An expansion to UFV fitness facilities was unveiled last week. “The Cave,” as it’s come to be known, was formerly E182, and housed racks of seldom-used folding chairs. Now, The Cave houses 10 spin bikes, two squat racks, a training sled, and a variety of weight-training gear including free weights, medicine balls, and kettlebells.
The 850-square-foot, 16-foot ceilinged room faces south, with a garage bay overhead door, which can be opened to host indoor/outdoor classes.
Cascades varsity and club teams will use the new facility for training, but it’ll also be open to UFV students, faculty, staff, and alumni through Campus Rec group fitness programming.
PacificSport Fraser Valley, a not-for-profit regional sport hub, which was created to support athletes and coaches, as well as host community sport programs and events for youth to adults, will also run programs out of the space.
UFV Athletics and PacificSport Fraser Valley sent a joint application to the 2016 Abbotsford B.C. Summer Games Legacy Fund, who made the expansion possible with a $33,000 grant.
The Fitness Centre in the northeast corner of E building is still in use, and has also seen improvements to fitness equipment.
The project was overseen by Steve Tuckwood, UFV director of athletics and campus recreation.
“We’re deeply thankful to the 2016 B.C. Summer Games for providing the funding to help our vision to become reality, and we’re excited to partner with PacificSport to deliver services to the community.”
It took cooperation from UFV facilities to clear out the storage space, and find a new place for the stacks of folding chairs previously stored there.
On September 12, members of the UFV President’s Executive joined stakeholders from the 2016 B.C. Summer Games board and PacificSport Fraser Valley to tour the new facility.
“Two years ago we were talking about, ‘When we have a legacy, what’s that going to look like?’” said Steve Carlton, president of the 2016 Abbotsford B.C. Summer Games. “It’s really gratifying to see one of our partners, UFV, and PacificSport using the money in a way that will benefit so many for so many years to come. We’re delighted about this — it’s just awesome.”
Jared Kope, executive director of PacificSport Fraser Valley, said the space will meet the needs of PacificSport’s high-performance athletes, to community sport organizations in need of space to train.
“The transition of this space from the start to the end, and how quickly it came together, is so exciting,” Kope said. “Our athletes, and the sport groups we work with, are so keen to find facility space to train, and we can already see how excited the community is.”
“What is most fun for me is, we took a dormant space, and turned it into a dynamic space,” said Tuckwood. “We certainly appreciate our facilities team for being willing to give it up. As a program, I see it as a monumental leap for us, for a strength and conditioning opportunity not only for our varsity teams, but for any students, staff, and faculty that want to get healthier through our Campus Rec program.”
With files from Dan Kinvig
