UCSD Athletics community celebrates grand opening of new training facility in ribbon-cutting ceremony on North Campus.
Last Wednesday, Oct. 21, UCSD celebrated the opening of its newest athletics facility, the Alex G. Spanos Athletic Performance Center, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The Spanos family donated $500,000 to expand and renovate the existing training facility, adjacent to the track at North Campus.
The facility is open to all students and contains high-end machinery equipped for specific training and rehabilitation. The 12,000 square foot facility will also lessen the congestion student-athletes experience at RIMAC, as it offers additional fitness and training “zones,” as well as a conference room and even a hydrotherapy spa for the athletes.
“It was designed to have multiple teams training at one time, with each having its own work space,” UCSD Director of Strength and Conditioning Myles Cooper said at the ceremony. “In addition to the space, our new pieces of technology will ensure we are developing the correct physical qualities at the appropriate time of the season.”
In addition, the UCSD name and school colors are featured prominently within the facility, which is an extension of the other athletics projects that have been completed this year, including Triton Ballpark and Muir Field. UCSD Athletics Director Earl Edwards says that these blue and gold markers are part of the branding that UCSD and the Athletics Department are attempting.
“I think one of the things that we struggle with, the university, is a brand where a lot of people know who we are,” Edwards told the UCSD Guardian. “We’re a great institution, world-renowned institution, but a lot of people don’t know. So the more they can see UC San Diego, whether it’s facilities or on TV, the better off we’ll be as far as visibility and connecting with the community.”
The Spanos family has been part of the UCSD community since the 1980s when UCSD hosted the San Diego Chargers training camp. President of Football Operations for the Chargers John Spanos, grandson of Alex G. Spanos, the original Spanos owner of the Chargers and namesake of the facility, hopes to continue the relationships the Chargers have with UCSD.
“[This relationship] is something my grandfather started, and it’s something we’ve been really proud to continue, and he really deserves all the credit for starting it,” Spanos explained to the Guardian.
The UCSD News Center reported that the Spanos family has given more to the UCSD Athletics Department than any other individual or family, with its contributions amounting to over $1.6 million.
“UCSD holds a special place in our hearts,” Spanos added. “UCSD is a great institution that we’ve just been really happy and proud to be able to support the school.”
