By Danny Bower
After three weeks of preparation and work, the Smith Field House floor has completed the first phase of its planned facelift.
The SFH has a new look that includes new BYU blue and gold trim.
The final phase, scheduled for completion at the end of August, will include new Mountain West Conference and BYU logos and lettering.
The first phase will be completed in time for the first summer basketball camp which starts Thursday, May 25. The camps run through Labor Day weekend.
“We have a small window in May to get the floor ready for camps and then for the volleyball season,” said SFH Activities Supervisor John Graves.
The first phase included sanding the old finish, repairing cracks and chips and repainting the floor in new BYU colors.
“The colors look really good; the blue and the gold go really well together. I think the students will like it,” said Carrie Ann Nielsen, 20, from Carleton, Ore., majoring in mathematics and a student janitor at the SFH.
“The floor is the focal point of the Smith Field House. We want people to notice the floor when they come here,” Nielsen said.
Chuck Anderson, assistant activities manager at the SFH, said floor management is important, considering its central role for intramural and intercollegiate athletes.
“BYU athletes and visiting athletes are always telling us how much they like the floor,” Anderson said.
“We make it a high priority to keep it in good condition. That can be a difficult task considering all of the intramural games and summer camps.”
Anderson said this is one reason the floor is done in phases. The first phase includes painting and refinishing before camps.
The final phase includes putting logos and lettering on the floor after camps, just before the beginning of the women’s volleyball season.
The project means long hours and a lot of work for Graves and Anderson.
“They were here all day and night; they worked along side of the contractors and the workers,” said Mike Kearns, 25, a junior from Mechanicsville, Md., majoring in computer science.
“They take pride in having a first-class floor and they work hard to make sure it stays that way,” said Kearns, who is also a member of the SFH custodial staff.
