The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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96 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY TIM PEELER L ong in the making, the Close-King Indoor Practice Facility is finally ready to open its 16 vertical-lift glass doors and weather-proof NC State's football team. The $17.8 million facility will benefit more than just head coach Dave Doeren's program, obviously, with four field-length sprint lanes and an in-ground pit and above-ground pads for track and field and a lush artificial turf that can host practice for men's and women's soccer, baseball and softball when weather keeps them from going outside to prac- tice and train. Named in honor of the lead gifts made by alumni and long- time financial supporters Der- ick Close (1982) and Jim King (1962), the facility opened in time for June's football camps workouts, but was not completely finished with all the bells and whistles by the beginning of July. More logos and branding will be added to the interior perimeter, along with the extra-large Block S that is embedded on the 50-yard line in the artificial turf. By the time football practice begins in August, however, the building will be ready for the hottest days of summer, with its 120- yard field, two viewing platforms, and remote-controlled cameras for capturing practice and workouts. Its high-arching ceiling, which reaches a height of 65 feet, and suspended goalposts are perfect for year-round kicking workouts. There is additional training space beyond both end zones for conditioning workouts, a sound system for piped-in crowd noise and support areas for equipment, strength and conditioning, and sports medicine. The facility — needed since the days of the late Bo Rein and promised to every successive coach since the 1970s — broke ground last spring and opened for use for the football program for summer camps and workouts in early June. The hulking structure in between Carter-Finley Stadium and the Dail Practice fields wasn't quite ready for spring practice, the first day of which was delayed because of snow and ice. "It'll be nice to have," Doeren said back then, wistfully looking at the framework while his team prepared to kick off its 15 days of offseason training. Doeren told those who attended a dozen or so Wolfpack Club Caravan stops in early May that the indoor facility will have a big impact on his team's training. Last year, Doeren said, the team had three dozen days of practice or workouts affected by inclement weather. With NCAA-mandated limitations on practice, that's a significant loss on Doeren's simply stated goal for his program: to get better every year. "It will make a huge impact on our ability to train year- round," Doeren said. "Football is a 12-month sport, and now we won't lose any days because of inclement weather." Senior associate athletics di- rector Michael Lipitz, the chair of the university building committee for the project, called the indoor practice facility "the final piece of the puzzle for NC State football … [that] will service the needs of football and our other field sports." In the last decade, the Carter-Finley Stadium complex has un- dergone a massive transformation, beginning with the construction of the Murphy Center, the addition of Vaughn Towers luxury suites and press box, and the enclosing of the south and north end zones with chair-back seats and grandstands. The Dail Practice Fields adjacent to the stadium feature three full-size practice fields, including one with artificial turf. The ad- dition of the indoor facility between the main field at Carter-Finley and the practice fields now gives the Wolfpack one of the Atlantic Coast Conference's finest workout complexes. "We will be one of the few programs in collegiate sports to have access to five fields to practice on," Lipitz said. While long-needed, the practice facility is just one part of the Wolf- pack Club's $200 million Championship Commitment campaign, which also includes the $35 million renovation of Reynolds Coliseum that began in March and a drive to boost the club's endowment. ■ Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tm- peeler@ncsu.edu. Close-King Indoor Practice Facility Key Numbers At A Glance 16 Vertical-lift glass doors 500 Tons of structural steel 69,000 Square feet of exterior insulated metal wall panels 99,000 Square feet of roofing 5,680,000 Cubic feet of interior volume The $17.8 million facility will benefit more than just the football program, with four field-length sprint lanes and an in-ground pit and above-ground pads for track and field, and a lush artificial turf that can host practice for men's and women's soccer, baseball and softball. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2015