It’s safe to say fans of Hoquiam High School athletics will hold their heads high over this one.

As part of the school’s continued improvements to its athletic facilities in the post-COVID era, school officials have recently unveiled a new and improved gymnasium floor at Hoquiam Square Garden packed with plenty of wow-factor features.

The work, which was completed in late July and took approximately three weeks to complete, included a complete removal of 20-plus years of piled up polyurethane coating and sanding of the three-quarter inch thick second grade maple tongue-and-groove boards that make up the floor’s surface.

The removal of the polyurethane – which tends to yellow over time – revealed a brighter white wood finish to serve as the background for the floor’s bold new design.

Once the floor was sanded down, a new coat of polyurethane was applied and the paint and design team got to work on hand-painting all the logos and lines, which provides a stark contrast to the gym’s previous design.

Gone is the basic, single-color “H” design at center court and has now been replaced with a vibrant “H” in Hoquiam’s crimson and gray color scheme, with the correct font to match the school’s branding.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Part of the improvements to the new floor at Hoquiam Square Garden are colored 2-point areas, painted end lines and matching graphical fonts.

Same with the end lines, which are painted in crimson red with wording that matches with the padded walls at each end of the court. One side “Hoquiam Grizzlies,” the other “Hoquiam Square Garden.”

Two very noticeable features sure to catch the eye of everyone entering the gym are the painted 2-point areas and the Grizzly graphic tucked along the north sideline.

The 2-point areas on both ends of the floor are painted gray with the wood grain finish showing through. The painted floor creates a contrast between the white wood look of the majority of the court and key areas and is a feature seen more frequently in collegiate and professional leagues.

The stenciled Grizzly design along the sideline is sure to be a conversation starter, as the stained wood, full-body Grizzly flanked by trees is as unique a feature as one will see in a high school gymnasium.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD A Grizzly design is one of the new features of the renovated gymnasium floor at Hoquiam Square Garden.

The gym features lines for eight pickleball and badminton courts, two volleyball and basketball side courts and the featured basketball and volleyball main courts in addition to “ladders and dots” along the sides to be used for the school’s physical education classes.

In the gym’s 55-year history, the floor had only been sanded down twice – five being the limit due to degredation of the wood’s integrity – with the last time coming in 2003.

Approximately two years ago, school officials discussed sanding the floor down to the bare wood, which led to the opportunity to give the beloved facility a fresh coat of paint.

Hoquiam Athletic Director Shane Krohn had hoped to get the project completed last summer, but had to put it off as contractors tasked with the work were “all booked up.”

With the long wait now over, Krohn is excited to unveil the finished product to the community when the school hosts its first official event – the Hoquiam Volleyball Jamboree – at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5.

“I hope everyone is blow away,” Krohn said.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Hoquiam’s previous gym floor, as seen in this photo, has been sanded down and resurfaced for the for the first time since 2003.