SLU to Construct New Varsity Fitness Center

The St. Lawrence University administration is in the early stages of constructing a new fitness center for varsity student-athletes, expected to be made as an attachment to Appleton Arena. The project will provide student-athletes with access to brand new facilities, including an improved weight room, a video and media room, a treatment center and a player’s lounge, among other modules.

In a formal statement, university spokesperson Kim Asch said that the project aims to meet many needs of St. Lawrence athletes. “The university will revamp the current strength and conditioning space utilized by Division III student-athletes in the Stafford Fitness Center and Newell Fieldhouse, allowing open access to a larger fitness area for all students, faculty and staff,” stated Asch.

According to Asch, the $14.5 million project is almost completely covered through philanthropic donations by alumni, namely a lead donation of $5 million from George Karpus ’68. “The donor-funded expansion of the Appleton Arena is designed to strengthen the St. Lawrence experience for all students,” wrote Asch. Additional donations, such as a $2 million gift from Tom Dolan ’74 and the Dolan Family Foundation helped cover the project costs.

Fitness Center Director and Strength and Conditioning Coach Jon Lynch said that the new fitness center will host an extensive variety of training equipment. According to Lynch, powerlifting racks, a 23-yard astro turf, a fleet of assault bikes and a wider selection of medicine balls and kettlebells are among some of the equipment which will be available to student-athletes. Additionally, iso-kinetic sleds called “tanks,” which only move at one speed no matter how much the user pushes will also be among the new, advanced equipment.

The current varsity weight room, which resides next to the general fitness center, is expected to become an extension gym for general, non-varsity athlete gym goers. Lynch is still in the planning stages for the future of the space. “wI don’t have the exact, definitive plan for [the current varsity weight room] yet,” said Lynch. “But my vision is to keep most of the equipment and structure of this space, and use it for a couple of different things.”

Lynch expects some big changes in the fitness center staffing with the finishing of the project. According to him, the staffing is going to be “overhauled entirely.” Lynch plans on hiring personal training interns who would be strength and conditioning specialists that would work with gym-goers. “They would potentially staff the fitness center, staff the varsity weight room, and assist to fill a lot of the gaps,” said Lynch.

These interns would be certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the governing body and “gold standard” in collegiate athletics.

First-year student Luke Hughes is a frequent gym goer and values the quality of the facilities students have access to. He is especially looking forward to the additional space the project will be creating. “I know there will be more space. Especially during the hours of three to six, when it’s absolutely jammed packed, shoulder-to-shoulder, we’ll have more space to move around,” said Hughes.

Hughes supports the school’s decision for the project and believes in the importance of quality facilities for the entire community. “I feel like having access to a good facility can make it more enjoyable to work out and better yourself,” noted Hughes. He continued, “I think that these facilities are pretty important and they should be maintained and kept up to date, and in my opinion, I feel like that will draw more people to the school.”

First-year Erik Shattenberg is a student-athlete and is a member of the Men’s Track and Field team. Like Hughes, Shattenberg is excited for the changes the project will bring. “I’m really look forward to some new equipment, and probably some more space for activities,” he stated. As a student-athlete, Shattenberg asserted the importance of access to up-to-date facilities for athletic teams. “[Quality facilities] give us an edge over some other teams,” he said.

However, Shattenberg would not deem the project as the most important way the school could be using its money. “I wouldn’t call it necessary. There’s definitely some other things the school could be doing,” he commented.

Either way, Shattenberg is not opposed to the project now that it is under way. Like him, both SLU student-athletes and non-athletes are anticipating this new addition to the school’s facilities.