The
Gardner-Webb University
Tuesday, September 16, 2003
www.gwupilot.com
Volume 7 No. 3
Family invasion
Relatives come to
Gardner-Webb for
a weekend of
festivities and to
catch a glimpse of
student life
Photos by Kaylln Bowers and Christina O’Grady
(Left) Senior Laurie Pinkert is pinned during the senior pinning- ceremony on
Friday night. (Right) President Frank Campbell reads to children during the
faculty talent show on Friday night.
Administration plans for stadium renovations
Jennifer Menster
Pilot Copy Editor
In the movie, “Field of
Dreams,” Kevin Costner turns
his com harvest into a baseball
field because a voice tells him,
“If you build it, they will
come.”
Administrators and staff at
Gardner-Webb University are
saying the same thing: If they
build a new press box at
Spangler stadium, athletes, stu
dents and money will come.
After several years of plan
ning, renovations to the foot
ball stadium are expected to
become a reality at the start of
next season.
Renovations include the
On the Inside
addition of about 3,500 seats on
the current visitor’s side and a
new, three-story press box.
The plan to revamp
Spangler Stadium developed as
early as 1995, said Marc Rabb,
director of sports information.
“This has been a long
process because there are a
number of factors included in
building something like this,”
Rabb said.
Chuck Burch, vice presi
dent for athletics, said he is
ready to put on his hard hat and
get to work.
“We’re all ready to get
started,” said Burch. “We’re
waiting on bids from contrac
tors for the steel and brick
before the work can begin.”
Burch said they are opti
mistically looking at October
for getting construction under
way on the three-story build
ing.
However, work will not
interfere with any games,
Burch said, because most of the
construction will take place on
the visitor’s side - which will
become the new home side
once the press box and seating
are complete.
Rabb said they decided to
switch the home and visitors
side for a number of factors
including sun set, room and
view.
The renovations to the sta
dium were not a requirement
for lAA football. Rabb said the
improvements would enhance
the appearance of the campus.
"When people drive into
campus on Stadium Drive, the
new press box will provide a
nice look to the football stadi
um," Rabb said.
The new press box will be
a three-story brick building,
with lots of windows. The first
floor will be the field house,
equipped with a locker room,
athletic training program
rooms, and a new weight room.
The second floor will be
offices, and the third floor will
be the press box, along with a
new president’s box.
"If you’ve ever been to an
away football game and then
came here, you understand the
need for modernization," Burch
said.
. An architectural firm, FN
Thompson Company of
Charlotte, designed the build
ing.
"The firm did a good job of
tying the new press box in with
the rest of the campus," Rabb
said. "They’ve taken a lot of
time to make sure it doesn’t
stick out like a sore thumb."
The new stadium will ben
efit not just the football team
but also thC' rest of the athletic
department, Burch said.
With a new field house,
weight room and office space,
the current field house will be
open for other sports, such as
see Stadium page 2
Drive-in offers
Students find
Physician’s
Blues Traveler
Men’s soccer
News page 1-2
students fun
culture in
Assistant
releases a
defeated by
Features.... page 3-5
times....
Costa Rica....
advises
new cd
Winthrop
Opinion page 6
students
A&E page 7
page 4
page 5
page 6
page 7
page 8
Sports page 8