Nov. 13, 2014

CHICAGO - UIC men's gymnastics coach Charley Nelson and women's gymnastics coach Peter Jansson sat down with UICFlames.com to discuss their transition over to the UIC Pavilion for all home events.

"We get to be in the main arena, on the main floor," Jansson said. "It will be a show, and bringing that to the fans, we definitely hope is going to bring even more people in the seats."

The two coaches talked about fan experience, recruitment benefits and earning the bid to host the 2018 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships.

"What I'm really excited about is the fan experience," Nelson said. "Fans will have better concessions, more seating and better sightlines."

The men's and women's gymnastics teams will kick off the 2015 season with a co-ed meet against Illinois and Northern Illinois, respectively, on Friday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. CT at the UIC Pavilion.