The University of Alabama is set to open an athletic arena that is unparalleled in the United States.
Yesterday, university officials celebrated the completion of Stran-Hardin Arena, a brand-new $10 million facility for UA's Adapted Athletics program. The new arena features an NCAA-regulation venue for wheelchair basketball along with brand new strength training equipment adapted for athletes in wheelchairs, men's and women's locker rooms, conference and study rooms and much more.
Adapted Athletics program founder Dr. Margaret Stran spoke at the ribbon cutting. She says what makes the new facility special are all the thoughtful little details.
“One of them is the bleachers. There's a cutout for every set, for someone who sits in a wheelchair, so I can sit with my whole family, and not just one person. Just little things like that, to make sure that this was world-class.”
Stran-Hardin Arena will open to the public on Saturday, January 20 with a wheelchair basketball alumni tournament.