In a pregame ceremony on Tuesday, Dec. 14, Parkside Athletics officially rededicated the Alfred and Bernice De Simone Arena, marking the grand opening of the facility that was transformed as part of RangerVision 2020.

During the ceremony, online and in-person attendees heard from Director of Athletics Andrew Gavin, head men's basketball coach Luke Reigel, and Chancellor Deborah L. Ford.

Additionally, thanks to Upload Partners, videos featuring UW System President Tommy Thompson, RangerVision 2020 Community Champions, and coaches and student-athletes were viewed on the two state-of-the-art video boards in the arena. 

To watch the coaches and student-athletes video, click here. 
To watch the RangerVision Community Champions video, click here. 
To watch the full ceremony, which includes both of the above videos, click here. 

"What a special night to officially rededicate De Simone Arena," Gavin said. "The project started with some green paint, branding, and a vision of what the facility could become, and it has become a reality as one of the best facilities in Division II. Our student-athletes, coaches, University, and community are all deserving to call this facility home."

The enhancement to the facility includes a complete bleacher reconstruction, the installation of two state-of-the-art video boards, and the creation of the Educators Credit Union Suite, The Bear Club, and the Nexus Courtside Club.

"What a great night to celebrate a great arena," said Chancellor Ford.  "This facility is the embodiment of the partnerships and engagement we work hard to foster with our alumni and in our community.  I hope everyone has a chance to come to the De Simone Arena, watch our Parkside teams in action and see the new and improved space!"

De Simone Arena was enhanced due to the commitment from University leadership coupled with generosity from alumni, supporters, and community partners. The project would not have been possible without the RangerVision 2020 Community Champions, including HARIBO of America, Educators Credit Union, Bear Realty, Nexus Pharmaceuticals, the UW-Parkside Foundation, Partners In Design, BMO Harris Bank, Festival Foods, Gateway Mortgage, Golden Oil Company, Lee Mechanical and Vonco Products. Also a special thank you to local companies Partners In Design Architects and Camosy Construction that provided their leadership and expertise on the project.

To learn more about our RangerVision Community Champions and why they supported the project, watch this video. 

"Internally and externally, there are countless people that assisted in the transformation and creation of De Simone Arena," Gavin said. "We were thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate our progress and those that made this project possible."

In addition to hosting indoor home athletic contests, it also regularly hosts Convocation and Commencement activities for the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Gateway Technical College. UW-Parkside's winter commencement ceremonies are slated for this Saturday, Dec. 18.