Just in time for the 2026-27 volleyball season, Capital High School has finished its summer project of reconstructing its gym floor.
The new floor features a stained design of the Washington state Capitol building’s silhouette, along with the words “The Cage” and “Est. 1975.”
CHS officials say this project has been long overdue, as the last time a major reconstruction on the gym floor was completed was in 1981-82 when the floor was flooded by a broken sprinkler.
According to Beau Neilson, director of Capital Planning and Construction, damage to the previous floor included cracked finishing, water damage, and protruding volleyball and gymnastics inserts that became tripping hazards.
Construction began July 13 and finished just before the Capital volleyball team began practices on Aug. 24. Crews sanded the floor down to bare wood before it was stained with the new design and game lines for volleyball and basketball. Then, the curing process began and took about two weeks. Additionally, the colors and logos were updated to match the new branding for Capital High School. Maintenance crews also did some repainting on the walls and replaced some of the wall padding, according to Neilson.
This project cost $60,000 and was funded by the 2016 Olympia School District bond that was approved by voters.
Athletic staff, led by athletic director Steve Taylor, were put in charge of coming up with ideas for the new court. They knew they wanted to follow the recent trend of stained designs on floors.
“We really fell in love with the state capitol silhouette,” Taylor said. “It was a collaboration with everybody in the athletic department and the physical education department.”
Taylor was a student at Capital the last time the floor was redone. He recalled the power going out over Christmas break during a heavy winter, and the sprinkler lines in the gym froze and burst, flooding the gym.
Fast forward about 45 years, and the new floor is ready to make its debut Thursday night as Capital volleyball hosts rival Olympia. Students had the chance to check out the new floor during an assembly on the first day of school Thursday.
“We’re super excited about it. It’s been a long time coming, and the finished product is amazing,” Taylor said.
