Mustering up the willpower to just walk into the gym can seem
like half the battle. At UCLA, waiting once you get there has all
too frequently been the other half.
But with Wooden West, the Wooden Recreation Center’s
10,000 square foot addition set to open by Labor Day, the workout
itself should be the only challenge students face once they swipe
their BruinCard through.
“I’m so excited,” daily cardio user Lauren
Kornmann said. “I used to go to (UC) Irvine’s gym
because the Wooden Center didn’t fit the size of our
campus.”
The approximately $12 million expansion project was approved in
2000 when students passed the Student Programs, Activities, and
Resource Complex referendum that will increase student fees $10 per
quarter beginning in fall. Additional funding from the 2002 senior
class gift and recreation department reserves will help the current
weight room triple in size and feature 42 new machines and 28 new
plate-loaded equipment. The expanded area will also include 17
treadmills, 15 ellipticals, 20 bikes and other new cardio
equipment. It all comes as good news for the over 1.2 million
people who entered the Wooden Center this past year only to find
compact spacing or wait for some of the equipment they wanted to
use.
“I had to work close to some really, really sweaty
people,” frequent weightlifter Jerry Yu said.
More than just runners and weightlifters will benefit from the
expansion. An outdoor adventure resource center is being added onto
the first floor to serve as a meeting place for a diverse group
that takes upward of 140 trips each year.
“UCLA’s been behind the curve,” said Shane
Reynolds, assistant director in charge of outdoor recreation,
noting that other UC’s have had similar viable centers for
over 30 years. “This will help promote outdoor recreation and
a healthier lifestyle all around.”
Besides serving as a meeting space, Reynolds hopes the
department can offer free evening seminars on topics ranging from
back-country cooking to bicycle repair. The center will also offer
rental equipment and resources such as maps for students looking to
plan their own outdoor trips.
“As the program has grown, there has been an impetus for a
rental program,” Reynolds said. “We’ve had to
send students out to Sports Chalet on weekends, and sometimes
they’ve run out of equipment.”
The opening of the Outdoor Resource Center and the overall
expansion of the Wooden Center itself reflects the increased
popularity of the recreation department on campus.
When it first opened in 1983, the Wooden Center was one of the
first state-of-the-art facilities for students. But in recent years
its popularity has exceeded its capacity.
“The increased interest in cardio and weight-training has
overgrown the expectations since (the Wooden Center) first
opened,” said Dan Wax, who served as the Wooden
Center’s director for 19 years and is now the corporate and
community relations director.
In July 2002, a 25,000 square foot addition on the North End
provided increased room for a locker room, offices and fitness
areas. Two years later, this newest expansion will complete the
tall task of accommodating a student body focused both on their
fitness and grades.
“I can’t concentrate on my studies unless I’ve
gone to the gym,” Kornmann said.
The expanded Wooden Center will also house an Energy Zone
Convenience Store that will sell healthy snacks and recreation
merchandise. Besides the Hilltop shop near the dorms, the Energy
Zone will be the only on-campus convenience store open past 7 p.m.
With the Wooden Center open until 11:45 p.m. on weekdays, students
can make late nights on campus a healthy habit.
“It’s one of the most accessible buildings on
campus,” Director of Cultural and Recreational Affairs Mick
Deluca said. “It’s a great place for stress relief and
to meet new people.”