Where to take the field, the court, or the rink

While Yale may not boast so many nationally-ranked teams, the University does feature some of the best athletic facilities in the world, including an immense gymnasium that looks like a chapel and a hockey rink that looks
like a whale.

Payne Whitney Gym

JULIA TIERNAN/YH $100 million renovations at Payne Whitney are underway.

No one will say for sure if Payne Whitney, Yale's gymnasium, is the world's largest indoor sports facility. Yet one thing is clear: it is huge. Soon it will be even larger, since the gym, constructed in 1932, is currently undergoing a $100 million long-term upgrade. Among Payne Whitney's current facilities are a 3,100-seat amphitheater, an exhibition pool, 26 squash courts, raquetball courts, rowing tanks, and basketball and volleyball courts.

The upcoming renovations will add still more to this behemoth, including a revamped fitness center, a brighter lobby, and the new Colonel Lanman Center next door, which will contain more basketball courts and an indoor track. Also coming with the renovations, unfortunately, will be closed-off stairways, the noise of construction, the temporary closing of all sauna and steam rooms, and the loss of all racquetball courts.

Payne Whitney Gym is on Tower Parkway, behind Morse and Ezra Stiles Colleges. 432-1444.

The Yale Bowl

Since 1914, when it opened for the Yale-Harvard football game, the Bowl has been the home of the Eli football team. Although it looks worn and aged, its playing surface was renovated a few years ago, and it has remained in regular use. The Bowl has hosted professional football, World Cup soccer, and the Special Olympics. However, it will forever be associated with the Yale-Harvard football game. The stadium covers 12.5 acres and can hold almost 65,000 screaming fans.

The Yale Bowl is on Derby Avenue, a ten-minute drive from campus. It can be reached by Yale shuttle bus.

Coxe Cage

Coxe Cage, home of the men's and women's indoor track teams, is a preeminent track and field venue. Renovations in the early 1980s vastly improved the track's conditions and brought the facility up to date. The Cage has an 83-foot ceiling and one of the largest skylights anywhere. All indoor track and field events are held within the oval Cage, but it is not just used for track. Other teams use it for indoor practices in poor weather, and indoor soccer and ultimate teams use the Cage for winter leagues. Students can also use the Cage for recreational running.

Coxe Cage is on Derby Avenue (near the Yale Bowl), a ten-minute drive from campus. It can be reached by Yale shuttle bus. 432-2499

Yale Tennis Center

The tennis complex at Yale is among the best in the world. It includes 22 outdoor Deco Turf II courts, five outdoor clay courts, four indoor Deco Turf II courts, and a 15,000-seat tennis arena, named Cullman Stadium, with one court. The stadium is the fourth largest in the world, and third largest in the United States. Each August, The Pilot Pen International Tournament is played on the outdoor courts. The picturesque outdoor venue looks out onto the Yale Bowl and other nearby athletic facilities, and includes a courtyard with picnic benches. The indoor courts are open for recreational use from October to May, and the outdoor courts are open from May to October.

The tennis courts are on Derby Avenue, a ten-minute drive from campus. 432-2499.

David S. Ingalls Rink

PATRICK MCGARVEY/YH The Whale was sold-out for most of the men's hockey games this season.

Ingalls Rink, known as The Whale for its unique shape, has hosted Yale hockey since 1959. The Whale's humpbacked roof and arching, 300-foot backbone were designed by prominent architect Eero Saarinen. Renovations in the early '90s improved the rink's surface and locker rooms.

The rink holds 3,486 fans, and was often filled beyond capacity last year during the men's hockey team's run to the NCAA tournament last year. The Whale is open for recreational skating from October to May.

Ingalls Rink is on the corner of Prospect and Sachem Streets, a short walk from central campus. 432-0895.

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