By Sarah Moomaw, News Staff
Six hours separated Saturday’s men’s basketball tip off and the men’s hockey puck drop at Matthews. In a race against the clock, the athletics facilities crew had to turn the hardwood floor into slick ice.
Athletics Facilities Supervisor Bill Smith and his crew of 32 only need 75 minutes to do so, setting a new record for a doubleheader turnover.
“Waiting for the basketball game to end is the hardest part,” Smith said. “Because if it goes into overtime then we’re behind the eight-ball.”
The transformation requires breaking down risers, chairs, pulling up the hardwood floor, returning the glass atop the boards and smoothing over the ice multiple times.
For a normal floor turnover Smith calls on 26 people – a mix of Northeastern students and other handymen. He boosts his crew on doubleheader days for efficiency.
After breaking down the risers and the chairs that create basketball’s N-Zone, the crew goes to work in teams of four to reinstall the panes of glass, before they begin breaking down the floor.
“Oh, come on,” Smith said.
After some quick math and help from his crew, they had a number. The hardwood floor consists of 15 rows of 15 rectangular sections. Between the hardwood and the ice are 513 rectangular insulation sheets plus 62 specially-cut sheets for around the curves. In all, not counting the risers and chairs, the crew has to remove 800 individual items to reveal the ice’s surface.
Saturday’s doubleheader marks the second and last of the season as both teams head into playoff tournaments at neutral sites in their conferences.
Athletic Facilities Coordinator Greg Shields has only been on the crew for two months, but said the changeover went smoothly and he enjoyed the craze of his first doubleheader.
“I thought it was pretty interesting,” he said. “I’m sure they’ll get old at some point, but right now it’s pretty cool.”
When the seasons end, the athletics facilities crew isn’t off the hook. They are also responsible for floor turnovers and stage construction for concerts inside Matthews.
“[Doubleheaders are] more difficult, because with concerts you don’t have to worry about the basketball court itself,” said junior bio-chemistry major Curtis Sousa, who has been on the crew for two years.
Smith was quick to counter, pointing out the stage used for concerts requires 10 boards around the ice to be removed to make room, adding a challenge and lengthening the installation process.
“That’s the toughest part,” Smith said. “Putting the board back in.”
With the Zambonis returning to their parking spots and puck drop just over an hour away, the crew took a few minutes to sit back and take a breather before installing the nets for warm-ups.
“Honest to god, I do like doing doubleheaders,” Smith said. “I love doubleheaders.”
