28 THE QUEENS COURIER • MAY 24, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Construction on new Louis Armstrong Stadium nears completion
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com / @QNS
A five-year project to modernize
the Billie Jean King National Tennis
Center in Flushing Meadows Corona
Park will be finished by this summer.
In 2013, the U.S. Tennis Association
(USTA), which operates the center,
sought to reshape the look, feel and
functionality of the grounds that host
the U.S. Open every summer. They
launched the Strategic Transformation
project, which has been working on
the look and feel of the grounds for the
past five years.
This includes the construction of
the new Louis Armstrong Stadium,
Bayside residents show support for local girl fi ghting cancer
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Th e Bayside community came together
in a big way to support a local girl and
her family.
On May 12, Butch’s Boxing and MMA
on 35th Avenue was the site of a fundraiser
for three-year-old Olivia Grace, a local
girl battling leukemia. During the athletic
showcase, over a thousand dollars and dozens
of new toys were collected and handed
over to the youngster and her family.
Amanda Rinaldi, who operates the gym
with her husband Butch, said about 70
people piled into the business for the showcase,
and dozens more walked in simply
to donate to the cause. Th e duo spoke
with Th e Courier ahead of the fundraiser
on May 7.
“Our gym was packed,” Rinaldi said.
“Th ere were so many people who walked in
who didn’t even know the family but saw
Th e Queens Courier or the fl yers around
town.”
Olivia was diagnosed with leukemia on
Nov. 30, 2017 and began what will be a
26-month journey through chemotherapy
and other treatments. She, parents Jen
and Ivan Rader-Tarazona and her older
brother were in attendance at the event,
which featured sparring and fi ghters training
conducted by volunteer members of
the gym.
“It was really nice. It was such a bittersweet
thing,” Rinaldi said. “We were really
happy Olivia was there. It was touching
for people to meet her and hear her story.”
When Th e Courier spoke with Jen Rader-
Tarazona, the Fresh Meadows mom pointed
out a lack of awareness surrounding
pediatric cancer. Doctors are not trained
to look out for the illness, she said, and
parents can feel lost when trying to seek a
diagnosis.
To increase awareness, Rader-Tarazona
spoke at the event about her experience
spanning the last couple of months.
“Out of all the cancers out there, pediatric
cancer is the least funded,” Rinaldi said.
“Jen hit us with all these numbers and
statistics and we were just blown away.”
Th e 111th Precinct provided two vehicles
for the event and allowed kids to check
out the inside and use the PA system,
Rinaldi said. Assemblyman Ed Braunstein
also stopped by to meet the family and provide
a donation.
A number of teens who belong to the
gym volunteered to help out at Saturday’s
event. Th e group is already asking the
Rinaldis when they can take part in another
fundraiser.
“Th ey loved it and they want to do
more,” she said. “Seeing Olivia and knowing
what they were pushing for made them
feel really great, and doing things like this
helps them push their skills and become
better boxers. We have some really good
kids.”
built on the footprint of the original
facility, adjacent to Arthur Ashe
Stadium. Construction began in 2016
after the conclusion of that year’s U.S.
Open. That project started soon after
the USTA debuted the new retractable
roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium; a new
Grandstand; new West Stadium arenas;
practice courts; and a completely renovated
and redesigned southern campus.
The new Louis Armstrong Stadium
will be completed in time for the start
of the U.S. Open this August. The new
14,000-seat facility will be the second
stadium on the grounds to feature
a retractable roof. Designed by
ROSSETTI, the roof’s construction
allows the stadium to be the first naturally
ventilated tennis stadium in the
world, encouraging air flow, eliminating
the need for an air conditioning or
processing system in the structure.
“The simple geometry and massing of
the stadium allowed us to come up with
a roof solution where we can open and
close the roof in under five minutes,”
said Matt Rossetti, CEO and president
of ROSSETTI, during a May 17 tour of
the still-under-construction stadium.
“The idea that we want to maintain is
that everybody feels like they’re still
playing outdoors at the tennis court.”
In addition to the retractable roof,
the new Louis Armstrong Stadium
will feature two entranceways with a
grand staircase, an escalator and elevator,
visiting areas on the lower concourse,
storefronts featuring U.S. Open
Collection, Polo Ralph Lauren, Adidas
and Wilson, and a variety of food,
drink and merchandise concession
stands.
“For what we’ve done here in the
past five years, I think it’s remarkable
and extraordinary that we’ve added
so many different elements to the
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis
Center,” said Katrina Adams, USTA
president and chairman of the board.
“Fans are going to be so excited and
the players are going to be excited that
there will be so much room around our
facility that they can spread out and
enjoy tennis at all corners.”
Photo by Oliver Estrella
Olivia and her family attend the May 12 fundraiser
Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser
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