Sometimes it seems the Cameron Crazies sweat as much as the athletes in Cameron Indoor Stadium. But after a hot summer of renovation, the fans may be a little cooler.
For years, the athletic department has been exploring options for adding air conditioning to Cameron, but this summer the project may actually happen.
The job is much more complicated than cooling other facilities of comparable size because of the need for a quiet, unobtrusive system. Although plans have not been finalized, administrators are optimistic that construction will begin this summer.
"You have to understand, this is not like putting a window air-conditioner in your house," said Athletic Director Joe Alleva. "It's really a complicated situation." The project would cost between $2 million and $3 million.
University Architect John Pearce said that simply air conditioning the building was not difficult.
"The challenge is designing a system that has little or no visual impact on an interior space that the Duke community feels is memorable," he said. "We think we have a solution and we're in the process of testing the design to be sure that it can accomplish all of our goals within a reasonable budget and within a timely manner."
Regardless of the feasibility of the renovation, many students are staunchly against it. "I always felt it gave us more of a home court advantage," said Trinity senior Ashish Thekdi. "It can be uncomfortable during the games, but I think it's enough of an advantage that we can deal with it."
Trinity junior Lauren McBrien agreed. "I think it shouldn't be added," she said. "I think [the lack of air conditioning] adds to the atmosphere and makes Cameron one of the top college venues in the nation."
However, Duke players and coaches have frequently complained about the difficulty they have playing in the oppressive heat. "It was hot in there today, it wore me out," Chris Carrawell said after Duke's loss to St. John's this season.
Most sizable buildings use large ducts and jets to move interior air outside the facility and replace it with cooler air, but these machines create noise levels that would be unacceptable in Cameron.
In addition, the air currents generated could cause the stadium's various championship banners to wave in the wind.
To help shoulder the heavy costs of fitting a system specifically for Cameron, the athletic department may use funds generated by a surcharge added to men's basketball season tickets for the 1999-2000 season.
In a speech to Krzyzewskiville residents before the Carolina game, coach Mike Krzyzewski reported that air conditioning would likely be added to the stadium over the summer months.
He also mentioned the possibility of raising Cameron's roof or expanding its walls to accommodate additional seats. At least a few administrators were excited about the idea.
"In the future, I would like to put more people with seats," said Tom D'Armi, director of games operations and facilities. "This basketball is so great.... We would like to get 500 or 1,000 more chairs or bleachers." He added that he would also like to see more parking in the vicinity of the stadium.
But Alleva said expansion of the stadium is not a valid option.
"I have no desire to raise the roof of the building," he said. "I think we have the best basketball venue in the country and to change the atmosphere in Cameron would be a crime."
Pearce agreed, citing two past studies commissioned by the University to determine where seats could be added.
"I would say both of these studies indicate that no more than several hundred seats can be added," he said. "Ultimately, these are all relatively minor improvements. Anything beyond that would cause significant changes to the building."
Alleva cited a study from several years ago that raising the roof would be more expensive than building a new facility, which is also not an option for Alleva.
"The seating capacity in Cameron is about perfect for Duke University," he said.
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