SIOUX FALLS – As Alexandria Scott cheered on her soccer teammate to complete a lifting exercise, a smile crawled across her face. The entire football team had gathered at the weight platform in the remodeled University of Sioux Falls Sports and Fitness Center, and joined in the chorus of support for her teammate. In that moment, Scott felt an emotional rush.

"We were all clapping and encouraging her to make the max. She put the bar on her back, and took a few steps back to begin her squat," said Scott, a biology and paramedic technology major.

"Next thing I know, the football team is surrounding us, supporting her," said Scott, a junior on USF's soccer team "It had a catalyst effect. The whole 'Bubble' was yelling and clapping for my teammate. The energy was electric. I can honestly say I have never felt or seen athletes here interact like that before. It will be one of my best memories I take away from being at USF."

In that interaction between two USF teams, the impact and purpose of a major gift from an anonymous University of Sioux Falls donor was unveiled. Through the gift, the University of Sioux Falls Athletics Department not only has a state-of-the-art USF Sports and Fitness Center, but, as noted by USF Director of Athletics Josh Snyder, a facility that is transformative.  
"This gift will assist student-athletes in athletic performance, addresses life-work balance, and builds social bonding among teams and student-athletes. It will improve student-athletes' daily lives due to the ability to schedule multiple teams at once and at optimal times," said Snyder.

According to USF Head Strength and Conditioning Coach/Head Athletic Trainer Zach Mathers, the remodeled facility, commonly known as the "Bubble," is the "biggest and the best" around and "game-changing" for the Cougars' program.

"We now have one of the best strength and conditioning facilities in DII," said Mathers. "It allows us to be significantly more efficient in how we train and schedule teams. Beyond that, our student-athletes are safer with top-level equipment and outfitted with the tools to allow student-athletes to maximize their physical ability."

The appreciation among student-athletes and coaches is strongly evident and has the entire program feeling upbeat about their growth and development at USF.

"This training facility expansion really means so much to the athletes at USF. It shows the administration and outside donors care about the preparation and quality of training our physically demanding sports require," Scott said. "The expansion really shows that other people care about our sports as much as we do."

USF head volleyball coach Joel McCartney also recognized that USF alumni have again stepped up as contributors for a need that was paramount.

"What catches my attention more than anything, when thinking about these first class upgrades to our facilities, is the people behind the giving.  I am continually amazed of the generosity and willingness to come alongside our Cougar athletes and provide the very best for them," said McCartney.

How it came together
This reshaped fitness center came together as Mathers discussed training needs with Snyder and later with the donors. Thereafter, Mathers consulted with Power Lift of Jefferson, Iowa, one of the world's top strength and training companies. Mathers and Power Lift officials designed a facility that incorporated program needs.
 
After replacing the gym floor with a sport court, USF added equipment while arranging it to enable multiple teams to utilize the facility. The equipment added included six new racks, connecting braces and platforms for a total of 15 racks. In addition, USF purchased a lower body development machine, called a Pit Shark, and six variable grip hex  bars, six safety squad yoke bars, and added all new bumper plates to the stations.  USF also purchased six Olympic bars, six power block dumbbells systems and six new benches and a four-way adjustable cable column (machine with versatility, up and down to do shoulder, core back work outs with weight stacks in it). The existing cardio equipment includes two elliptical, three treadmills, four spinner bikes and a force treadmill.  

Another big piece of the remodeled facility was addition of a fueling station, which was made available through local partnerships, including Stensland Dairy of Sioux Falls. With the products from Stensland Dairy and other sponsors, the refueling and recovery center will provide student-athletes with high quality chocolate milk, cheese curds, beef jerky, granola, yogurt, trail mix, fruit, vegetables, dried fruit, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and more.  

"I am extremely grateful to our donor," said Mathers. "I hope they understand how much of a game changer this is. It is above and beyond what we can provide teams and student-athletes," he said.

Growth over time
There was a period when USF student athletes trained in a damp, undersized basement in Pierce Hall. Over time facilities were developed, enhanced and moved. From Pierce Hall, the weight and strength area moved to a still undersized Stewart Center. In 2011, the strength facilities moved to the "Bubble," which included the 6 older racks, benches, bars, weights, dumbbells, assorted selectorized equipment, and some cardio equipment.

Now only did growth include facilities but strength/conditioning and training staff. From 2010-12, Mathers was the only strength and conditioning coach on staff with two assistant athletic trainers. As USF transitioned to NCAA DII in 2011, which has facilitated the growth in student-athlete numbers to nearly 400, the strength and conditioning staff increased with three graduate assistants. In the spring of 2014, USF and Avera developed a partnership, which provided additional staff for athletic training and much more. "The partnership has enabled the health care and well-being and physical preparation of our student-athletes to be greatly enhanced," said Mathers.

Life – Balance Perspective

All along, Snyder noted, a principle focus has always been to keep in mind student-athletes' needs.

"It was - what we could do to improve their lives and time management?" said Snyder.

In that vein, this remodeled facility has student-athletes and their coaches experiencing the benefits, including new equipment, better schedules and bonding opportunities.

USF women's basketball's Jacey Huinker and USF volleyball's Janelle Lam, both nursing majors, are impressed with how facility and staff has impacted workouts and their student experience at USF.

"We can see how hard other teams work, which is inspiring, and pushes each of us to be better," said Lam. "We recognize faces and get to know everyone better by being in the same environment. It helps that we can go lift and workout at convenient times because of additional space, thereby freeing up more time for studies and social time," said Lam. "We don't have to wait for weights or racks as there are plenty for teams to use. There also is more versatile machines which helps us be able to do exercises we may not have been able to do before, therefore bettering us as athletes, " said Lam.  

For Huinker, interaction between the teams is relatively new and something she loves about this upgrade.

"We train a lot alongside the men's (basketball) team which has created a close connection between our teams. Training with them pushes us to work harder and allows for us to get to know not only our own team closer, but also other teams and student-athletes. Overall, it allows for us to grow not only as individuals, but as a department," said Huinker.

First year head football coach Jon Anderson agreed with Lam, noting benefits are many for USF.

"Anytime student-athletes from other teams can train around each other, it increase the camaraderie of USF athletics.  They all experience similar stresses in their academic and athletic careers so to have extra support from their fellow student-athletes is an extra bonus from the revamped facility," he said.

"We are so excited about the new renovations to our training facility," said USF head men's basketball coach Chris Johnson. "More space and new equipment allow for more opportunities and ways for our student athletes to improve athletically.  Anytime you can add too and improve upon the largest training facility in all of D2 is a great thing."

Results from the new facilities are quickly making a difference, noted sophomore men's basketball standout Drew Guebert, a business major. He said the expansion of the training facilities is helping push student-athletes to a peak level.
Mathers and his staff push us which means a lot to each of us," he said. "We will be better because of all this."

Clearly enthusiasm abounds about the upgraded center and shapes a promising future for USF athletics.

"The new logo platforms and the additional equipment is really sweet to use and who doesn't like new toys," said Josh Butler, a junior computer science major on the USF football team. "You can have one team working in one area and another just a few feet away doing other training measures. It is really fantastic for all of us."