The deafening silence of Assembly Hall during a pandemic

www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/indiana/2021/01/30/indiana-basketball-assembly-hall-deafeningly-quiet-during-pandemic/4323638001/



In the noise factory that is Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, it’s the moments of calm that stand out.



Listen closely to the end of a media timeout, late in a tight game, and you’ll hear 17,000-plus souls take a collective breath. Then a huddle breaks. The horn will sound. “You go from this peaceful quiet to ‘Oh my gosh, time to gear back up,’” said Doug Booher, IU’s director of university events, who helps coordinate ushers and security personnel in the building.



“And it roars back up like a huge engine.”



The longer-term occupants of Assembly Hall come to know these auditory quirks and rhythms. A thunderclap welcomes Martha the Mop Lady, as she pushes her implement across the venue’s east hallway, powerfully singing the IU fight song. There is a roar as the band plays the William Tell Overture and cheerleaders storm the floor, waving their oversized flags. Chuck Crabb, the venue’s public address announcer, can’t hear his own voice as the Hall prepares for takeoff.


“The sound level approaches that of, probably, a 747 jet engine,” Crabb said. “It can really be loud.”



Soundwaves descend like a tsunami from rows and rows of Hoosier fans, stacked so steeply on each side of the court. The loudest crescendos reach the concourse, where Roy Lubovsky, the director of athletic dining, takes his laps and checks on his various concession stands. He will recall halftime of last year’s Purdue contest, because it wasn’t so loud. It was oh-so quiet as Bob Knight prepared to take the floor at Assembly Hall for the first time in 20 years.