One of the nation's best wellness centers is now open for business.
Auburn University's Recreation and Wellness Center's grand opening ceremony provided a first look at the new, 240,000 square foot behemoth.
Everyone in attendance seemed enthralled with the building, but it is possible no one was more pleased than Lauren Hayes, former SGA president.
"This will forever be more than a building to me," Hayes said.
When Hayes was elected SGA president she ran on the platform of improving the recreation options available to students. This ultimately led to the successful referendum to build the Recreation and Wellness Center.
Four years later, the ribbon cutting that concluded the event provided closure for a project that started in 2009 and cost $72 million to complete.
Jon Waggoner, Interim Vice President of Student Affairs, said the Recreation and Wellness Center represented a massive improvement in fitness opportunities for Auburn students.
Waggoner compared his Sony Walkman-fueled and stadium stair-filled fitness regimen from his days as a student at Auburn University to the new center as evidence of the major improvement.
Jay Gogue, President of Auburn University, also expressed admiration for the new facility.
"When you walk around and look at this magnificent facility, I think you'll feel it in your gut," Gouge said.
There was also plenty of praise to go around for 360 Architecture, the Kansas City-based company that designed the sleek center.
"They've done a great job from start to finish," Waggoner said.
The result of that work is a state-of-the-art fitness center Jimmy Rane, president pro tempore of Auburn University's Board of Trustees called the best in the nation.
"This facility has a unique feel to it like none other," Rane said.
Director of campus recreation, Jennifer Jarvis agreed about the specialness of the Recreation and Wellness Center.
"This building has a uniquely Auburn feel," Jarvis said.
Featuring the nation's longest corkscrew track, two 50-foot climbing towers, a golf simulator and more than 200 pieces of exercise equipment, the Recreation and Wellness Center sports the bells and whistles needed to get students excited about fitness.
Students clad in fluorescent-tinged running shoes and workout equipment milled around the entrance of the Recreation and Wellness Center before the Grand Opening.
Connor Burroughs, freshman architecture; Spencer Bounphouansy, freshman computer science; Nicholas Chappell, mechanical engineering and Sherman Peek, freshman wireless engineering, were among the patiently waiting hoard, and were all excited to try the new rock wall.
"I'll really enjoy the space," Peek said.
This attitude bodes well for a project that ultimately was undertaken with the intent of encouraging student health.
Gouge said that one in five Americans is over-eating and under-exercising which can be detrimental to health, and that he hopes the new facility can help Auburn students avoid contributing to that statistic.
Harrison Mills, SGA president, said that the Recreation and Wellness Center should encourage the strong mind, body and spirit that is not afraid that the Auburn Creed Calls for.
Guided tours were offered after the ceremony, and the Recreation and Wellness Center will be open for regular use by students starting at 5 p.m. this evening.
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