Some elements still under construction
After many years of planning and construction, the first phase of the new Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre will be open to students and members on Sat., September 3, 2016.
Though the building may still feel like it is under construction, the new fitness centre, studios, and locker rooms (including a universal, gender-neutral locker room) will be ready for use, accommodating more students and community members than ever before.
The original W.F. Mitchell Centre was built in 1941 when the student population at Guelph was much lower than the approximate 23,000 students enrolled today. Prior to the latest renovations, the fitness centre was often packed with students and the wait times were a major concern.
“If you didn’t go extremely early or extremely late, you’d always have to wait to use one of the machines,” said fourth-year computer science student Alex Sadakhom, who has been looking forward to the renovations since hearing about the project in his first year.
“The [cardio and weight rooms] were basically built when the population was 10,000 students,” explained Sarah Mau, assistant director of athletics at U of G. “Unfortunately for a lot of students, they weren’t really an attractive option for their fitness and recreation needs, and that’s the last thing we wanted.”
With a sleek, modern design, lots of space, and natural lighting, Mau hopes that the new $45 million athletics building will become a hub of student activity, offering a lot more social space and accessibility.
“The biggest first step toward [building] a healthy community is to make people feel welcome in the environment they’re going into so that they find an activity that they love and enjoy—whether that’s intramurals, whether it’s a fitness class, whether it’s the treadmill, whether it’s lifting weights, whatever that might be,” explained Mau.
Sadakhom said that he is most excited about the new equipment (worth $1.5 million), but is also looking forward to the new rock climbing wall and elevated running track overlooking the events centre, which are both scheduled to open this November.
The athletics department will be hosting a grand opening during orientation week on Wed., September 7 that will take students through the new building and offer a chance to ask questions.
The new building is attached to the W.F. Mitchell Centre, which is still being used as the main entrance until the new one is built. The second phase of renovations will see a complete overhaul of the old building with new administrative offices and spaces for varsity athletes, including transforming the previous weight room into a high performance training space in January 2017. According to Mau, there are currently no plans to begin major renovations until funds are raised to complete the next $15 million phase, none of which will be coming from student fees.
However, the Athletics Advisory Council has approved a 4.2 per cent increase in the student athletics fee included in tuition. This base fee does not include a gym membership or fitness classes, but it gives students access to all recreation activities, including swimming, skating, and intramurals to name a few.
The increase in the student athletics fees helps to offset some changes to policy structures and passes, like the new NRG pass which is designed to give students access to as many fitness classes that they want for $45 per semester, instead of paying an individual fee per class.
“We’ve heard from students that they’d like to do more activities, that they’d like to try other things, but they couldn’t afford it because they had to add that on. So this is all-inclusive of any class on our schedule, including yoga, pilates, group cycle, and TRX which were all add-ons before,” explained Mau.
The increase in athletic fees will also go toward hiring more part-time student staff in all areas, including helping people navigate the new building and use the new state-of-the-art facilities safely and correctly.
Students who have never used the athletics centre before are encouraged to check out the new space, try something new, and support their varsity teams.
“It’s a really great way to get involved, meet new people, and feel part of the campus community,” said Mau.
The new centre will also have the capacity to host more intramural sports, like bubble soccer, and will be starting up a few new “recess leagues” that give students and community members shorter bursts of fun and activity throughout the week.