The Manley Training Center is up and running, providing a seeming end to the years of overcrowding and inconvenience for those whose wished to use the Kresge weight room during the afternoon and evening when varsity teams were often there.
The Student Assembly brought the weight room to the forefront of attention in 1997, when Assembly President John Heavey made it the Assembly's top issue.
As one of its activities to draw attention to the issue, the Assembly orchestrated the Pennies for Parkhurst campaign, collecting 70,000 pennies in tennis ball containers and placing them on the steps of the Parkhurst Hall administration building.
Responding with a gift of $100,000, Carla and John Manley charged the College to build a new weight room, specifically for the use of varsity athletes.
The new center was constructed on the site of five older squash courts that no longer met regulation standards.
By designating the new Manley Training Center weight room just for varsity athletes, the College has allowed the Kresge Fitness Center to concentrate on serving the remainder of the community.
The Manley Training Center has had a "huge impact because Kresge is now dedicated to the casual use ... varsity training can center their activities in the Manley center," Athletics Director Dick Jaeger said.
Teams have been able to concentrate on their strength training when they have sole use of the Manley center, women's varsity soccer coach Kelly Knudsen '91 said.
"It's tremendous to have a place just for our team for an hour. We can get on the machines we need, and it's really a team atmosphere," Knudsen said.
In the past, the varsity teams would corner off part of the Kresge Center for their own use, but they still had to share the space with all the other teams.
"We have the weights to ourselves," Jeana Chung '99 said, "It's a benefit for everyone."
Not only the varsity athletes have benefited from the new center, Jaeger said. The "causal user" benefits from the space created in the Kresge Fitness Center, Jaeger said.
In addition to building the new center, new machines were added to Kresge, including four new treadmills and five stairmasters.
Just having the room available to use in the afternoon is the biggest benefit of the Manley Center, William Coyne '00 said. "It's 100 percent more convenient."
"It is nice not to have half the weight room closed for three or four hour blocks in the afternoon," Matt Clendenny '99.
The additions to Kresge have transformed that facility from a primarily weight-oriented facility to a total fitness center. "Right now we have a pretty balanced position," Fitness Center assistant Greg Hayes '98 said.
Though many people said they are happy with the additions, some students commented that there was still room for improvement in both centers, especially concerning the need for more machines, especially in Kresge.
Further expansion seems unlikely, Jaeger said -- "There isn't space."
