Gymnastics Facilities: Tumbling In Splendor

Whether practice or competition or the time in between, the Alabama gymnastics program has one of the finest facilities in the nation and it just keeps getting better. Recently a new team suite was constructed specifically for the gymnastics program. The new suite includes an expanded locker room and shower area, a team area that includes study and computer stations as well as a meeting space. There is also a full training room in the new suite which allows Crimson Tide gymnasts to have everything they need before and after practice in one place.

“We are very excited about this addition to our facility,” Sarah Patterson said. “Our goal is to always ensure that our ladies have everything that they need to be successful and this suite is part of that commitment. From a study area and team meeting room to having a training room positioned between our practice gym and competition arena, this is a tremendous upgrade to our already outstanding facilities.”

The gymnastics suite is just the latest upgrade to Alabama’s facilities. Coleman Coliseum underwent a complete renovation costing nearly $30 million in 2005 as part of Alabama’s overall $125-plus million Crimson Tradition Building initiative.

In addition to modernizing the facility, the project added offices, locker and meeting rooms for all sports and a new 6,400-square foot club level on the east side that opens into the arena.

“I was told by the architects that they think it’s one of the top five college arenas in the nation,” Alabama’s Athletics Director Mal Moore said.

The interior of the coliseum features expanded lobbies and concourses as well as new training and equipment rooms. The project also replaced all 15,000 seats in the main arena making watching a meet even more comfortable.

Also among the renovations was the addition of several huge display cases to encompass all the trophies and awards the gymnastics team has earned over the years. There are also eight six-foot square murals depicting highlights from 30 years of Alabama Gymnastics.

“The renovation of Coleman Coliseum allows our gymnastics fans to enjoy great competitions in one of the finest facilities in the nation,” head coach Sarah Patterson said. “We’re also excited about some of the ‘behind the scenes’ parts of the Coliseum, including a new and improved athletic training facility.”

The overall renovation to the Crimson Tide’s athletic facilities also included a new spacious strength and conditioning center and an athletic training center that is among the nation’s very best. Both facilities are located in the Mal Moore Athletic Facility adjacent to Coleman Coliseum.

Another aspect of the now completed Crimson Tradition Building initiative that has paid huge dividends is the Bryant Hall Academic Center, one of the finest academic centers in the nation, which opened in 2005 (for more on Bryant Hall, see page 22).

The Alabama practice gym, part of the Coliseum annex completed in 1996, is a state-of-the-art training facility. The main practice space boasts a design that is at once attractive and extremely functional. The equipment is all arranged to make the flow of practice extremely fluid. There are six uneven bars stations, five balance beams, three vaults and an oversized floor in place.

All aspects of the complex come together in a marriage of form and function that gives Alabama a training edge. That is important to the coaching staff, which spent countless hours in designing the 12,500-square foot gym, but the most important aspect of the space isn’t readily apparent to the casual observer.

“We train everyday in a beautiful facility that has everything we could ever need,” Sarah Patterson said. “Most importantly though, it was totally designed to minimize and alleviate impact on the gymnasts. If you look at it, the facility is aesthetically pleasing, but if you look close, you will notice that it was designed with the gymnasts’ bodies in mind.”

Multiple soft landing pits are available for all four apparatus, giving the Tide the freedom to train skills in enhanced safety. It also gives Alabama the capability of teaching a variety of skills at the same time.

“We have the equipment and space to choose how we want to run practice,” coach David Patterson said. “We can split into two or three groups or we can all be on one event if we are having an intra-squad. It gives us the freedom to do that or to have everyone on four different events at the same time. We have the room and the staff to do that and be effective with it. Also, we put enough diverse things into the design of the facility where it is very helpful in terms of teaching new skills.”

The main practice area includes an in-ground trampoline and tumbling strips. The sound system that drives the Tide’s practices is top-notch, surrounding the floor exercise area with the same level of sound the Tide will encounter in a meet setting. There is also an array of cardio equipment, including a pair of treadmills, a stairstepper, two elliptical trainers and a recumbent bicycle.

A separate 2,000-square foot aerobics/dance studio is connected to the main practice area. That area houses another sound system, utilized during the Tide’s spinning workouts. The gymnastics team has 20 spinning bikes, all housed in the aerobics/dance studio.

Even before the renovations, Coleman Coliseum was already one of the best places in the nation to watch gymnastics. There are few atmospheres better in collegiate athletics than a gymnastics Friday night in Coleman Coliseum. The roar of the crowd as Alabama marches in, the program’s accomplishments being touted on the twin Jumbo Tron video screens at either end of the arena and the newly installed video board on the competition floor, is deafening.

Coleman Coliseum has hosted some of the biggest gymnastics meets in the country including the 1991, 1996 and 2002 NCAA Championships and the 1988, 1993 and 1999 SEC Championships. The Tide will host its 11th NCAA Regional in 2009.