Virtual Walking Tour of the Stan Sheriff Center

Quick Facts

Welcome to the Stan Sheriff Center

Glad you could make our tour today. Let's start by walking from the UH-Manoa's Lower Campus parking structure (remember where you parked!), through the Athletic Complex, and for the first time view the new Stan Sheriff Center. Spectators will purchase their tickets from one of eight ticket windows in the front of the arena. (Here's an arena seating chart to help you in your ticket selection.) Notice above the ticket windows is an electronic message board which will be used for information. Future plans include printing of tickets on site and a computer system to show the seat choices. Off to your left is the Arena Entrance A. Continue through the gates to the Main Concourse. Towards the right is the UH Bookstore's Rain Bow Tique, with logo sportswear and souvenirs. As you pass through one of the tunnels into the arena itself, you view the wonderful hardwood Center Court and massive scoreboard, and the 10,000 green seats. Also notice that the last row of seats on the concourse level is equipped to hold 96 in the wheelchair parking between single fixed seats. The arena facilities are fully ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliant.

Behind the Scenes

What most will not get to see is what happens behind the scenes, or rather, under the seats. Beneath the concourse and the general seating lie not only the locker rooms for the athletes, but all the offices, kitchen, storage, and other rooms (many remain unfinished, like the Laundry Room).

During an athletic event, the teams go off the court through one of the exits to the locker rooms on the floor level. The visiting team will exit from one end of the court into the Visitor's Locker Room. It is clean, compact, and functional with its standard metal lockers and vinyl floor covering. Contrast that to the Home Locker Room which is significantly larger with large lockers that have mirrors on the doors, enough room to hang clothing without getting wrinkled, and will eventually sport a pull-out seat. This room also has wall-to-wall carpeting! Above the whiteboards for each locker room will eventually be a game clock so that both teams will know when they need to be back on the court.

As we walk down the ground level corridor (painted in standard UH off-white), we pass the Weight Room which is almost complete and has a total floor space of 10,000 square feet (900 square meters). Its rubberized surface can withstand dropping of weights and will be primarily used by the student-athletes. Scheduled to be open for use in Fall 1995.

Before and after a game, the Hospitality Area with a view of the grassy knoll is available for the team meal and for the UH Boosters to party. On the opposite side of the arena, the main Hospitality Room remains unfinished.

A Press Room for members of the media includes such amenities as telephones, a work surface with electrical outlets (for typing their notes into their laptop computers), and a photocopying machine (seen in the adjacent room). Next door, the Green Room is where press conferences and interviews are held. The room is also wired to the outside of the building so that the camera people don't need to run separate cables to the media trucks. The Control Room contains the electronics to run the scoreboard and lighting in the Arena.

The food concession cost Marriott $1 Million in construction and another $1 Million in equipment. The main kitchen is the second largest Marriott kitchen in Hawai'i. It sports two walk-in refrigerators, with one of them just for beer kegs. Marriott also controls the four concession areas and the various carts (hot dog, popcorn, ice cream, beer, etc.) on the Main Concourse.

As we head outside, we pass the Main Service Entrance, which is large enough to allow full-size semi tractor-trailer rigs to drive through.

Aside:
Just outside the Main Service Entrace is the shortcut to the Athletic Complex where UH Basketball Coach Riley Wallace fell. Note that since then, barriers have been strategically placed to discourage people from using that shortcut.

End of the Tour

Thank you for joining us on this virtual tour of the University of Hawai`i's Stan Sheriff Center. We hope you will visit us in person soon and enjoy a game, have a snack, and buy a souvenir.

Special thanks to Adam Primas, Assistant to the Athletic Director, for taking us on this behind-the-scenes tour of the facility. Also thanks to Thomas Yoshida, Public Information Officer, for making the arrangements.

February 1995
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