It has been six months since Wayne Huizenga Sr. visited Fort Lauderdale Christian School and donated $600,000 to see the gymnasium bearing his family name get some much needed attention. FLCS has made good use of that time and money as they have given the thirty year old gym a total facelift. The first steps came as air conditioners were replaced or reconditioned to function efficiently. At that same time, the old mercury vapor light fixtures were replaced brand new flourescent sports lighting manufactured by Schelde. These new lights are both 40% brighter and more efficient.
Soon after, suspended gymnasium equipment was installed by Southeastern Surfaces and Equipment. The crew hung two partitioning curtains and installed height adjusters on four of the basketball hoops to make them more user friendly for our young Crusaders. They also installed two suspended volleyball nets, making us the first gymnasium in Broward County to utilize this newer system. The final piece of the puzzle came as every piece of overhead equipment was tied in to one master control center. This system can be programmed and is designed to make gymnasium set-up exponentially more efficient.
The final part of this first phase of construction was laid beneath our feet. The blue tile is history, and we now have a new Taraflex Gym Floor. Taraflex is the material used in the Volleyball, Table Tennis, and Handball arenas of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This new material has the same compression statistics as a traditional wood floor, reducing the frequency of stress-related injuries like shin splints.
We were also able to use the grant money to accent the gym with new furniture. The aluminum benches have been replaced with custom logo chairs and two new scorer’s tables were also purchased to improve the streamline look of the new and improved Huizenga Gymnasium.
“I was exstatic when I Mr. Huizenga agreed to fund the grant,” said FLCS athletic director Keith Huisman. “I had an idea of how good the gym could look, but even I am in shock. It looks like a completely new gym.”
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