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DITULLIO: IT'S BEEN NEARLY TWO
YEARS SINCE ALUMNUS STEVE
SCHULTZ DONATED ONE MILLION
DOLLARS TO RIT, OFFICIALLY
KICKING OFF THE SCHOOL'S POWER
PLAY CAMPAIGN TO BUILD A NEW ICE
ARENA ON CAMPUS. KLOCK: LAST
NOVEMBER THAT FUTURE HOME WAS
OFFICIALLY NAMED THANKS TO A
FOUR AND A HALF MILLION DOLLAR
DONATION FROM THE POLISSENI
FOUNDATION AND TOM GOLISANO. AS
COURTNEY TENANT REPORTS, RIT HAS
BROKEN GROUND AND THE TIGERS
WILL SOON CALL THE GENE
POLISSENI CENTER THEIR NEW HOME.
TENANT: TWO YEARS FROM NOW, THE
RIT MEN'S AND WOMEN'S HOCKEYTHE
TEAMS WILL HAVE A NEW HOME IN
THE GENE POLISSENI CENTER. TO
KICK OFF BRICK CITY WEEKEND, THE
RIT COMMUNITY GATHERED FOR THE
GROUNDBREAKING OF THE NEW ARENA.
ALL: THREE, TWO, ONE! (CHEERING)
TENANT: IT'S FINALLY THE
GROUNDBREAKING; HOW EXCITED ARE
YOU? NEW SPEAKER: VERY EXCITED.
IT'S GOING TO BE EVEN MORE FOR
THE RIBBON CUTTING, BUT LOOK AT
THIS RESPONSE, JUST AMAZING. SO
IT'S GREAT TO SEE THE EXCITEMENT
HERE ON CAMPUS AS WELL FROM THE
STUDENT BODY AND THE TEAM, THEY
COME UP AND TALK LIKE, WOW, WE
CAN'T WAIT TO PLAY IN THIS
ARENA, SO IT'S JUST AMAZING. AND
THE BAND, EVERYBODY'S EXCITED!
HOW COULD YOU NOT BE? TENANT:
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FINALLY BE
HERE WITH THE GROUNDBREAKING
CEREMONY? WILSON: I THINK IT
BECOMES THAT MUCH MORE OF A
REALITY. WE'VE BEEN GOING
THROUGH THE PROCESS BUT IT
CERTAINLY FEELS THAT WAY, I'VE
SAID BEFORE NOW, FOR TWO YEARS
I'VE BEEN WALKING OVER TO THIS
PIECE OF GROUND AND SEEING WHAT
DID THEY DO TODAY? AND GEE, IT
SEEMS SLOW, AND THEN ALL OF A
SUDDEN IT GETS PUT UP REAL
QUICK. IT'S AMAZING TO WATCH HOW
THEY DO THESE PROJECTS AND HOW
MUCH WORK REALLY DOES GO IN AND
WE'VE GOT GREAT PEOPLE WORKING
WITH US, LECHASE FROM ROCHESTER
AND BBB OUT OF TORONTO
ARCHITECTS, I THINK IT'S BEEN A
GREAT GROUP TO WORK WITH.
TENANT: HOW WILL RIT FOCUS ON
BRINGING BACK THE INTIMACY THAT
RITTER OFFERS? NEW SPEAKER: WELL
THERE'S ALWAYS THE CHANCE,
THERE'S ALWAYS THE RISK OF
LOSING THAT FEEL WE'VE HAD SINCE
THE 1960'S IN RITTER ARENA. IT
GROWS EVERY YEAR; THE WHOLE AURA
OF BEING IN RITTER IS AMAZING.
THIS ARENA IS BEING BUILT WITH
THAT FEELING IN MIND. JUST THE
INTIMACY OF THE BUILDING, THE
WAY IT'S STRUCTURED, WILL KEEP
THAT IN MIND AND I BELIEVE WILL
CARRY IT OVER VERY WELL. WILSON:
THEY DID A VERY GOOD JOB OF
GETTING A FEEL FOR WHAT OUR RINK
IS LIKE AND ARE TRYING TO
DUPLICATE THAT AS MUCH AS
POSSIBLE AND I THINK WHEN YOU GO
NEW YOU LOSE A LITTLE BIT OF
THAT BUT I THINK THE FACT THAT
OUR VOLUME WILL ALMOST TRIPLE OR
DOUBLE I THINK WILL MORE THAN
MAKE UP FOR THAT. AS MUCH AS WE
LOVE THE RITTER, THE COMMUNITY,
THE FANS, NEEDED SOMETHING MORE.
THE AMENITIES FOR THEM HAD TO
IMPROVE FOR THEM TO JUST ENJOY
THE EXPERIENCE MORE AND WE'RE
GOING TO DO THAT TENFOLD.
TENANT: WHAT DOES THIS NEW ARENA
OFFER THAT RITTER MAY NOT?
DESTLER: MORE SEATS, REAL SEATS,
IT WILL BE AN NHL SIZE RINK,
THERE WILL BE A NICE CLUB AND A
PLACE WHERE YOU CAN GET DRINKS
AND FOOD IF YOU ARE OF AGE, BUT
MOST IMPORTANTLY WE'RE GOING TO
HAVE A GREAT ATMOSPHERE FOR RIT
HOCKEY. AND WE WILL BE ABLE TO
BRING IN THE BEST TEAMS FROM
AROUND THE COUNTRY TO RIT
BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO WANT TO
PLAY IN THIS FACILITY. TENANT:
WHAT DOES AN ARENA LIKE THIS
MEAN TO RIT AS A COMMUNITY? NEW
SPEAKER: IT WILL CHANGE THE
FABRIC OF THIS COMMUNITY, IT'S
GOING TO CHANGE THE WAY PEOPLE
LOOK AT ONE ANOTHER, THE WAY THE
PEOPLE OF THIS UNIVERSITY. WE
HAVE A LOT OF BUILDINGS ON THIS
CAMPUS, BEAUTIFUL BUILDINGS,
ACADEMIC BUILDINGS AND SPORTS
BUILDINGS, BUT THIS IS GOING TO
BE A ONE OF A KIND FACILITY,
TOTALLY DEDICATED TO BUILDING
THE SCHOOLS SPIRIT, TO BUILD
PRIDE AMONG THE UNIVERSITY. I'M
EXCITED ABOUT IT BECAUSE MEN AND
WOMEN'S HOCKEY ARE SENDING A
MESSAGE ABOUT OUR SPORTS
PROGRAMS TO THE REST OF THE
COMMUNITY, ABOUT WHAT WE'RE ALL
ABOUT. SO I THINK IT'S MORE THAN
BRICKS AND MORTAR. DESTLER: WELL
LOOK, WE JUST HAD AN EXHIBITION
GAME AGAINST THE UNIVERSITY OF
OTTAWA AND WE PRACTICALLY SOLD
OUT RITTER. SO THAT TELLS YOU
WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. SO MANY
PEOPLE WANT TO COME SEE THE
GAMES, WE HAVE PEOPLE COMING
FROM THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE THEY
KNOW THAT THEY'RE ALL SOLD OUT.
SO I THINK THIS IS A REAL
IMPORTANT STEP NOT JUST FOR RIT
BUT FOR THE COMMUNITY OF
ROCHESTER AND I THINK IT WILL BE
A GREAT PLACE FOR THE COMMUNITY
TO COME AND TO CHEER ON OUR
TIGERS. DITULLIO: THE GENE
POLISSENI CENTER WILL SEAT 4,150
FANS AND WILL ACCOMMODATE 350
STANDING ROOM ONLY. KLOCK: THE
ARENA, WHICH IS SCHEDULED TO
OPEN IN THE FALL OF 2014, WILL
BE THREE TIMES THE SIZE OF
RITTER WITH SUITES AND A TEAM
STORE.