’Canes: New facility is a game-changer
CORAL GABLES — They laughed. They danced. And for the very first time in program history, the Miami Hurricanes practiced in the cool air-conditioned comfort of their very own indoor facility.
On a steamy, sunny South Florida morning where temperatures approached 90 degrees, coach Mark Richt gave his team a treat, allowing them to work out inside UM’s new Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility for the first time on Friday.
Construction on the facility is still ongoing, but earlier this week, Miami athletic director Blake James said the school had been granted a temporary certificate of occupancy that would allow the team to use the facility. And so, even though there were no storm clouds in Coral Gables, the Hurricanes took advantage of the opportunity to get a real workout in their new digs.
And everyone on hand — from school administrators and coaches to players and Carol Soffer herself — appeared thrilled with how the building had taken shape and how quickly it had come to fruition.
“For the first time in my head coaching career, I won’t have to worry about Plan B. This was super fun and I got a little emotional too when it first started, just seeing Carol loving it,” Richt said “It was awesome. When the horn blows and we go straight in here, it will be a big day too.”
Added James, “It’s a great day for the University of Miami, for our athletic program, for the young men in our program, for all the people who have a passion and want to see us win ACC and national championships. This was a piece of the puzzle that was missing for us and one we knew we needed to get in place.”
While Friday marked Miami’s first official practice in the facility, the Hurricanes did get a sneak peek of the building on Thursday night when coaches brought the players in for a light walkthrough.
The goal? Have them get used to the feel of artificial turf under their feet and get an idea of the dimensions in the building, including the space between the sidelines and end zones and the padded walls of the building surrounding the field. Those safety margins were put together by Richt himself during both the design and construction process.
“I was thinking to myself, ‘Should I really go full speed, full blow at practice? I know I have the right safety margins. I know I did everything right, but day one, should I be doing that?’ ” he explained. “Because of that, I wanted them to get at least a little taste of it [Thursday night] so it wasn’t totally brand new.”
It may not have been “totally brand new” to the Hurricanes, but the players were certainly in awe of the 83,000-square-foot facility that houses two turf fields and is projected to cost approximately $40 when completed.
“It was awesome. Way cooler inside. I really appreciate that. It really felt good to be here,” linebacker Shaq Quarterman said. “This has been a long project before even I got here. So it just feels good to see it come to pass and just be in here for the first time. … It’s not even fully done yet, but it’s amazing.”
Added center Tyler Gauthier, “It’s definitely a gamechanger. Being down here in this heat, you come out to a practice and you sweat [even when] you’re a recruit watching [practice]. It’s definitely nice to see this and know that there’s always this option to come in here to.”
Along with the practice area itself, the facility will include an additional 30,000 square feet of renovated office space for the Hurricanes football program.
Coaches offices and team meeting rooms will be revamped. There will be a recruiting suite to host prospective players and their families. There will be space for Miami’s recruiting department, graduate assistants and quality-control staffers. Even the team’s video staff will have its own space in which to work. million