SALISBURY — The Salisbury School dedicated the new Flood Athletic Center in a ceremony Jan. 9. The center has been under construction since 2008.
Former headmaster Richard Flood and his wife, Sally, were honored in speeches, including one by current Headmaster Chisholm Chandler.
The center, which cost $28.5 million according to school Business Manager John Magiera, includes an ice skating rink, two basketball courts, a squash pavilion and a weight room.
Magiera said the school needed a full athletic center to accommodate sports year round.
While the community will be invited to use the ice skating rink, other facilities in the center will be only open to students and school staff.
The first public skate was held Jan. 10. That afternoon, the school’s hockey teams defeated Deerfield on their home ice. The varsity won 3-1, the junior varsity won 5-0.
Although the center wasn’t officially opened until last weekend, it has been in use since Nov. 30.
The championship Salisbury hockey team has been on the ice for this entire season. While the center was under construction, they were guests at first The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville and then the Berkshire School in Sheffield, Mass.
Even though the team was not on home ice last year, they still managed to win the 2009 New England Prep Championships. This year’s coaches are Andrew Will, John Toffey and Matthew Corkery.
Also on Saturday was the dedication of the Robin Mead Wrestling Room, followed by a varsity wrestling meet against Hotchkiss; dedication of the squash center followed by a match against Avon (varsity won 6-1, thirds won 7-0); and dedication of the basketball arena, followed by a game against Trinity-Pawling (varsity lost 56-54, junior varsity won 50-49).
