Varsity teams rerouted to Baker Ferguson weightroom
For varsity athletes, going to the gym is an integral part of their training routines. To keep themselves in playing shape, they can spend up to 10 hours per week working out at the gym. Without the team training space usually located in the Sherwood Center, Whitman’s teams have had to alter their typical schedules.
The loss of the varsity weight room in Sherwood funnels all of the varsity teams into the Baker Ferguson Fitness Center (BFFC). The popular $10 million weight and cardio facilities are among the best in the conference in terms of the quality of the machines and the size of the space itself. However, with the combined traffic of varsity athletes and the rest of the public, it can get overcrowded.
“It’s hard to go in there with 10 or 15 guys who need to all use the same machines. Sometimes there just isn’t enough space,” said senior tennis player Christoph Fuchs.
Especially with the strict NCAA regulations regarding off season practices, it is difficult for one facility to suffice. These regulations restrict the amount of coached practices that teams can have during the off-season. To keep it as fair as possible, the NCAA limits the amount of involvement that a coach can have outside of the regular season.
Once all of the allotted practices are used up, the coach can no longer teach or help the team practice until the regular season starts. The team can still practice, but the coach cannot be there to facilitate it.
Usually, it is left to the captains or other leaders to run the off season workouts, but there can be difficulties when students wish to use facilities at times when they are not open to the public.
“Even if I just wanted to open up the gym a little early for the team, it would be in violation of the NCAA rules,” said head baseball coach Casey Powell. “Anything that could be construed as me helping with practice is off limits.”
An outside coach or staff member is needed to unlock the facility and then supervise for the duration of the workout. These people are typically hard to come by.
With these kinds of restrictions, it is very difficult for teams to find times when they can reserve facilities such as the BFFC for solely the team’s use.
“In order to compete, we have to be bigger, faster, and stronger and, in order to do that, we need to get in the weight room as much as possible,” said Powell.
For the time being, this means tailoring schedules around BFFC staffed times and having to share space with whomever else is using the machines. This is not the ideal situation for any party involved, but until the renovations of Sherwood are complete, it is the best option for teams to stay strong and healthy.
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