2 BYU centers dedicated

PROVO — Brigham Young University broke ground Monday afternoon on two new facilities, and, school administrators believe, a bright new era for intercollegiate athletics at BYU.

Gray skies and rain — not to mention a disappointing football defeat over the weekend — did not dampen enthusiasm during groundbreaking ceremonies for an indoor practice facility and a student athlete center. The structures are expected to help BYU build upon its tradition of excellence on the playing field. Athletic director Val Hale called Monday's proceedings an historic occasion.

"It's a wonderful day," he said, "to be a Cougar."

Groundbreaking took place on a day that exemplifies the dire need for an indoor practice facility—later that afternoon, the Cougar football team began practicing for its upcoming game at Georgia Tech in a rainstorm that had coach Gary Crowton wishing the facilities were already built.

Aside from not having a warm, dry place to practice during inclement weather, the athletic department's 21 varsity teams have long outgrown the antiquated Smith Fieldhouse. Space is in short supply as some team meetings are held in cramped rooms, causing players to spill into hallways. With the new facilities, which are scheduled to be finished next fall, those problems will be alleviated.

Wet, windy conditions forced part of the groundbreaking festivities (including speeches by administrators and visiting dignitaries; and the performance of rousing numbers by the Cougar Marching Band) inside the Smith Fieldhouse — the building that BYU athletes have utilized the past 51 years. By this time next year, Cougar teams will be housed inside gleaming, state-of-the-art facilities.

Certainly, the new complexes will carry the BYU athletic department into the 21st century. According to school officials, BYU is the only cold-weather school among the nation's top programs that does not boast an indoor practice facility. Such facilities can be used as a key recruiting tool. "You don't win games with bricks and buildings — you win with players," Crowton said, clutching a shovel he used during ground breaking. "But facilities will help us get those players."

All 21 athletic teams at BYU will benefit from the new structures. The student athlete center will include a nutrition center, a strength and conditioning complex, lockers, team meeting rooms and an athletic hall of fame. "It's going to help us in so many ways," said BYU soccer All-America Aleisha Kramer Rose. "It's going to take our athletic programs to the next level."