Pharmed Arena
Encyclopedia
U.S. Century Bank Arena is a 6,000-seat
multi-purpose arena
at Florida International University
in Miami, Florida
. It was opened on February 1, 1986 and is home to the FIU Golden Panthers
basketball
and volleyball
team
s. It was originally named "Sunblazer Arena" but was renamed "Golden Panther Arena" when FIU's athletic teams changed their nickname from Sunblazers to Golden Panthers in 1987.
The 94000 square feet (8,732.9 m²) arena contains a 19000 square feet (1,765.2 m²) wooden arena floor. It is also used for banquet
s, conventions
, concerts (seating up to nearly 6,000), trade shows, and graduation
s including FIU's own commencement ceremonies.
The main court is a Cincinnati Robbins perma-cushion maple wood
basketball floor, made up of some 19000 square feet (1,765.2 m²) of wood. Four retractable basketball backboard
s allow for the floor to be divided into two practice courts, while Hydra Goal II portable basketball standards are used for intercollegiate competition. Nevco scoreboards are found at either end.
Support areas include an equipment room, training room and 876 lockers in six different, full-service dressing rooms. Academic space in the building includes three classrooms, and physiology, computer and kinesiology
laboratories. Additionally, there are four, four-wall, fully air conditioned racquetball
courts with a spectator viewing area for recreational and tournament usage.
In late 2008, U.S. Century Bank
bought naming rights to the arena, changing the arena's name to U.S. Century Bank Arena. The arena will undergo a $5 million dollar renovation project set to begin in Summer/Fall 2010, with a completion date of early 2011.
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
multi-purpose arena
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
at Florida International University
Florida International University
Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...
in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. It was opened on February 1, 1986 and is home to the FIU Golden Panthers
FIU Golden Panthers
The FIU Panthers are the athletic teams of Florida International University , a public university located in Miami, Florida. The Panthers compete in NCAA Division I athletics, and are currently members of the Sun Belt Conference...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
team
Team
A team comprises a group of people or animals linked in a common purpose. Teams are especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in complexity and have many interdependent subtasks.A group in itself does not necessarily constitute a team...
s. It was originally named "Sunblazer Arena" but was renamed "Golden Panther Arena" when FIU's athletic teams changed their nickname from Sunblazers to Golden Panthers in 1987.
Banquet
A banquet is a large meal or feast, complete with main courses and desserts. It usually serves a purpose such as a charitable gathering, a ceremony, or a celebration, and is often preceded or followed by speeches in honour of someone....
s, conventions
Convention (meeting)
A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...
, concerts (seating up to nearly 6,000), trade shows, and graduation
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
s including FIU's own commencement ceremonies.
The main court is a Cincinnati Robbins perma-cushion maple wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
basketball floor, made up of some 19000 square feet (1,765.2 m²) of wood. Four retractable basketball backboard
Backboard (basketball)
A backboard is a piece of basketball equipment. It is a raised vertical board with a basket attached. It is made of a flat, rigid piece of material, often plexiglass. It is usually rectangular as used in NBA, NCAA and international basketball...
s allow for the floor to be divided into two practice courts, while Hydra Goal II portable basketball standards are used for intercollegiate competition. Nevco scoreboards are found at either end.
Support areas include an equipment room, training room and 876 lockers in six different, full-service dressing rooms. Academic space in the building includes three classrooms, and physiology, computer and kinesiology
Kinesiology
Kinesiology, also known as human kinetics is the scientific study of human movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, mechanical, and psychological mechanisms. Applications of kinesiology to human health include: biomechanics and orthopedics, rehabilitation, such as physical and occupational...
laboratories. Additionally, there are four, four-wall, fully air conditioned racquetball
Racquetball
For other sports often called "paddleball", see Paddleball .Racquetball is a racquet sport played with a hollow rubber ball in an indoor or outdoor court...
courts with a spectator viewing area for recreational and tournament usage.
In late 2008, U.S. Century Bank
U.S. Century Bank
U.S. Century Bank is a community bank in the U.S. state of Florida, locally owned and headquartered in Miami. U.S. Century Bank is a company that provides consumer and business banking services to communities throughout south Florida...
bought naming rights to the arena, changing the arena's name to U.S. Century Bank Arena. The arena will undergo a $5 million dollar renovation project set to begin in Summer/Fall 2010, with a completion date of early 2011.
See also
- FIU Golden PanthersFIU Golden PanthersThe FIU Panthers are the athletic teams of Florida International University , a public university located in Miami, Florida. The Panthers compete in NCAA Division I athletics, and are currently members of the Sun Belt Conference...
- FIU StadiumFIU StadiumFIU Stadium, popularly known as "The Cage", is the on-campus American football stadium of Florida International University in Miami, Florida, United States. It is the home field of the FIU Golden Panthers football team. The stadium opened in 1995, replacing nearby Tamiami Field, which was used for...
(FIU Football) - University Park StadiumUniversity Park StadiumUniversity Park Stadium is a baseball stadium located on the campus of Florida International University in Miami, Florida, USA. It is the home venue of the FIU Panthers college baseball team of the List of NCAA Division I Baseball programs Sun Belt Conference. The facility opened on January 26,...
(FIU Baseball)