Arena-Auditorium facts for kids
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"Dome of Doom", "Double A"
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Interior view of the Arena-Auditorium, 2011
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 Arena-Auditorium
Location in Wyoming
Arena-Auditorium
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1000 East University Avenue Laramie, WY 82071 |
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| Coordinates | 41°18′48.04″N 105°34′9.91″W / 41.3133444°N 105.5694194°W |
| Owner | University of Wyoming |
| Operator | University of Wyoming |
| Capacity | 15,028 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | February 20, 1982 |
| Construction cost | $15 million |
| Architect | Arena Associates (Corbett Associates of Jackson & Dehnert, Richardson, & Bensman of Lander) |
| Tenants | |
| Wyoming Cowboys | |
The Arena-Auditorium is a huge sports building in Laramie, Wyoming. It can hold over 15,000 people! This arena opened in 1982. It is the home court for the University of Wyoming's basketball teams. Both the Cowboys (men's) and Cowgirls (women's) play their games here. Before this arena, the teams played at War Memorial Fieldhouse.
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The Arena-Auditorium: Home of Wyoming Sports
The Arena-Auditorium has some cool nicknames. People often call it the "Dome of Doom" or the "Double A". It's a very special place for college basketball.
What Makes the "Double A" Unique?
One amazing fact about the Arena-Auditorium is its height. It is the highest NCAA Division I college basketball court in the entire country! It sits at an elevation of 7,220 feet (about 2,201 meters) above sea level. This high altitude can make it tough for visiting teams to play.
The arena has also hosted many important sports events.
- It held the Western Athletic Conference men's basketball tournaments in 1986 and 1991.
- In 2006, it hosted the West Regional of the NCAA Wrestling Tournament.
Record-Breaking Crowds
The Arena-Auditorium has seen some incredible crowds.
- The largest crowd for a men's basketball game was on March 2, 2002. The Wyoming Cowboys played against Utah. Wyoming won that exciting game 57–56. A total of 16,089 fans were there to cheer them on!
The Cowgirls also brought in huge crowds.
- In 2007, the Cowgirls hosted five games for the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).
- They even hosted the WNIT championship game on March 31. The Cowgirls beat the Wisconsin Badgers 72–56 to win the title!
- Tickets for that championship game sold out in less than 14 hours!
- An amazing 15,462 people attended the game. This was the biggest crowd ever for a women's basketball game at the University of Wyoming. It was also the second-largest crowd ever at the "Double A." Plus, it was the second-biggest crowd in WNIT tournament history!
Other Big Events
The Arena-Auditorium isn't just for sports. It also hosts other important events.
- On March 7, 2008, then-Senator Barack Obama gave a speech there. The arena was completely full of people. This speech was part of his campaign to win the Wyoming Democratic Party caucus. He did win the caucus the very next day.
