(Credit: Steve Thurston, 2023)
Construction has begun on a new health and wellness center at Skidmore College.
Skidmore College has begun general site work and construction on the McCaffery-Wagman Tennis and Wellness Center. The 10,000-square-foot addition, featuring both indoor and outdoor tennis courts will also provide spaces for yoga, spin, and martial arts.
The building will help make both physical and mental healthcare more accessible and give athletic teams separate rooms to work out in, according to published information on the school’s website. The college's health center, the counseling center, and Office of Health Promotions will be located in the building, according to an announcement of the project.
The student body has continued to express excitement on social media as numerous accounts have reposted Skidmore’s announcement of the facility’s 12 new tennis courts, state-of-the-art fitness center, and dedicated space for Health Services alongside the current Williamson Sports Center.
“Luckily the winter has not had any impact on our progress and construction of the new outdoor tennis courts is expected to be complete for fall 2023, with the entire project concluding in 2024” a statement released by the school said.
Currently, the entire student body shares just a few, small exercise spaces in the Williamson Sports Center. This has been a long-standing issue for years, with many students interviewed saying that it deters them from wanting to exercise at the school due to its intimate nature.
Head Women’s Tennis Coach, Curt Speerschneider noted that while the construction will have a major impact on those affiliated with athletics, the project’s positive effects will be felt by everyone.
“It’s important to note that this facility is for all of Skidmore…The Athletics teams will remain in the current fitness area in Williamson Sports Center for their team workouts, so there will never be a time when a large team is overtaking the new facility. There will also be larger and more private locker room spaces for all communities to use, which is a great improvement from the current setup.”
He noted that this new addition to campus would allow the tennis program to finally have a place they consider, “home.”
For years, both the men’s and women’s teams have had to travel to host their competitive matches, creating separation between them, and the rest of the Skidmore community, he said.
“Not only will these help improve how we train, but it will also be a significant factor in recruiting. The first thing top recruits look at, after academics, of course, is usually facilities. Before, those weren’t much to look at and we’d lose many recruits comparing us to other top programs,” he said.