The Collegian

Issue date: 2/5/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Courtesy of Rich Pewe/Hillsdale College

A new intramural sports building is in the works for Hillsdale, one administrators hope will provide extra space for student athletics and training. Construction could begin as soon as December, President Larry Arnn said last week in an interview with the Hillsdale Daily News.

Junior Matt Ketron works out in the weight room of the George C. Roche Sports Complex three times a week. He often runs into fitness gridlock between sports teams, students and faculty looking to stay fit.

"I understand that athletes have priority, so I try to stay out of their way, really," Ketron said. "It depends on the hours you're there. The bench presses are never a problem, but those benches near the free weights can be really crowded."

Athletic Director Don Brubacher said the new building will free up space for varsity athletes and provide more open options for other students.

"It will be simply a lot more of what we have, for IM," Brubacher said of the building, which will be located in the wooded area between the sports complex and the Suites Residence. "There'll be quite a lot, quite a lot of additional space for cycling, aerobic movement, and dance studios similar to the one in the complex."

Vice President of Administration Rich Péwé admitted there was a real need for more space.

"It's a project everyone wants to do," he said. "We're not [NCAA] Division 3 - we're Division 2. The facility is a madhouse right now, since we're in the peak time of winter."

Senior Aubrey Calligan agreed.

"[Working out] can be difficult in the mornings, with the softball and baseball teams there," she said.

Current plans for the facility show three hardwood basketball courts, two multi-purpose courts for tennis or volleyball, 3,900 square feet of workout space, which will include treadmills and weight machines, and open lockers (But no showers: "It seems like a trend," Péwé said. "Most people, even my kids, seem to go back to their dorm or house to shower.")

Péwé said the college considered a whole new sports complex, but decided the $14 million price tag would be too hefty. The building administrators settled on will not feature the brickwork found around most of the college, but will cost only $5 million. Even that's a hard sum to raise; Péwé said the short construction time of five to six months means funding is "compressed, and we'd need to have it up front."

Continued...

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