednesday night at the UW Field House when Northwestern (7-14, 1-9) comes to town. Wisconsin is in the midst of a four-match home stand and Wednesday's match will air live on the Big Ten Network. Tickets are still available and can be purchased groupCode=V&linkID=wisc&shopperContext=&caller=&appCode="> --> here .
If you're unable to make it out to the Field House and are not in front of a TV, you can turn to your radio or computer. Live stats for Wednesday's match are available sportid=133"> --> here and you can tune into 92.1 FM to hear Jon Arias on the call. The radio broadcast is also available on eid=wbg&.done=http%3a//sports.yahoo.com/top/collegebroadcast"> --> Yahoo! Radio for a fee.
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Have you ever wondered what exactly that floor at the UW Field House is made of ' And what happened to the old basketball court' Today, we give you all the answers and history of the Sport Court that the Badger volleyball team practices and competes on inside the UW Field House.
The UW Field House has a long legacy of tradition, hosting numerous Badger athletics and a wide array of other events. It has been updated to a more high tech playing surface since the Badger men's basketball team competed in the facility's debut on Dec. 13, 1930.
One of the biggest renovations benefiting the Wisconsin volleyball team was the change from playing on a wooden surface to the installation of the Sport Court during the 1997 season.
'The game was moving towards the Sport Court surface and it was also the official NCAA championship surface,' said Glenn Betts, who is the Field House facility manager. 'I think there was a lot of emphasis on protecting the players' knees and ankles. The Sport Court does give some cushion and it has a little bit of give as opposed to a solid wood floor, which is a little more unforgiving with them diving all over the place. The Sport Court seemed to make a lot of sense. '
The athletic department did not want to remove the beautiful and historical wood floors of the Field House and the Sport Court was the perfect way for the wood floors to stay intact, but allow for a more-forgiving surface for the volleyball team on game days.
'I don't see any disadvantages, ' UW head coach Pete Waite said. 'I am a fan of it. There are a lot of good benefits. We have an original wood floor underneath so if anyone ever wanted to play basketball they can. There is a lot of history behind the wood floor and it's nice that we can still keep it underneath.'
Unlike a wooden floor, the revolutionary Sport Court surface provides the volleyball team with reduced shock, less pressure on their joints and limbs and less fatigue. The bottom layer is a shock-and-sound-attenuating rubber layer, topped with a high impact polypropylene layer.
There are several advantages to having a Sport Court versus a wood floor.
'Sometimes wood is a hard surface to slide on, Waite said. 'Every wood floor is different and some are really hard. Some of the finishes on other floors are very sticky and can make it quite painful for players when they slide on the floor for the ball on defense.'
The cardinal and black surface is something that makes Wisconsin volleyball game days unique and special. It is a perfect fit for the volleyball team to excel and something that truly stands out as their own in the Field House. The Sport Court is something that catches the eye not only of the fans but the players as well.
'Visually it's very easy for the fans to see the court and the players to see the lines and the school spirit to get the colors out there,' Waite said. 'Separation between the tiles gives movement because they shift slightly to prevent injuries. It is easier to slide on defense 'opposed to a wood floor.'
One of the key aspects of the Sport Court is its ability to be taken down and put back up. Since the Field House is not just used for Badger volleyball, there is a special process of how the floor is put down for the volleyball season and taken up or covered to prepare for wrestling or other UW events.
'Generally for fall, we'll put it down the end of July,' Betts said. 'That's a big process because that 's an all-day event, depending on how well it's going together. We will clean the basketball floor really well, roll out the under fabric and then we will lay down the Sport Court. They're about nine-inch squares and we take them up in four-by-four squares so it's about three-by-three feet.'
To do the whole floor, which includes two full courts, is about a six-to-seven hour process for six to eight people. It takes about three hours in a Friday morning to go from a practice setup, which has two courts to a single-court setup as well as the scorer's table and team chairs.
The Sport Court is known to be a long-lasting surface, with a lifetime of 10-or-more years. The current floor has been down for more than 10 years and a new floor could be in the works very soon.
'Coach Waite was just telling me there 's other surfaces coming out now,' Betts said. 'We're looking at maybe replacing this one soon because it's starting to show it 's age, especially when taking it apart and putting it together. '
The Sport Court surface was created in 1974 as an indoor modular flooring device. For the past 15 years, it has been the official floor of NCAA volleyball. Learn more about the advanced Sport Court surface at www.SportCourt.com.
