Cramped Wooden Center beefs up to accommodate demand
By Greg Schain
May 15, 2003 9:00 p.m.
The year: 1977. The issue: Whether to build a new,
state-of-the-art recreation and exercise facility on campus. When
put to referendum, the students overwhelmingly rejected the plan.
After all, not too many students worked out in 1977. Fast forward
to 1978. In that year, John Wooden decided to endorse the plan and
campaigned for it. All of a sudden, the John Wooden Center was
born, passing by a landslide after receiving the Wizard of
Westwood’s approval. When it finally opened in 1983, no other
college campus in the country had such a comprehensive recreational
building. The building’s unique design and cutting-edge
equipment were the first of their kind in the nation for a college
campus. My, how things have changed. Today, the building is
considered a bastion of antiquity rather than a modern gym. The
weight room is more aptly called the wait room, with overcrowding
and lines occurring on a daily basis. And the cardiovascular area
isn’t much better, with mandatory time limits and a lack of
equipment to accommodate demand, especially during peak hours.
“It wasn’t as crowded when it first opened,” said
Daniel Wax, manager of the Wooden Center. “But interest in
the individual workout routine has blossomed over the past 20
years.” In 1984, 563,810 people entered the Wooden Center. In
2002, that number was 1,057,011, up 87 percent from 1984 and the
highest number on record. In fact, in the past 15 years, the number
of visitors to the Wooden Center only declined once, in 1994. And
that was because of renovations being done after the Northridge
earthquake. According to Wax, the weight room currently has a
pressing demand for space and equipment. “It is definitely
our biggest problem in terms of a need for expansion,” Wax
said. “The building was designed in the 1970’s, when
weight training was not as pervasive as it is now.” Despite
the space and budgetary limitations, Wax and his team are doing all
they can to accommodate this high demand. They have turned any open
space, including racquetball courts, hallways and even the patio
outside the weight room, into additional workout areas. “They
have to serve a community of 30,000,” said economics
Professor Lee Ohanian, who works out four to five times a week at
the Wooden Center. “They do a great job, considering the
limited resources.” Ohanian usually works out from the
morning or early afternoon to the late afternoon peak hours.
“It’s the best way to avoid all of the crowds,”
Ohanian said.
Expanding for the Future Fear not, Wooden users. Relief is on
the way. The major expansion currently being built, called Wooden
West, is expected to open in 2004. It will feature a 10,000 square
foot weight room (triple the current size), along with an expanded
cardio area, an Outdoor Adventures resource center, and office
space. Also, $300,000 worth of new equipment is being purchased in
order to fill the space. The equipment currently occupying one of
the racquetball courts on the second floor will be moved, freeing
up one more court for recreational racquetball play.
“I’m really looking forward to the expansion,”
Ohanian said. “The (Wooden Center) is incredibly
popular.” “¢bull;”¢bull;”¢bull; As part of today’s John
Wooden Center Appreciation Day festivities, John Wooden will be
giving a speech in the Collins Court at 2:30. The event is open to
the public.
