Over the course of this past summer, Bates Athletics completed four facility improvement projects aimed at providing both college students and student athletes with a superior athletic experience that they have become accustomed to.
A renovated Davis Fitness Center and new changing rooms for the college soccer and lacrosse teams are located in the Underhill Arena. The historic Gray Cage has got new Mondo floors and the tennis team at the Wallach Tennis Center has access to the latest AI-controlled video analysis. The upgrades are the result of generous donations from Bates alumni as well as a desire by the administration to give student athletes more opportunities to have the best possible experience while competing at Bates.
Bates students enjoyed making use of the new equipment at Merrill. (Katherine Merisotis / The Bates Student)
The most important part of these upgrades is the enhanced student experience. When asked about the new facility upgrades, many student athletes as well as frequent gym goers shared their thoughts and experiences.
Emma Volkers and Molly Griffin, sophomore, both field hockey team members, shared the same opinion that the old gym was extremely limiting and sometimes not optimal for improving athletic performance. They also found that timing of the upgrades was critical as many Bates students, after a year in 2020, prepare to compete in sports seasons that year.
Cole De Magistris ’24, member of the soccer team, enjoys the new facilities at the Davis Fitness Center. What he appreciates most is the gym’s numerous dedicated areas for “all types of workouts, including speed and agility.”
Park Penrod ’24, also a member of the soccer team, hopes the improvements in sports facilities will encourage more students to exercise more generally on campus and enable an overall healthy lifestyle on campus.
There is enough space for teams and students in the Davis Fitness Center. (Katherine Merisotis / The Bates Student)
One opinion shared by most of the student athletes surveyed was that while the upgrades are very much appreciated and needed, the Davis Center in particular is sometimes way too hot and the lack of air conditioning makes it difficult to grip weights and often requires one leaves the gym for a moment to get cooler air outside.
Overall, the student reception seems positive when it comes to the summer upgrades, especially the Davis Fitness Center. Over time, more takes from the students will cater to the other upgrades as the circumstances make them more used and compete in off-season sports.
Sporting director Jason Fein had a huge role in facilitating the new upgrades around campus and allocating resources.
“Every year we go into the year trying to figure out how we can improve the experience of student athletes in general,” he said. “An advantage of COVID-19”. [is that we] saved some money that would normally be spent on other things. “
He was excited to see the new students at the Davis Center and even had a few mornings of his own for a few workouts. The biggest feeling Fein wanted to convey was just the general pride it brought him not only to see the students using the new facilities, but also to just see the Bobcats compete after a year that saw most of the teams due to global competition did not participate in pandemic.
It seems that the administration as a whole is optimistic about the prospects for Bobcats Athletics, and these new upgrades are an example of that sentiment.
